Postal
service . . . 
It must not be forgotten that during the 1930s, the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company provided a mobile postal service on a selection of morning departures on their stage carriage routes which operated mainly in the east of the county of Norfolk. This enabled villagers to post their letters on the Company's buses for speedy delivery to their destinations.
This was achieved by the fitting of special letter boxes on the vehicles, where customers could post their letters for onward transmission to the G.P.O. These post boxes were removed from the vehicles by Post Office personnel upon arrival at Norwich Thorpe Railway Station forecourt, which served as the city's omnibus station from 1931 until the new omnibus station and garage was built at Surrey Street in 1936. Prior to Thorpe Station being used as an omnibus terminal, it is known that Recorder Road was the terminal used by the services provided by constituent company, United Automobile Services Ltd. This postal facility lasted until just after WWII.
(Picture: AT 76 (VE 309) a 1929 Leyland TS2 inherited from the Ortona Motor Services fleet, shows one of the mobile post boxes in use)
The following information shows the routes involved and the times that letters could be posted on the omnibuses.
(Information obtained from the 1932 edition of the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company time table)
Service 5 The 08:09 departure from Horning (Swan) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:50
Service 5A The 08:15 departure from Sea Palling (Beach) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 09:25
Service 7 The 08:22 departure from Acle (Kings Head) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 09:05
Service 7B The 07:55 (Mon-Fri) and the 08:20 (Sat/Sun) from Pedham (Gravel Pits) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:33 and 08:58
Service 8 The 08:30 departure from Old Catton (Village Green) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:45
Service 9 The 07:57 departure from Mundesley (Esplanade) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 09:15
Service 10 The 08:18 departure from Aylsham (Market) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 09:02
Service 10B The 07:30 departure from Aylsham (Market) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:25
Service 11 The 08:48 (Mon-Sat) departure from Brooke (Kings Head) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 09:15
Service 11B The 08:18 (Sun) departure from Brooke (Kings Head) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:45
Service 12 The 08:00 departure from Attleborough (Memorial) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:53
Service 13 The 08:22 departure from Yaxham (Post Office) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 09:15
Service 13A The 08:30 departure from Costessey (Church) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:55
Service 14 The 07:36 (Mon-Sat) and the 08:06 (Sun) departure from Long Stratton (Market) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:11 and 08:41
Service 15 The 08:00 (Mon-Sat) and the 08:06 (Sun) departure from Scoulton (Post Office) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 09:05 and 09:30
Service 17 The 08:14 (Mon-Sat) and the 08:09 (Sun) departure from Loddon (Church Plain) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:50 and 08:45
Service 18 The 07:26 (Mon-Fri) and the 08:04 (Sat) departure from Hempnall (Kings Head) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:07 and 08:45
Service 29A The 08:30 departure from Drayton (Red Lion) to Norwich (Thorpe Station) arriving at 08:55