By 1919 there were so many of these one man operators that a major breakdown of a bus not only took the bus off the road, but allowed a competitor to move in on your route. Anything greater than small repairs was usually beyond the skills of most operators and the costs of major repairs prohibitive. This situation resulted in many buses being driven to death and the operator going out of business.

There were some, however, who planned for a longer future in public transport and realised that sharing resources would provide greater stability. By allowing buses to be maintained on a regular basis in their own workshops and setting up fixed bus routes with standardised fares with proper timetables, this stability was assured.

This sharing of maintenance workshops and the setting up of fixed routes was the forerunner of amalgamation which would eventually be achieved by the future creation of Red & White Services Ltd. The instigators and initial leaders of this new venture in public transport was John H. Watts, his brother Arthur J. Watts, bus operators in Lydney, Gloucester., along with Ralph Williams of Western Services Ltd.

Photographs.

Top:       John H.Watts. M.Inst.T

Middle:   Arthur J.Watts.

Bottom:  Ralph Williams.