40 years of industry landmarks

The coach and bus industry has come a long way since 1978. Richard Sharman delved into the archives to uncover key moments in history, from deregulation to the first low floor bus and beyond [wlm_nonmember][…]

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1978

• MCW – The first Birmingham built production MCW Metrobus was delivered to London Transport as fleet number M6. A further 1,440 Metrobuses were delivered between 1978 and 1986. MCW developed the Mark 2 Metrobus from 1981 but London Transport and Greater Manchester Passenger Executive decided to continue to specify the original design in order to standardise their fleets.
• Excelsior Holidays – Ford R1114/Plaxton Supreme YPR 300T returned from its trip around the world on April 13, having departed the UK in September 1977. It toured Africa, Asia, Australia, America and Europe.
• West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) – March was the last day of operation for conductors on WMPTE operated services.

1979

• Leyland – The AEC factory at Southall was closed by its owners, Leyland.
• Leyland Titan – Production issues with the Titan model due to Leyland announcing the closure of AEC factory, along with the rumoured closure of Park Royal, led to poor industrial relations. Production of the Titan transferred to Leyland’s Workington plant which also produced the National.

1980

• Padane – Trathens of Plymouth took delivery of the first Mercedes-Benz 0303 V8 with Italian built Padane bodywork, which featured air-conditioning, TV, toilet and video, all features that were relatively rare in the UK market.

1981

• Bristol VRT – The Bristol VRT, which stands for Vertical Rear Transmission, ceased production at 4,531 vehicles. Its replacement was the Leyland Olympian.
• Midland Red – During 1981 Midland Red, which was owned by the National Bus Company, was split into six new operating companies. These were Midland Red Coaches / East / North / South / West and Midland Red Engineering which was later renamed Carlyle Works.
• Wayfarer – The first Wayfarer electronic ticket machine (ETM) is introduced.

1982

• Plaxton Paramount – The Paramount range was introduced to replace the popular Supreme and Viewmaster models. It was introduced initially with two models, the 3200 and the 3500, but was bodied on many chassis combinations to meet operator demands. These included the DAF MB / SB, Dennis Javelin, Leyland Leopard / Royal Tiger / Tiger, Scania K series, Volvo B58 / B10M and the less common ACE Puma, Bedford VAS / Y series, Dennis Dorchester, Quest 80 VM and Ward Dalesman.
• Duple Laser and Caribbean – With sales of the Dominant falling over the last few years, Duple designed the Laser and Caribbean in an attempt to increase its market share. The lower height Laser found favour mainly as an express coach on a Leyland Tiger chassis with grant doors and destination gear, although they did also sell well in coach specification to smaller operators who required a lightweight chassis, of which Bedford was an option. The hi-lined Caribbean was designed more as a tour coach with a rear sunken toilet and continental door. It was offered on the Leyland Tiger and Volvo B10M.

1983

• Duple – The Hestair Group acquired Duple and renamed it Hestair Duple. The coach range, which included the Laser and Carribean, were given styling updates in order to stimulate orders. A new model, the 425 went into production. The 425 stood for the low aerodynamic coefficient of drag due to its large swept-back frontal styling.

1984

• Plaxton Paramount 4000 – The double-decker coach was initially built on a Neoplan underframe, but later became available with Scania and Volvo chassis.

1985

• London Buses – Formed in April 1985 as part of the Bus Deregulation Act 1985, London Buses Limited was a subsidiary of London Regional Transport. It operated the 12 London operating companies.
• Regulation – The Disabled Transport Advisory Committee, known in the industry as DiPTAC, is formed to ensure the social inclusion of the disabled.

1986

• Hanover Displays – The first full matrix flip dot sign was developed by the Lewes-based firm.
• Bus deregulation – Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher commissioned a white paper (a government report giving information on proposals on an issue) into the bus industry. As a result of the white paper, the Transport Act 1985 was implemented on 26 October 1986, with bus services being deregulated in England, Scotland and Wales. The only exception to deregulation at that point was London Buses (see 1985).
• National Bus Company – After the implementation of the Transport Act 1985, the National Bus Company, formed in 1969 was broken up into 70 operational units and sold to private companies between 1986 and 1988.

1987

• Ikarus – The Hungarian coach and bus manufacturer introduced the Blue Danube coach to the market through dealers Kirkby. The vehicle was available in low-height form as the 320 or the hi-line as the 350. Thames Transit’s Oxford Tube express services took delivery of the bulk of these coaches in the UK and also purchased a large number of second-hand examples.
• Transit Holdings – Harry Blundered formed Transit Holdings to encompass Devon General, acquired during 1986 and the newly-formed Thames Transit business. Transit Holdings started operations using Mellor-bodied Ford Transits on new bus services around Oxford and Leyland Tigers on the Oxford Tube service. The original return fare from Oxford to London was £2.87. Transit Holdings pioneered the use of small minibuses during the late ‘80s.

