Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first recorded stagecoach route in Britain started in 1610 and ran from Edinburgh to Leith. This initial journey established a pattern for future public transport networks across the island.
Robert Hooke helped in the construction of some of the first spring-suspended coaches in the 1660s. Steel springs had been used in suspensions for vehicles since 1695.
The stagecoach funded by John Palmer left Bristol at 4 pm on the 2nd of August 1784 and arrived in London just 16 hours later. Under the old system the journey had taken up to 38 hours.
Cobb & Co was established in Melbourne in 1853 and grew to service Australias mainland eastern states and South Australia. A Cobb & Co proprietor arrived in New Zealand on the 4th of October 1861 thus beginning Cobb & Co stagecoach operation.
The development of railways in the 1830s spelled the end for stagecoaches and mail coaches. The first rail delivery between Liverpool and Manchester took place on the 11th of November 1830.