Licence badge; Horse bus driver's licence badge (Edwardian period) in white enamel, numbered 5012, 1901-1910

All horse-bus drivers were required to wear a licence badge. This example dates from the early 1900s. It has the symbol of the crown representing the state authority, and would originally have had a leather strap to attach it to the buttonhole of the driver's coat. The Stage Carriages Act of 1832 made it compulsory for vehicles to be licensed. From 1838, drivers and conductors working within 10 miles of the General Post Office were also required wear numbered badges. This was regulated by a registrar of metropolitan public carriages who was appointed by the Home Secretary. Further licensing regulations were introduced in the Road Traffic Act in 1930.