The Gardner-Serpollet
In my search for my motoring roots, this remarkable motor bus and the story behind it could not be left out.
My grandfather Antoon van Houten (named Antoon, just like my father) ran the inn and local courthouse 'het Wapen van Harmelen' from 1894 to 1904. Today it is Hotel and Restaurant het Wapen van Harmelen — and yes, the hotel still exists, and with excellent reviews too.
Vision
Grandad Antoon (1869-1927) must have been a very forward-thinking man. He decided to buy a Gardner-Serpollet in France and founded the first steam bus service in the Netherlands. The Gardner-Serpollet was a steam-powered motor bus. The purchase will have taken place sometime around 1903, with delivery in 1904. I still intend to look further into the exact year. The year 1904 does circulate on the internet as the start, but personally I have my doubts about it.
I find it very hard to believe that such a large investment was made on too weak a financial footing. No doubt the importer at the time asked for guarantees when the order was placed, but he evidently also took a stake! And it appears that the municipality of Utrecht granted a subsidy as well. So having been forced to sell everything within a few months seems very unlikely to me.
A failed adventure.
It is clear that it was not a success. The Gardner-Serpollet was not really reliable. A mechanic (from France) was permanently stationed at the inn to keep the thing running. Spare parts were hard to come by, and yet a regular service had to be kept up from Harmelen via De Meern to Utrecht and back. Even then, passengers complained when things did not run on time. Adding a second bus turned out not to be the answer either. On 1 June 1905 the service was discontinued.
After the sale, Antoon's family returned to Heemstede (1906). At birthday parties you always heard the stories about the shame of the failure. It turned out to be a dark chapter in the family history. Very strange, really, because taking such a daring step showed courage and vision.
Han van Houten
August 2026
