Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 115342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 164,971 pages of information and 246,452 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

London Electric Omnibus Co

From Graces Guide
1899. A View of their Works.
1899. Oil car climbing a one in six slope.
1899. Group of Oil and Electric Cars.
1899.

1888 Syndicate formed for testing Radcliffe Ward's system of electric street-traction (the driver steered the vehicle which was powered from accumulators), particularly an electric bus and a van for the Postal Service in London; it was named Ward Electric Car Co[1].

1894 Walter C. Bersey developed the second electric bus and was responsible for the mail van, which covered about 1000 miles in a 6 months trial.

1895 Started to promote the use of electric buses in London

1896 After successful trials, it had been decided to form a Company, the London Electric Omnibus Co, to introduce the system in London and other cities; it was expected to be considerably cheaper than the established system of horse-drawn vehicles based on the accounts of LGOC; public issue of shares.[2].

1896 Dec 20th. First running of omnibuses of the London Electric Omnibus Co.[3]

1897 December. Report of a meeting of shareholders. 125 omnibuses had been promised but not one was running. Mentions William Marshall - late deputy chairman, Edmund Kimber, Flaxman Haydon, J. E. Condict, Colonel Turnbull and a dissented Mr. Ware.[4]

1898 January. Appointment of a Committee of Consultation. Chairman is S. Flood Page.[5]

1899 Designs by Thomas Hugh Parker

1901 January. 4th AGM reported. T. T. Turnbull is MD. Propose reconstruction of the company.[6]

See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. The Electric Vehicle: Technology and Expectations in the Automobile Age, By Gijs Mom
  2. The Times, May 19, 1896
  3. Automotor Journal 1897/01/18
  4. The Autocar 1897/12/04
  5. The Autocar 1898/01/08
  6. The Autocar 1901/01/05