Names on the buses

916 Ben Sherman
761 Ben Sherman

Connections with Brighton and Hove : 1925 - 1987
Ben Sherman was born as Arthur Benjamin Sugarman. His family ran a gift shop called Rocko's in Brighton, but Ben had no intention of becoming involved in it. At the age of 20 and full of drive and ambition, he left post-war Britain for the United States of America which he considered a land of hope and promise. When he applied for US citizenship, he officially changed his name to Ben Sherman. Ben then met Ruth, whose father owned a shirt company. He put Ben in charge, but the young man soon became bored with the old-fashioned designs. In 1962, when his mother became very ill, he moved back to Brighton with his family. Without a job, he decided to use his experience in the clothing industry and rented factory premises in 21 Bedford Square to start his own business. The following year, he launched the first Ben Sherman shirt. It was strongly influenced by classic American Ivy League shirts using high-quality fabric, but with distinctive features and colours. It included button-down collars and pale pinks, yellows and blues. In 1967, he opened a shop in Duke Street, Brighton and later one in Carnaby Street, London. Two further London shops followed soon. The company's success overwhelmed the Brighton factory, and he moved production to Northern Ireland in 1969. Ben sold the company in 1975 and moved to Australia, where he died in 1987 aged 62. The Ben Sherman brand lives on but is particularly associated with the youth and music culture in Britain of the 1960s, '70s and '80s, especially amongst Mods and bands including Madness and The Jam.

916 Scania Omnidekka - carried name since delivery in September 2006 in Metro 25 livery. Changed to Coaster 12 livery in January 2008. Repainted into revised Coaster livery November 2011. Coaster branding removed December 2014. Bus transferred to Go-Ahead Oxford in August 2020. Name reappeared on 761 ADL Enviro400 in December 2025.