The West Riding Automobile Company Limited (2016) has a collection of classic coaches from the original West Riding company.

We have coaches carrying various West Riding liveries and fleetnames,. Currently, these are Ridings Travel, Fastaway, National Express and Midland Red West (on long-erm hire to National Travel East in Eurocruising livery) which reflect the operations of the original West Riding company in the 1980s.

Who knows, "Yorkshire Woollen", "Selby and District", "South Yorkshire Road Transport" and "Sheffield and District" may well follow....

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B106JAB is a 12m Leyland Tiger 245 with a Plaxton Paramount 3200 MkII body. She was delivered new in C47Ft format to Midland Red (West) Ltd of Worcester in April 1985 as part of a batch of six vehicles.

Midland Red (West) had secured a contract for the supply of two coaches to Eurocruising, a Birmingham based continental holiday operator, and 1006 and 1007 arrived at Padmore Street depot, Worcester, in a striking silvery grey and pale green livery. Unfortunately, Eurocruising ceased trading around that time and the two green “Red” coaches were a bit of an embarrassment to MRW.​

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To get them out of the way, they were sent to work for National Travel East which, by that time had become, in effect, the coaching unit of the West Riding Automobile Company of Wakefield. Both retained their MRW fleet numbers and legal lettering but displayed National Travel East “O” licences. After privatisation of the National Bus Company, National Travel East became Ridings Travel.

On her return to Padmore Street, she was quickly painted into the attractive maroon "venetian blind" Midwest livery

She has been restored as near as possible to “as delivered” livery.

Rear end view of 1006 taken on the 2019 Royal Blue Run   Photo - Ken Jones

Wakefield. Both retained their MRW fleet numbers and legal lettering but displayed National Travel East “O” licences. After privatisation of the National Bus Company, National Travel East became Ridings Travel.

On her return to Padmore Street, she was quickly painted into the attractive maroon "venetian blind" Midwest livery

She has been restored as near as possible to “as delivered” livery.

Now in the maroon "venetian blind" livery                  Photo - Chris Sampson

After a re-paint into National Express Rapide livery

Demoted to Midland Red West coach livery

Now in First Midland Red DP livery

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This 11m Leyland Tiger with Plaxton Paramount MkII bodywork was new in 1985 as one of a batch of ten ordered by the West Riding Automobile Company limited of Wakefield. The whole batch were delivered in National Express livery and were intended to be used as DPs during the week whilst at weekends, they would be put to use by National Travel East on coastal expresses and duplicates.

On bus service de-regulation, West Riding established a new network of limited-stop services within their operating area called FASTAWAY so the Paramounts were quickly re-painted into that livery.

Passenger numbers were disappointing so it wasn't long before the idea was abandoned. Coaches working out of West Riding depots received a version of the Caldaire "slant" in green and cream whilst those working out of Yorkshire Woollen depots simply had the Fastaway transfers removed and YORKSHIRE BUSES applied above the front wheels.

Soon after, the whole batch were transferred a few at a time to fellow-Caldaire company United. On arrival in the north-east, most simply had their fleetnames removed and UNITED transfers stuck on, regardless of the previous livery. Eventually, most were given United liveries and later on, TEES livery.​ After disposal from the Tees fleet, 38 headed back to Yorkshire and spent many happy years with Whitehead's of Conisbrough. In fact, she attended an Open Day at DBM in 2011. When the proprieter retired, she passed to one of the partners of Stanway's of Rode Heath. She worked very little there and was offered for sale again in 2019. At some time whilst in the north east, she had received a "facelift" in the form of a Paramount MkIII front panel. Efforts were made to make this look more like a MkII with some success but once the correct panel had been sourced, it was back to Cobus in Hunmanby for fitting and the final transformation into West Riding's Fastaway livery.

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She made her Fastaway debut at the South East Bus Festival in Detling, Kent in April 2025. She made her first debut in preservation at the Heath Common running day in June 2021 as United 1331. Although the fleet number was correct, she never actually carried that livery with United but it was a stepping stone to get to the livery she carries today.



