Description
Established in Salisbury in 1915, Wilts & Dorset Motor Services Ltd operated regular services throughout South Wiltshire, East Dorset and North Hampshire, operating a diverse fleet of vehicles. Surviving ownership under the Tilling and British Automobile Traction (T&BAT) Group, Southern Railway and Nationalisation in 1948, the company was absorbed into Hants & Dorset under the National Bus Company in 1969.
In 1972 the Wilts & Dorset name disappeared but was revived in 1983. In January 1966, Bristol Lodekka 646, registration 684 AAM, was painting into a unique cream and maroon livery for operation on the Salisbury to Bournemouth limited stop service, retaining it until May 1969. The limited stop 38A route between Salisbury and Bournemouth ran via Fordingbridge, Ringwood and Ferndown (the Bournemouth Spur Road from Ashley Heath to Cooper Dean having not yet been built) and did the journey in 78 minutes. There were two journeys in each direction on weekdays, with timings suitable for people commuting to Bournemouth or making day visits to Salisbury.
