Omnibuses first came into use in London in 1829. They were then sometimes named Shillibeers, from Mr. Shillibeer, a London undertaker, who introduced them, but the more classic name prevailed, and the omnibus,-signifying in Latin "for all,”—fully established its popularity under the abbreviation 'Bus, even as the French Cabriolet shrank into Cab. Life is evidently too short for long words. The word Buss was formerly applied to a Dutch fishing-boat, teste Defoe, Jure Divino : "Neptune, an old Dutch skipper, born at sea, And naturalised to all that's wild and watery; Since 1829 the London Omnibus traffic has gone on increasing year by year with the increase of this vast city, and now the statistics of this business amaze the inquirer. Besides the tramcars, the steamboats and the cabs, which earn annually vast sums of money, the Londoner and his visitors largely support the railway and omnibus systems. There is a great number of omnibuses in London besides the 660 working daily for the London General Omnibus Company, and it may be estimated that the following figures should be increased by at least one-third in order to make an approximation to the total items of Omnibus Traffic and Receipts. The Company's latest Report shows that last year their Omnibuses carried 58,389,997 passengers over 13,299,219 miles, and earned, at an average about 24d. each passenger, the sum of £576,780. The Company's Stud of Horses, when the last list of them was made up, numbered 7242-the then price paid for horses being about £35 each. At the rate of 80 miles a day (which is about the distance each driver has to cover) he would drive round the world seven times in six years. Omnibuses from various quarters of London to other districts run daily from 8 A.M. till 12 at night, at fares, according to distance, from 1d. to 6d. each person. Each fare should appear distinctly painted upon some prominent part of the vehicle. After 8 P.M. on Sunday nights the fares are in some instances doubled. The London Road-Car Company was established in 1881, to introduce improved and convenient omnibuses, with easy access to the roof and comfortable seats thereon. The omnibuses run upon the four following routes: 1. Hammersmith viâ Chelsea to Victoria Station. 2. Liverpool Street Station via Bank and Strand to ditto. 3. Regent Circus, Oxford Street via Regent Street and Piccadilly to ditto. 4. Notting Hill via Westbourne Grove, Oxford Street, and Regent Street to Charing Cross. Special omnibuses for railway passengers run on week days only, from Euston Square to Charing Cross, to Ludgate Hill and to Waterloo Stations, and from St. Pancras (Midland) to Waterloo; as also between Cannon Street Terminus and the Bishopsgate Station of the Metropolitan Railway. The routes of the principal omnibuses, now mostly owned by the London General Omnibus Company; chief office, 6 Finsbury Square, E.C., (whither complaints relating to that Company should be sent, addressed to the Secretary, R. T. Kingham, Esq.) will be found on the next succeeding pages: Omnibuses. STARTING POINT. COLOUR AND NAME. CAMDEN TOWN, N.W. Yellow, "Camden Town," "Carlton, "Shipton," "Kentish Town," "Haverstock Hill," "Brecknock" Dark blue," Waterloo" ROUTE, DESTINATION AND FARE. TIME OF RUNNING. Hampstead Road, Tottenham Court Road, St. Martin's Park Street, Camden Town, 8.0 A.M. till Park Street, Albany Street, Great Portland Street, Chocolate, "Camden Town and Park Street, Regent Park, Grove Road, Church Street. CHARING CROSS, W.C. Red, "Royal Oak and Charing Nelson Column, Waterloo Place, Regent Street, Oxford Red, "Kennington and Charing Parliament Street, over Westminster Bridge, KenningCross" ton Road, KENNINGTON PARK, S.E. 2d. Brown, "Chelsea, Sands End, King's Road, Sloane Street, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Brown, "Chelsea and Hoxton" CLAPHAM, Surrey, Brown, "Clapham" S.W. King's Road, Sloane Street, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Stockwell, Kennington, Elephant and Castle, the CLAPTON, E.,"Crooked Dark green, "Clapton and Oxford Through Hackney, Cambridge Heath Road, Hackney Circus" Road, Shoreditch, Bishopsgate, Royal Exchange, Cheapside, Oxford Street, Holborn, OXFORD CIRCUS, W. 1d.