TV&GWOT has a strong focus on coach services not least because the West Country was such a popular destination.  For many the adventure began at Victoria Coach Station in London and we are delighted to be working with the TfL team in 2022 to help celebrate the 90th anniversary since this national hub of coaching activity first opened.

The anniversary is significant not just for the heritage, but also for investment and future growth as a modern transport interchange.  It matters to staff, passengers and enthusiasts alike and the celebrations will mirror this with a range of complementary activities.

These static and running day events and displays give the wider public opportunities to share in the excitement. Scroll or click to jump to: 17 June / 24 July / 24 September / VCS book to find out more.

Vintage coaches on display alongside the operational services during the 3-day VCS85 Coach Festival. © Colin Billington

Saturday 24 September - VCS90 – Static Display of Coaches at VCS

Vintage coaches will occupy the principal running bays at VCS – for one day only.  This spectacle will be open for the public to enjoy with endless opportunities for photographers, enthusiasts and the wider public. Coaches in rotation will participate in the operational mass departures giving a changing combination of vehicles in the display.

Entries have come for coaches from across the country.

Coaches, reflecting a range of operators and different eras, are expected to include the following.  Other entries are in process and will be added in due course:

The date is intentionally alongside the 50^th Showbus (on 25 September) so coaches and enthusiasts travelling a distance will have the opportunity to participate in two relatively close events in the same weekend.

A flavour of the variety within the VCS 90 covers:

Sunday 24 July - VCS90 – Bus Running Day

Victoria Coach Station was the hub for the running day activities, with vintage and modern vehicles giving public rides throughout the day so passengers could sample different aspects of coach and bus travel.

Staff at Hammersmith gave a warm welcome ensuring services ran smoothly.	The authentic opportunity to unload passengers in ‘Sammy’s’ garage was a treat, again enabled by cheerful VCS staff. © Colin Billington	Unlikely companions but TV&GWOT’s 1286 and the Flixbus coach demonstrated decades of change through VCS.

TV&GWOT coordinated the vintage coaches for the first of these services. Pairs of coaches each made three or four return trips. A new book has been produced by TV&GWOT to mark the 90th Anniversary and was launched for sale on the day. It can be purchased exclusively from TV&GWOT online or by post and will be available at the 24 September display.

Coaches operating Route 090 were:

Thursday 10 March – The 90^th Anniversary of the Grand Opening of Victoria Coach Station

Transport for London (TfL) officials and VCS staff gathered 90 years to the day after the coach station was opened (on 10 March 1932) to commemorate that momentous occasion.  It was a time for reflection on the hundreds of millions of people who have passed through the nation’s coaching hub over the decades, whether as passengers, coach drivers or staff keeping VCS operational day and night, 365 days a year.  Fittingly, a celebration of the people was rewarded with a magnificent cake.  To acknowledge the heritage, three vintage coaches from the 1950s were cast in the modern coach station setting:

TfL officials assembled on 10 March 2022 to acknowledge the significance of VCS and its 90th anniversary. TfL Commissioner Andy Byford addressed the assembled crowd, accompanied by (L to R) Andy Lord (Chief Operating Officer), Liam Wilson (Coach Station Manager) and Louise Cheeseman (Director of Buses).

A recent addition to the National Express fleet, a Scania K410EB6 Caetano Levante 3 (BF21CZA) was flanked by vintage coaches, some 60-70 years older, with a Royal Blue behind as part of the thought-provoking display on 10 March. Decades have passed and design and engineering have changed but the principles of good passenger service at VCS continue.

The VCS 50th anniversary cake in photographs of the 1982 celebration.  © The Bus Archive – London Coastal Coaches Collection.

The magnificent VCS90 cake (above) and (right) ceremonial cutting on 10 March.

The departures into Elizabeth Street at the end of the VCS90 birthday party on 10 March provide a silent commentary on the evolution of coaches over 70 of VCS’s 90 years from 1951 to 2021. All pictures © Helen Billington uno.