Names on the buses

 679 Dr William King

Connections with Brighton and Hove : Dr William King of Brighton played an important role in the early years of the co-operative movement in Britain. Pioneers in Rochdale usually claim to be the movement's founders but he started co-ops in Brighton 20 years earlier and they were probably influenced by him. King was the son of a clergyman. He was born in 1786 in Ipswich and after becoming a doctor in London. he moved to Brighton in 1821 on marrying Mary Hooker, a vicar's daughter. He ran the Brighton District Society set up to relieve hardship and was also involved in the Provident Society which encouraged people to save for bad times. King became the consultant physician at the Sussex County Hospital in 1841, helping poor people and also joined a society to set up a medical library. He also helped start the Co-Op movement in the 1820s and spread the message through a magazine called the Co-Operator. In 1839, he claimed that 300 co-ops had been set up in the nation. King also supported the proposal that the town should buy the Royal Pavilion after it was vacated by Queen Victoria. He died in 1865 and there is a plaque on his house in Montpelier Road.

679 Scania Omnidekka - carried name since delivery in October 2007. Regency branding added May 2011. Repainted into new Regency livery November 2014. Regency branding removed April 2016. Bus sold in May 2024.