In 1931, the Cowie family started a motorcycle repair business in Sunderland. In 1934 the first sales outlet opened on what became the location of the Group Head Offices. Business came to a halt in 1942 because of the effects of the war, but reopened in 1948 and benefited from the boom in personal mobility offered by the motorcycle. The Cowie group’s first involvement with the bus and coach sector came with the purchase of the Ewer Group in 1980. Its subsidiary, Grey Green, was a most distinguished name in coaching but, under the Ewer Group, had already started to operate bus services for London Transport. Shortly after our 1998 edition was published Arriva was created.