1988

• Dennis – The Dart was launched. The midibus was first launched with a Duple Dartline body, which was later produced by Carlyle. The Dart went on to become very popular with a tight turning circle, low running costs and a wide choice of body builders, which included the Reeve Burgess Pointer.
• Leyland Bus – Volvo Bus took over Leyland and renamed it V-L Bus LTD. Production of the Olympian, Lynx 2 and Tiger continued.
• Municipal bus operator – Portsmouth City Transport acquired by its employees, who sold it on to Stagecoach a year later.

1989

• Duple – After failing sales over the last few years, the Blackpool coach builder closed down in July 1989. The design and jigs for the 300 series coaches and the 425 were sold to Plaxton, who later introduced the short-lived Plaxton 321. The remaining 425 jigs were bodied by Carrosserie Lorraine, which was a French body builder Plaxton had recently purchased.
• London Buses – During April of 1989 London Buses was split into 11 different operating companies in preparation for selling-off. CentreWest, East London, Leaside, London Central, London Coaches, London General, London Northern, London United, Metroline, Selkent, South London and Westlink were all sold to private companies between 1994 and 1995. London Forest suffered financial difficulty and was wound up during 1991.
• MCW – Laird Group, which owned MCW at the time, attempted to sell its bus and rail divisions but no buyer could be found. Each project was sold off individually. The Metrorider was sold to Optare and the Metrobus was sold to Optare and DAF who reworked it as the Spectra.
• Municipal bus operator – Grampian Regional Transport became employee-owned and later expanded into the GRT Group; and Taff Ely Transport sold to National Welsh.

1990

• Municipal operator – Chesterfield Transport was sold to its managers during April.
• West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) – The PTE which was formed in 1969 and responsible for public transport in the region changed and shortened its name to Centro.

1991

• Plaxton – Designed to replace the Paramount range, the Premiere 320, 350 and Excalibur made their debut in 1991. The updated range marked a major change for the Scarborough-based coachbuilder with all new switchgear, interiors and a rear window that was curved up to the roof line. Available on the DAF SB3000, Dennis Javelin / Javelin GX, Scania K93 / K113, Volvo B7R, B10M and on the tri-axle Excalibur the B12T.
• Municipal bus operator –
  • Employees buy council-owned Cleveland Transit during May;
  • Lincoln City Transport sold to its employees, with Derby City Transport also taking a 40% share; and
  • Tayside Transport sold to its employees.

1992

• Mellor – The Iveco Turbo Daily 59-12 based Duet was introduced following a large order from Transit Holdings. The dual-door midibus could seat 29 and had an exit door located just in front of the rear axle. The driver’s cab also featured a cab door which opened inwards.
• Plaxton – Plaxton Group PLC renamed the Henlys Group PLC.
• V-L Bus Ltd – The final Lynx 2s and Tigers rolled off the production line.
• European Union (EU) – Designed to define the acceptable limits of exhaust emissions of new vehicles sold in the EU and steadily reduce emissions, the first Euro standard for heavy-duty diesel engines, which included lorries and buses, was introduced in 1992 as Euro I.
• Municipal bus operator – Cynon Valley Transport acquired by Western Travel-owned Red & White.

1993

• Lincoln City Transport – Acquired from employees and Derby City Transport (40%) by Yorkshire Traction who merged the operation with Lincolnshire Road Car.
• Municipal bus operators –
  • Brighton Borough Council sold Brighton Blue Bus to its employees during December;
  • Colchester Borough Transport acquired by the British Bus Group;
  • Flyde Borough Council sells Flyde Blue Buses to its management, who then sold it to Blackpool Transport the following year;
  • Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport which operated as GCT was acquired by Stagecoach;
  • Lancaster City Transport failed to sell after nine months on the market and was closed during August;
  • Leicester CityBus purchased by the GRT Group in November;
  • Northampton Transport was sold to the GRT group in October;
  • Preston Bus sold to its employees in March;
  • Southampton City Bus and City Coach sold to its employees; and
  • Southend Transport sold to the British Bus Group.
• V-L Bus – The final Leyland-badged Olympians were built at Workington and Leyland was officially closed down.

