End of an era - coach operator calls it a day after celebrating incredible school transport milestone

Tavistock based coach and minibus operator C.J. Down has been thanked for its service to school transport after celebrating the 100th anniversary of Devon’s first school bus service.

Having commemorated the centenary year of Devon’s first school transport route, which the Down family ran from Mary Tavy to Peter Tavy, Clifford Down has announced his retirement and that his company is ceasing trading. 

It’s a fitting way to mark the end of an incredible journey for his family business – and as an official thank you from Devon County Council, Clifford was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by Damien Jones, Devon’s Deputy Director of Transport, Environment and Waste. 

Clifford’s Grandparents Edwin Down and Emma Down were shopkeepers who ran the local Post Office, but after the First World War their business interests expanded with a horse drawn carriage available for hire.

The family bought its first Model "T" Ford in 1920, which was initially used for taxi and hire work, but it was in 1923 that their passenger transport business entered a new phase when Clifford’s father Percy purchased a Fiat char-a-banc, registration number TA 2769 with seats for fourteen passengers. 

Although it was initially used for private party outings this vehicle was used for the first few years of school bus services. 

By early 1927 the company's contract with the County Council for school transport was for fourteen shillings a day.

Clifford Down said: “I took over my father’s business in September 1968 and since then have driven three generations of the same families to school. It has been a privilege to have a good working relationship with Devon County Council over all these years.”

Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “There are mixed emotions with this news. It’s an incredible achievement for C.J. Down to have provided transport for the County Council for a century. Many congratulations to them on this accomplishment and our thanks and gratitude go to Clifford, his family and his team for playing such an important role in their local community for so many years. We wish Clifford all the best in his retirement, but it’s sad to think that we won’t see the familiar sight of his coaches on our roads anymore. It's the end of an era.”

More than 15,000 school pupils in Devon travel to school and college on over 1000 transport routes funded by Devon County Council.