Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    British Independent Bus and Coach Operators: A Snapshot from the 1960s
    Unavailable
    British Independent Bus and Coach Operators: A Snapshot from the 1960s
    Unavailable
    British Independent Bus and Coach Operators: A Snapshot from the 1960s
    Ebook254 pages56 minutes

    British Independent Bus and Coach Operators: A Snapshot from the 1960s

    By Jim Blake

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    During the 1960s, a large number of independent bus and coach fleets existed, which varied enormously in size and scope of operation. They ranged from major operators such as Barton Transport (Nottinghamshire); Lancashire United and West Riding who operated stage carriage services as well as coach fleets; or Wallace Arnold Tours of Leeds, a major coach touring company in Britain and Continental Europe; to small operators who possessed just a handful of vehicles. The latter were sometimes involved only in private hire work, for such things as outings to sporting events or theaters, school or industrial contracts or often a combination of both. Smaller operators were based throughout the country, sometimes in tiny villages but also in the heart of large cities.

    Often the smaller operators bought redundant buses and coaches from major operators, whether BET, BTC (Tilling) or municipal concerns, or London Transport. Many got bargains from the latter, with surplus RT and RTL double-deckers sold following the disastrous bus strike and service cuts of 1958. Conversely, redundant vehicles bought by independent fleets often brought types that came from as far away as Scotland to London and the south east. In the 1960s, the oldest buses and coaches with independent fleets were those employed on school or industrial contracts. These were not subject to the rigorous tests governing those carrying fare-paying passengers, so could be kept going until they were literally falling apart! These were known as ‘non-PSVs’, i.e. non-public service vehicles. On the other hand, some very small independent fleets, often with the title ‘Luxury Coaches’, took great pride in their fleets. They would purchase new coaches every two or three years and keep them in immaculate condition.

    The net result was that British independent bus and coach operators in the 1960s had a fascinating variety of chassis and body makes and styles, as well as liveries. This book shows many of these as they were between fifty and sixty years ago.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPen and Sword
    Release dateJul 22, 2020
    ISBN9781473857155
    Unavailable
    British Independent Bus and Coach Operators: A Snapshot from the 1960s
    Author

    Jim Blake

    Jim Blake was born at the end of 1947, and he soon developed a passionate interest in railways, buses and trolleybuses. In 1965, he bought a colour cine-camera, with which he captured what is now very rare footage of long-lost buses, trolleybuses and steam locomotives. These transport photographs have been published in various books and magazines. Jim also started the North London Transport Society and, in conjunction with the group, he has compiled and published a number of books on the subject since 1977, featuring many of the 100,000 or so transport photographs he has taken over the years.

    Read more from Jim Blake

    Related to British Independent Bus and Coach Operators

    Related ebooks

    Automotive For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Dover Transport Museum

      Dec 19, 2023

      If anywhere could be said to be an epicentre of transportation, then Dover would be a good place to start. Trains, ferries and even at one time, hovercraft, all used the Kentish port. Dover has been a crucial transportation hub since Roman times and

      3 min read

    • Article

      Your Say

      Feb 24, 2023

      Your Say
      2 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Oct 30, 2023

      By Joseph Burr WHAT is not to like about a volume of original photographs taken during the time the charismatic Class 50s were being used in Devon and Somerset? The book takes each section of line from Somerton (on the Berks & Hants) and Chard Juncti

      3 min read

    • Article

      617 Publications So Far... And There’s A Lot More To Come!

      Jun 3, 2018

      VIC Mitchell is a remarkable figure in railway publishing. Who else can claim to have made his mark with 617 publications - and the number is still rising. After more than 35 years, there can’t be many enthusiasts who haven’t got at least one Middlet

      9 min read

    • Article

      Scout – A Brief History

      Apr 28, 2023

      Scout – A Brief History
      8 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Nov 14, 2023

      Published by Crecy Publishing www.crecy.co.ukISBN: 9781800352773Price: £25.00 SPEEDLINK was launched in 1977 with the aim of arresting the decline in British Rail’s wagonload freight business. All its wagons were air-braked and at its peak in the mid

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Austin For Everyone

      Nov 25, 2022

      The Austin For Everyone
      6 min read

    • Article

      LETTERS & REVIEWS

      Jun 15, 2021

      LETTERS & REVIEWS
      3 min read

    • Article

      39th Ridgeway Run 2023

      Nov 24, 2023

      The event is sponsored by J Mould’s (of Reading) tipper and demolition business and it was staged on 18 June. The 40 or so entrants this year ranged in age from John Miles’ fabulous Morris R removal van of 1929 up until the McGovern Brothers’ massive

      2 min read

    • Article

      Lest We Forget... The Vital Role Of Wartime Railways

      Apr 29, 2018

      THIS year sees the centenary of the end of the First World War. Railways played a crucial and differing role in each of the two major global conflicts of the 20th century. Trench warfare was a prime strategy in the First World War, with narrow-gaug

      3 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Jul 15, 2022

      Joe Cassells Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, Whitehead Railway Museum, Castleview Road, Whitehead, Co. Antrim BT38 9NA. Web: www.steamtrainsireland.com Description: Soft cover, 298mm x 210mm, 232pp. ISBN: 9780954 532215. Price £15 (plus £3 p

      5 min read

    • Article

      Worth Its Weight In Gold!

      May 28, 2018

      Worth Its Weight In Gold!
      12 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Nov 24, 2023

      To request your NEW Sealey hand tools brochure, call 01284 757500 Send your letters to: Classic and Vintage Commercials, PO Box 1243, Spalding PE11 9HE or e-mail: cvc.ed@kelsey.co.uk Like, I'm sure, many other readers I really look forward to receivi

      7 min read

    • Article

      Readers’ Forum

      Mar 16, 2023

      I read with interest your article on the North British Atlantics (February), made particularly interesting by the colourised photographs supporting the text. These are locomotives that have always intrigued me, since I first read about them, as they

      8 min read

    • Article

      Railway Times Issue No. 2: 1949

      Nov 21, 2023

      Edited by Jeffery Grayer (softback, Transport Treasury Publishing, 80pp, £12.95 plus £3 p&p, cheques to Transport Treasury Publishing, 16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe HP13 7PJ. ISBN 978-1-913251-56-7). RAILWAY Times is a recently-launched biannual j

      2 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Jan 30, 2023

      THE latest in a series of branch line DVDs from 1st Take focuses on Oxfordshire, including those lines in the GWR and LNWR networks. It begins with a brief introduction to the development of railways in the county, then takes an in-depth look at each

      4 min read

    • Article

      Rare Sight

      May 5, 2021

      Rare Sight
      6 min read

    • Article

      Your Say

      Oct 22, 2019

      Minor LCV Register build a Minor LCV in a box paying homage to the Oxford Diecast sponsors, scale was of course 1:1 and how good it looked. The van inside is owned by member, Martin Wallis. It was so well received I am sure it will feature again. GDS

      2 min read

    • Article

      Track Talk

      Aug 7, 2020

      Thanks for the latest Heritage Railway magazine. Just to add a few additional points to your fascinating article on the Keighley & Worth Valley (KWVR) and The Railway Children film. Back in 1959, BR originally set out to close the KWVR branch and it

      1 min read

    • Article

      Readers’ Platform

      Apr 4, 2022

      Readers’ Platform
      7 min read

    • Article

      Your Say

      Jan 26, 2024

      Your Say
      6 min read

    Reviews for British Independent Bus and Coach Operators

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words