| The publicly owned National Bus Company came into being on 1 January 1969, by far the single largest bus and coach owner in the United Kingdom, with operations stretching from Lands End to the far north of Northumberland and covering all of Wales. For a decade, the industry was destined to have some stability. This was to change as Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government adopted policies of deregulation and privatisation. The NBC was forced to prepare itself to be privatised. In the build up to privatisation, new companies were created out of the old familiar operators; London Country, for example, being divided into a number of smaller operating units. This book provides a fascinating account of the NBC in this period. Illustrated throughout with a comprehensive selection of both mono and colour photographs, the book is a vivid reminder of the period, only 20 years ago, when NBC was the dominant force in Britain's bus and coach industry. The book will be required reading for all those who knew the period well and who are nostalgic for the era before the massive revolution in the industry from the mid-1980s onwards. Contents:
- Introduction
- 1976 to Privatisation – an overview
- Alder Valley
- Bristol
- Crossville
- Cumberland
- East Kent
- East Midland / Mansfield
- East Yorkshire
- Eastern Counties
- Eastern National
- Hants & Dorset
- Lincolnshire
- London County / Green Line
- Maidstone & District
- Midland Red
- National Travel East
- National Travel London
- National Travel West
- National Welsh
- Oxford – South Midland
- Potteries
- Provincial
- Ribble
- South Wales
- South West / Black & White / Greenslades / Shamrock & Rambler / Wessex
- Southdown
- Southern Vectis
- Trent
- United
- United Counties
- West Riding / Yorkshire
- Wetsern National / Devon General / Royal Blue
- Yorkshire Traction
- Appendix, Bibliography
Continent: Europe
Country: UK |
