The MHD Partnership believes that class rather than kiss-me-quick is the way to rebrand the seaside buses serving the Thames Estuary town that Londoners mispronounce affectionately with an ‘rf’ instead of a ‘th’
IDENTITY PARADE
We have a summer seaside theme for this month’s exercise in imagination by The MHD Partnership, which has turned its attention to a popular destination of old for residents of London’s East End: Southend-on-Sea.
Municipal public transport served the town from 1901 to 1993, electric trams until 1942, trolleybuses from 1925 to 1954 and motorbuses (after an earlier false start) from 1932. Trams were green and cream, while buses and trolleybuses were blue and cream. The undertaking traded as Southend Transport from 1974 when local government was restructured in England, and as an arms length municipal company from 1986 the livery was blue and off-white with a red band.
British Bus bought the company in June 1993 and placed it initially under London & Country control. It retained its separate identity until 1997 when Arriva, which as Cowie group acquired British Bus the previous year, applied its corporate aquamarine and Cotswold stone. Today, the Southend depot is one of 14 (thr…
