Introducing Coaches

The history of coach travel in London goes back to 1904, when the Vanguard Omnibus Company started a double deck bus service between London and Brighton. The service only lasted 2 years


It took another 13 years for Len Turnham to re-start a London to Brighton service

This time, others followed and before long several operators were offering coach services from London

By 1920 a number of operators had come together to pool their services, a collective which became official in 1925 when LCC was incorporated

The London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) had its own coach operation, Green Line coaches

Formed on 9 July 1930, it operated initially out of Poland Street coach station. It was a core part of our service until the 1970s

The new, purpose built Victoria Coach Station opened in 1932

There was a rapid expansion of destinations and operators from Victoria Coach Station, which meant people could reach most parts of England and Wales from there

The 32,000 square feet of Victoria Coach Station was requisitioned by the War Office until services started up again in 1946


After many mergers and takeovers, London Regional Transport (an old name for Transport for London) became the owners in 1988

Green Line Coaches spent life as part of the London Transport family until 1970, when it passed to London Country Bus Services

Today, Victoria Coach Station operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with 22 million passengers coming through the station in 2019

In 2022, Victoria Coach Station turned 90