-6d. 11.30 P.M. Victoria Station, 8.5 A.M. till 12.0 P.M. Camberwell Gate, or "Swan," Old Kent "Britannia," Park Street, Camden Town, "Artesian Tavern," 9.30 A.M. till 11.20 P.M. 11.40 P.M. "Lonsdale Arms," Archer St., 7.56 A.M. till Kennington Park, 8.0 A.M. till 11.15 P.M. From "Aberdeen," Old Ford, 8.0 A.M. till "Globe," King's Road, Chelsea, 8.0 A.M. "Whitmore's Head," Hoxton, 8 A.M. till "Plough," Clapham Common, 8.0 A.M. till Red and White, Cricklewood, Edgware Road, Marble Arch, OXFORD STREET. and Oxford Circus. Dark green, "Hackney and Dalston Lane, Ball's Pond Road, "Angel," Islington, Red... Borough, over London Bridge, King William Street, Bank, BROAD STREET RAILWAY STATIONS. 2d. Metropolitan Stat. Elephant and Castle" FARRINGDON RD.,E.C., Red, "Farringdon Road and Farringdon Street, over Blackfriars Bridge, Blackfriars HAMMERSMITH, Broadway. HACKNEY ROAD, E... White..... Road, London Road, ELEPHANT AND CASTLE, Fulham Road, Dawes Lane, Waltham Green, King's Yellow, "Hackney Road and Shoreditch, Bishopsgate Street, over London Bridge, WAY TAVERN. " Road. ISLINGTON, N., Essex Green, "Islington and Old Kent New North Road, East Road, City Road, Moorgate Road" Street, over London Bridge, Borough, Dover Harrow Road, Bishop's Road, Edgware Road, Oxford 10.45 P.M. Shoreditch end of Hackney Road, 7.30 A.M. Royal Exchange, 8.15 A.M. till 11.35 P.M. 10.40 P.M. Corner of Oxford Street, 9.0 A.M. till 11.40 London Bridge Railway Station, 8.15 A.M. till 10.35 P.M. Victoria Street, 9.10 A.M. till 12.0 P.M. London Bridge Station, 8.45 A.M. till 11.40 10.40 P.M. "Nelson," "Old Kent Road, 7.54 A.M. till 10.44 P.M. About every 6 min. each way. Kensal Green Cemetery, 8.42 A.M. till 9.58 P.M. London Bridge Station, 8.15 A.M. till 11.20 Р.М. About every 10 min. each way. OMNIBUSES. LINE OF ROAD-continued. 248 Omnibuses. COLOUR AND NAME. ROUTE, DESTINATION AND FARE. Red, "Kensal Green and Char- Harrow Road, Praed Street, Edgware Road, Oxford ing Cross" Street, Regent Street, CHARING CROSS. 1d.-5d. KENTISH TOWN, N.W. Light green, "King's Cross and Great College Street, King's Cross, Gray's Inn Road, " Kennington Holborn Circus, Ludgate Circus, Blackfriars Bridge, Edgware Road, Oxford Street, Holborn, Cheapside, "Kilburn and Charing Edgware Road, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Waterloo Red, Blue, "Kilburn and Kensington Cambridge Road, Walterton Road, Carlton Bridge, Red, "West Kilburn." Great Western Road, Richmond Road, Pembridge Edgware Road, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly KINGSLAND, E., Dals- Dark green, "Kingsland and Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, Bishopsgate, Gracechurch ton Lane. MITCHAM and MER- Elephant and Castle" Street, over London Bridge, Borough, ELEPHANT Tooting, Balham, Clapham, Stockwell, Kennington, Tulse Hill, Brixton Church, GRACECHURCH STREET. 6d. NOTTING HILL, "LAN- Dark green, "Bayswater, John Elgin Crescent, Kensington Park Road, Westbourne CASTER," Lancaster Road, W. Bulls.' Grove, Bishop's Road, Oxford Street, Holborn, Fenchurch Street Station, 8.50 A.M. till "Falcon Hotel," West Kilburn, 7.45 A.M. "Charing Cross," 8.30 A.M. till 11.40 P.M. About every 20 min. Dalston Lane, Kingsland Road, 7.35 A.M. "Alfred's Head," Newington, 8.6 A.M. till |
