Item 0024 - Letter, 11 August 1886

The London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) was the principal bus operator in London, England, between 1855 and 1933. Between 1909 and 1912, it was also a motor bus manufacturer. It was founded in 1855 to amalgamate and regulate the many independent horse-drawn omnibus services operating in London. Originally an Anglo-French enterprise, it was also known as the Compagnie Generale des Omnibus de Londres. Within a year, the LGOC controlled 600 of London's 810 omnibuses. In 1908, the LGOC bought the Road Car Company, the Vanguard Company, and its other main rivals, thereby gaining a virtual monopoly in London. In 1911, it absorbed the Great Eastern London Motor Omnibus Company (previously known as London Motor Omnibus Company). In 1933, the LGOC became part of the new London Passenger Transport Board.