The country was soon plunged into the Great War (1914–18), and many operators were faced with the commandeering of their motorbus chassis. Services had to be pruned as a result, and because BCT was unable to provide any "extras", Austins at Longbridge ran some 15-20 of their own buses which were the origin of the various independent services to works that are still a feature today. However more problems were on the way; in mid-1917 services were again drastically cut due to the acute shortage of petrol.