As delivered in National Express livery

Second re-paint into West Riding "slant" livery

Third re-paint into cream and red United livery

No fresh paint but with TEES vinyls

First re-paint into FASTAWAY livery

Not a re-paint but now with Tees vinyls applied

Fourth re-paint into yellow and red United livery

Back into plain white and now with a MkIII front panel

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This 11m Leyland Tiger with Plaxton Paramount MkII bodywork was new in 1985 as one of a batch of ten ordered by the West Riding Automobile Company limited of Wakefield. The whole batch were delivered in National Express livery and were intended to be used as DPs during the week whilst at weekends, they would be put to use by National Travel East on coastal expresses and duplicates.

On bus service de-regulation, West Riding established a new network of limited-stop services within their operating area called FASTAWAY so the Paramounts were quickly re-painted into that livery.

Passenger numbers were disappointing so it wasn't long before the idea was abandoned. Coaches working out of West Riding depots received a version of the Caldaire "slant" in green and cream whilst those working out of Yorkshire Woollen depots simply had the Fastaway transfers removed and YORKSHIRE BUSES applied above the front wheels.

Soon after, the whole batch were transferred a few at a time to fellow-Caldaire company United. On arrival in the north-east, most simply had their fleetnames removed and UNITED transfers stuck on, regardless of the previous livery. Eventually, most were given United liveries and some, TEES livery. She carried United fleet number 1324 and was initially allocated to Peterlee depot, moving to Ripon in September 1993 before moving to Bishop Auckland in November 1996. She was withdrawn by United around October 1998.

She passed then to Primrose coaches of Hexham where she was often found on their Blackpool service.

In April 2017, she passed into preservation and was stored for some years.

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After Covid, she moved to Cobus in Hunmanby for restoration. Work included a new boot, quite a bit of new metal, including both stretch panels, removal of the extra marker lights that had been fitted and the re-instatement of original rear light assemblies.

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Her debut in National Express livery was delayed by the failure of the alternator drive coupling whilst at the Stagecoach Stonegravels depot in Chesterfield.



As delivered in National Express "venetian blind" livery

Seen in Stockton and now with a MkIII grille

Now with Weardale and with the correct grille

Her final days in service were with Primrose of Hexham

Seen in Sunderland in UNITED livery

Leaving Ripon and now in the new UNITED livery

Now in full Weardale fleet livery

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This Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen E50 TYG was one of a batch of eight similar vehicles delivered to the West Riding Automobile Company of Wakefield in 1988 for their Ridings Travel operation. They were allocated to the Dewsbury, Castleford, Sheffield and Savile Street (Wakefield) depots. Numbers 46 & 47 were in National Express Rapide livery and were used mainly on the 564 service between Halifax and London.The rest were all in Ridings Travel livery, as seen in Simon Beeston's superb photograph (above), taken at the Alton rally in 2019.

50 was based at Savile Street but was frequently used by Castleford as they did more coach work there.

After disposal by West Riding in 1989, 50 went to Wilkins travel of Port Talbot. Initially, they retained the basic livery but removed the letters of "RIDING" from the sides and replaced

them with "WILKIN" in the same style. They then removed the grey and blue stripes leaving a white base before finally receiving Majestic Holidays branding for a holiday contract

Steve Morris was the next owner with his Quantock operation.

In later years, 50 passed to Ashley Wakelin who had acquired the rights to use the name "Midland Red Coaches", and he painted her red and black in the style of the erstwhile BMMO coach fleet, and numbered it 6150.

The interior of 50 is original and in reasonable condition for its age. The bodywork was in good condition but the luggage compartment floor and several bracing cross-members have been replaced. She is a regular attender at rallies and events up and down the country, including the 85th Anniversary celebrations at Victoria Coach Station on Saturday 11th March 2017. The following morning, she had a scheduled departure at 06:00 from Gate 2 of the Coach Station with a feeder service to the Spring Open Day at the Dewsbury Bus Museum. This is believed to be the longest free feeder service ever provided to a preserved bus event....

E50TYG is seen parked on the island in Victoria Coach Station after the 85th Anniversary event

The departure board in the lobby of Victoria Coach

Station showing the 06:00 X64 departure for Dewsbury

Sandwiched between two National Express Caetanos, and visible through the doors of Gate 2, E50TYG does not look out of place, even though she is thirty

years older than her two companions. The screen above the doors shows her ready for the 06:00 X64 departure to Dewsbury and the operator is Leyland R

- sadly, you cannot capture scrolling text on a photograph.