Former Leamington bus driver publishes second book about his time working for historic Midland Red company

A former Leamington bus driver and conductor turned author has published his second book about the once great and famous company he worked for.

Midland Red Influence, by Ashley Wakelin, covers highlights of Midland Red’s past, from its complex formation and its rise to become the UK’s largest provincial bus and coach company.

In the book, which is a follow up to Ashley’s previous title Inside Midland Red, he recalls more fascinating stories from the company’s complex history, with its scramble for dominance through fair means and foul in its aim for supremacy over the entire Midlands.

It recalls the life and the personal experiences of the author and his old colleagues and friends who had a wealth of knowledge, some nearing retirement age when he joined Midland Red aged just 16.

The foreword is by a respected Midland Red development engineer who was at the forefront of the latest bus and coach designs, and developed and tested some of the amazing post-war transport technologies that were introduced in Midland Red’s dedicated quest to build “the perfect motorbus’.

Chapters covering the 100-miles-per-hour motorway coaches, early experiments with pneumatic tyres, and the very early adoption of computers in the 1950s make for fascinating reading.

Ashley said: “The experience of working for Midland Red was special without doubt.

"Its characterful own-made vehicles, the nostalgia, the sense of community in the areas it served, the ‘big family’ feeling amongst its loyal workers and the enjoyment of being part of this massive and premier bus company was all very different to today’s modern bus scene.

“It is something I wanted to cherish, and in my career after Midland Red I was able to capture a bit of that unique spirit."

Ashley worked form Midland Red from the 1960s to the mid-1980s.

In its heyday the company had 8,000 staff and 2,000 buses and coaches and was regarded as ‘the life and soul’ for most folk in the 12,000 square miles of the Midlands in which it operated.

Copies of both books are available directly from www.midlandred.co.uk or from selected independent book shops including Kenilworth Books and Hunts Bookshop in Rugby.