The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company…

The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating on January 7, 1857.

Founded in 1855 to amalgamate and regulate the many independent horse-drawn omnibus services  operating in London, and originally an Anglo-French enterprise, also known as the Compagnie Generale des Omnibus de Londres, the LGOC soon becomes the largest omnibus operator in London.

It buys out hundreds of independently owned buses and establishes a consistent level of service for its fleet.

Within a year, the LGOC will control six hundred of London's eight hundred and ten omnibuses.