Superior Coaches - The Bowen Story

For more than sixty years the 'Bowens' name has been a byword for coach travel in Birmingham and the West Midlands. The company can trace its origins back to 1928 when 24-year old Leslie Frank Bowen bought a second-hand Model T Ford truck to start his own haulage business. Within six years, a fleet of six lorries had been built up and a move to larger premises was needed. A suitable base was found which was owned by Royal George Coaches in the Saltley district of Birmingham. Overnight, Les Bowen had become the owner of several coaches and licences to operate excursions.

The post war years’ demand for travel enabled Les Bowen to build up his coaching business. He claimed that he had the first all-new post war fleet in Birmingham and the fleet name of ‘Superior Coaches’ was adopted. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, a number of other businesses and their licences were gradually taken over including well-known names such as Eatonways, Flight’s Tours, Gliderways, Newton’s and Stockland Garages. Expansion beyond the city of Birmingham also saw the Tamworth based Arnold’s Coaches acquired and the Bowen Group was established as the largest independent operator in the Midlands area. Today, the combined fleet consists of over 80 coaches and 40 Travel Agencies, together with Group Travel Divisions and a UK and Continental touring programme which carry a combined total of around 75,000 passengers annually.

A fine collection of photographs and other memorabilia has been collected by Andrew Roberts to illustrate “The Bowen Story”. The book is complete with fleet lists of the various L F Bowen companies.