HISTORY OF ROYAL MOTORWAYS
1920s
Strain's Royal Motorways (Luxury Day Excursions)
1980s
Royal Motorways acquired by Dudley's Coaches
2021
Royal Motorways operates again as an independent brand
1920s
1980s
Strain's Royal Motorways
Although we don’t know precisely when Royal Motorways first began operating, we do know that Strains’ Royal Motorways were running Luxury Tours over 100 years ago, in around 1920, from their Ipsley House Garage site on Studley Road in Redditch. Popular excursions explored the Costwolds, the Peak District and Wales, with destinations including perennial favourites such as Weston Super Mare and Barry Island, with others reaching as far as Portsmouth, Skegness and Merseyside, all in the days before motorways!
Dudley's Coaches
Over sixty years later, in 1986, Syd Strain and Chris Dudley agreed a plan for the Royal Motorways business to be acquired by Dudley’s Coaches, with six Royal Motorways coaches and a number of staff transferring to Dudley’s Radford premises, near Inkberrow, Worcestershire, later that year.
Although the plan had been for the Royal Motorways coaches to be repainted in Dudley’s two-tone green livery, there was a last-minute change of heart, resulting in Dudley’s continuing to operate at least one coach using the Royal Motorways name and colours, through to Chris Dudley’s retirement at the end of 2020.
An interesting history of Dudley’s Coaches, which was started by Chris’ father Ernie Dudley in 1938, has been published by Bus and Coach Buyer magazine.
Having survived the transition to Dudley’s Coaches with a last-minute reprieve, the Royal Motorways name was once again at risk of disappearing, this time as a result of Chris’ retirement. Towards the end of 2020, amidst the Covid-19 restrictions, school closures and very uncertain times for the country and the coach industry, Chris was in the process of selling-off the fleet, and the business looked set to close.
However, Chris had a particular plan in mind for his oldest coach, a 1995 Volvo B10M Plaxton Premiere, registration M750VYB. He planned for the coach to go to Dudley’s then 21-year-old mechanic, George Preston. George had been working for Dudley’s, initially on a part-time basis, since he was 16 and obtained his PSV licence two years later. George had a particular affinity for the older coaches on the fleet, to which he had devoted many hours maintaining, improving and driving, and was delighted that “VYB” was not to be sold off to a third party.
Acquiring VYB led to the question of what to do with it, with the initial thought being to maintain it and possibly show it to at various coach events. This rapidly progressed to the idea of finding a way of continuing to it as a working coach. After much deliberation and discussion with family members a plan was proposed to Chris. This involved purchasing one of the other last remaining coaches on the Dudley’s fleet, a Volvo B12M Plaxton Panther, registration SW09UMD.
This was an ex-National Express coach in plain white paint and in due course was sent off to the paint shop to become the first of the newly liveried coaches under Royal Motorways ownership.
2021
Royal Motorways
With two coaches now available, and agreement from Chris for part use of the Radford workshop and yard, George applied for an operator’s licence, initially for three coaches.
The licence was granted and operations commenced in the first quarter of 2021, under the Royal Motorways name. Initial work included a regular contract for a college, supplemented with some rail replacement and private hire work. Royal Motorways’ first school contracts were secured and commenced in September 2021.
M750VYB was left and remains in Dudley’s two-tone green livery, preserving the name and SW09UMD was the first coach to be operated in the now familiar red, white and blue Royal Motorways colours. Four additional, second-hand, coaches were purchased in the second half of 2021, resulting in a fleet of six by the end of that year.
The following year saw the purchase of an additional six coaches, including two relatively new ex-lease coaches and the company’s first brand-new coach, ordered at the Birmingham Euro Bus Expo in November 2022. This doubled the fleet to twelve, whilst also increasing the number of Euro 6 and PSVAR compliant coaches.
George has retained Chris’ strong preference for all things Volvo and, with a couple of exceptions, the fleet comprises all Plaxton-bodied Volvo coaches.
One exception to the rule is a 1981 Leyland Leopard (STO244X), a coach originally owned and operated by Dudley’s but subsequently sold and repurchased by Royal Motorways in 2022 when it came up for sale. Still in its original Dudley’s livery, together with M750VYB which has remained in its original two-tone green, there are now two coaches on the fleet in their original Dudley’s livery. M750VYB has recently been subject to some significant restoration work, with the aim of preserving it for the future.
Starting operations under Royal Motorways in the early part of 2021 was greatly assisted by and could not have been achieved without the help provided by various members of the Dudley’s team. Chris Dudley has been hugely supportive and acted as a mentor to George, who has benefited enormously from Chris’ extensive industry knowledge and experience as an operator accumulated over the years. Chris has also been happy to keep his hand in on the driving side, regularly covering one of the local school contracts. Two other very experienced ex-Dudley’s drivers, David Richardson and David Saunders have also been a great help from the outset. The help and support of all involved and their passion to see coach services continue from the Radford site has been truly inspiring.
2023
As the level of work and size of the fleet has gradually increased, so too has the size of the team. Kerry Bennett, after many years running Swan Street Coaches, joined the team in January 2022, following the decision to close Swan Street. Later in the year, in September, Emily James joined as the new company’s first Business Administration apprentice, adding further strength to the team.
With the operation growing towards capacity at the Radford site, and the business securing a number of contracts closer to Redditch, a decision was taken in August 2023 to invest in an additional site at Park Farm in Redditch. This site will provide additional workshop and yard space and the capacity for the next stage of growth.
