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When I decided to form my model bus fleet I decided to use the name of the bus company run by my great great grandfather during the 1920's and early 1930's, before the United 'ran them off the road' so to speak. For the purpose of my fleet I have used a degree of 'poetic license' in that I have eliminated this event from history and have focused upon what might have happened to the company had this not occured.
The company began in East Cleveland in the mid 1920's as the 'Loftus Motor Service', and linked the surrounding areas with the various stations dotted about the area. The 'LMS' was run by a group of owner drivers - including my great great grandfather - who moved south from Stanley in County Durham. A variety of buses were run, however my grandfather prefered Lancias.
The new location however did not suit every member of the consortium, as the hustle and bustle of life in Stanley contrasted with the remote location of East Cleveland, and many members moved back up north. Slowly but surely, my grandfather became the major partner in the consortium and the 'Loftus Motor Service' became the 'Sissons Motor Service'.
The company was sold to the Smithson Group in 1980, and has gone from strength to strength. The Sissons family are still involved in the day to day running of the business and as part of the takeover agreement, retain a 35% stake in the company. Two years later however, and a new (albeit much smaller) operation, Ayton Coaches, was founded by two members of the Sissons family, to focus mainly upon schools and works contracts. The Smithson Group are no strangers to the world of public transport, as between 1958 - 60 they operated a bus service between Middlesbrough and Saltburn before scrapping it to concentrate on the core of the business, construction.
Since the late 1960's, coach work has become an ever increasing part of the business, although the company still operate numurous bus services as well as school contracts.
The Cleveland Road depot was opened in 1990 neighbouring most of the other operations of the Smithson Group. The headquaters moved to the new site in 1991. The former depot in Guisborough has been retained and is still in use although it is no longer the hub of operations.
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