Names on the buses

809 Thomas Tilling

859 Thomas Tilling

Connections with Brighton and Hove : Born in Hendon in 1825, Tilling developed horse bus services and later switched to motor buses in London. His name became one of the most famous in public transport and the Tilling Company started operating in Brighton in 1915. It survived until the formation of Brighton, Hove and District Buses, the forerunner of Brighton and Hove Buses, in 1935. Tilling bought a grey mare called Kitty in 1847 and a carriage for £30. He started a horse bus in 1850. By 1856 he had 70 horses, mostly greys, and by 1897 there were 4,000. Tilling introduced a motor bus in 1904 and the last horse bus ran in 1914 just before the First World War. Other members of the large Tilling family took over running the firm but the family connection ended in 1929. The Tilling Company name disappeared 40 years later with the formation of the National Bus Company.

859 Dennis Trident - carried name since delivery in March 2001, on METRO Line 5, repainted into new Metro 5 livery from October 2004. Repainted into standard livery February 2009. Shuttle 6 branding added July 2009. Bus sold in April 2014. Name reintroduced on 809 Mercedes Streetdeck on Route 1 - from December 2016.