HANSONS TEXT

Joseph Hanson & Sons was registered on 25 September 1920, to take over a old established business which started with horses & carts, still with a large haulage company still operating today. It was the first such company to be voluntarily acquired by the British Transport Commission. Buses and Coaches commenced to run from the twenties later being registered as 'Hansons Buses Ltd' registered 15 April 1935, buses and lorries used the same garages at Milnsbridge later buses and coaches went to St Johns road, Huddersfield and lorries & some coaches to Leeds road, in connection with I.C.I.

Hansons acquired the coach firms of Bottomley's in 1951, Chapmans Ivy Coaches in 1953, W.H. & F. Schofield, Marsden (inc Ben Smith) in 1962. Services were operated from Lindley to Newsome, Huddersfield to Meltham, Weatherhill, Oldham, Blackpool & Morecambe, joint with Huddersfield J.O.C. to Golcar, Scapegoathill, Hill top/Wilberlee and Blackmoorfoot.

Hanson have been heavily involved in rebuilding older AEC buses and coaches during the fifties and sixties most requiring new chassis frames all receiving new bodies by C.H. Roe at Leeds with chassis numbers following on from Hansons phone number.

Hansons stage services were sold to Huddersfield Corporation on 1st October 1969, the remaining coach business was sold to West Yorkshire P.T.E. in 1974 who in turn combined their coaching with that of Baddeley Bros, W.R.& P.Bingley and their own Metrocoach.

The Hanson section was later sold to David Piece along with the former Bottomley garage at Luck Lane, who traded as Hanson Europa, which in turn joined up with Stephen Ives Abbeyways Company, who still use the garage and have one coach with the Hanson name.