Britain’s bus world in upheaval

Britain’s bus industry underwent a massive transformation in the last twenty years of the 20th century, first with the deregulation of local bus services outside London, then with the privatisation of most of the country’s public sector operators. The National Bus Company, which ran over 15,000 buses and coaches in 1980, had vanished by the end of 1988. The bus operations of the Passenger Transport Executives – involving over 10,000 vehicles – were privatised. So, too, were the bus operations of London Transport, the Scottish Bus Group and most municipally-owned fleets. 

The changes were dramatic. In the face of deregulation many big operators reduced their fleets – and at the same time cut jobs. Minibuses came and went. New private sector groups appeared, some only lasting a few years. Old established liveries vanished and colourful new ones emerged, then often disappeared. Small operators had a go at running buses; not all survived. It was a chaotic time. 

Twenty Turbulent Years records the major changes of this time in words and pictures. It aims to capture a rapidly changing world: the instability of the highly-competitive late 1980s and early 1990s, followed by the emergence of new, stable, groups whose operations covered much of the country.