The transportation of workers to these establishments put a huge strain on public passenger transport. In the early days of the war Provincial were loaned two London buses.
With the men being conscripted into the forces women were taken on as conductors initially followed by driver training.
Due to the blackout at night headlights on vehicles had to have deflectors and to make the rear of buses easily visible white bands were painted on the back of the buses and to the edges of the platforms. To safeguard vehicles and passengers from aerial attack, all cream paintwork was painted dark green. The buses were often parked away from the depot overnight, again to avoid damage from enemy action. A Gosport Grammar School boy related how he was aboard AEC Regent No. 45 when it was strafed by a German fighter. The driver pulled up and everyone ran for cover. Two buses were converted, one as an ARP vehicle, the other as an Ambulance.
In the lead up to D-Day the security was heightened and code letters replaced destinations on the bus blinds.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Female bus driver with a H Orme-White (Managing Director) in 1944 | Provincial single decker converted to an ambulance in 1942 | Fareham and Gosport ambulances side by side | Bus used for training drivers during the Second World War |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Children being evacuated from Gosport 1940 | Drivers (red) and Conductor (Green) badges | Bus under repair following damage in air raid | Group of female bus conductors |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Provincial company Home Guard | Provincial Company Home Guard | Provincial staff celebrating the end of the Second World War | Regulations covering the formation of queues in wartime |
 |
 |
||
| Buses showing wartime livery | Women washing a double decker bus during the Second World War |