1994

• Berkhof – Coach builders Berkhof acquired Jonkheere but continued to sell both the Berkhof Excellence and the Jonkheere Deauville to the UK market.
• Municipal bus operator – During the much publicised ‘Bus Wars’ in the national press, Darlington Borough Council-owned Darlington Transport went into administration.
• Stagecoach Group – Employee-owned Cleveland Transit purchased by Stagecoach. The deal included Kingston-Upon-Hull City Transport, known as KHCT, which Cleveland Transit had acquired during 1993.

1995

• Chesterfield Transport – Stagecoach Group acquired the employee-owned company and merged it with Stagecoach East Midlands.
• FirstGroup – The Badgerline Group and the GRT (Grampian Regional Transport) Group merged to form FirstGroup. This instantly made FirstGroup one of the top three large operators in the UK. FirstGroup subsidiaries initially retained their own original liveries, with the only mention of FirstBus being ‘Welcome to FirstBus’ vinyls on the near side front window behind the entry door and on the rear window.
• Henlys Group – Wigan-based body builder acquired by Northern Counties.
• Stagecoach Group – Hartlepool Transport acquired by Stagecoach from its employees who had acquired it in 1993.

1996

• Alexander – The ALX range of vehicles was introduced. For the UK market this included the ALX100 based on the Mercedes-Benz Vario chassis, ALX200 based on the Dennis Dart SLF and the Volvo B6LE, ALX300 based on the Volvo B10BLE and later the MAN 18.220 and the ALX400, which featured the Dennis Trident and DAF DB250.
• European Union (EU) – The EU standard for heavy-duty diesel engines increased from Euro I to Euro II.
• Municipal bus operator –
  • Stagecoach acquired Pendle Council’s 50% share in Burnley & Pendle, which was jointly owned by Burnley Borough Council and Pendle Council. Burnley Borough Council initially had no intention to sell its share, but after eight months of joint operation it sold its remaining shares to Stagecoach;
  • Great Yarmouth Transport acquired by FirstGroup and operated as Blue Bus; and
  • Hyndburn Borough Council sold Hyndburn Transport to Stagecoach Group, which merged it with Stagecoach Ribble.

1997

• Cowie Group – The Cowie Group, which was formed in Sunderland in 1938 was renamed Arriva. At this point Arriva had owned former London Buses subsidiary’s Leaside Buses and South London and had additionally acquired United Automobile Services from the British Bus Group the year before. The corporate was introduced during 1997.
• Go-Ahead – Employee-owned Brighton Blue Bus was purchased by Go-Ahead in May; over time it was then integrated with Brighton & Hove.
• National Express Group – Acquired Tayside Transport from its employees in February.

1998

• Dennis – The Trident was introduced as Dennis’s first low-floor double-decker bus chassis, the first appearing on the Alexander ALX400 body.
• Wrightbus – The Eclipse range, the next generation of Wrightbus styling, started development. Eclipse was the single-deck version based on the Volvo B7L. This was later followed by the Eclipse Gemini. The double-deck version was based on the Volvo B7TL.

1999

• MAN – The first low-floor double-decker coach entered service with Stagecoach Oxford on the Oxford Tube service. The Jonkheere Monaco body was built on the MAN 24.350 low-floor chassis. The 27 purchased by Stagecoach were to be unique and no further deliveries of this combination were made.
• Plaxton – The refreshed Plaxton coach range was launched to replace the 1991 range, the Paragon replacing the Premiere 320 / 350 and the Panther replacing the Excalibur. This range also introduced the use of a stainless steel structure.

2000

• European Union (EU) – The EU standard for heavy-duty diesel engines increased from Euro II to Euro III.
• Regulation – Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) announced to the industry, requiring all vehicles operating on public bus services to meet a number of specifications in addition to having a low-floor by a certain date, depending on the type of vehicle.
• Parkeon – TGX 150 ETM ticket machine launched with thermal printing.

2001

• Stagecoach Group – The Burnley & Pendle operation was sold to the Blazefield Group, five years after acquiring it.
• TransBus – The first of the Enviro body designs were announced to the industry, with the Enviro 300 being the first into production.

2002

• Guide Friday – City Sightseeing, the joint venture between Ensignbus and City Sightseeing Spain, purchased Stratford-upon-Avon based Guide Friday Tours. The acquisition allowed City Sightseeing to quickly expand to many locations in the UK and worldwide. The mixed fleet of Bristol VRTs, Daimler Fleetlines and Leyland Atlanteans gave way to MCW Metrobuses and low floors were introduced to the fleet in the UK from 2004 by the Ayats Bravo City-bodied Volvo B7L.
• Hanover Displays – The first LED destination sign system is launched, which changed the way that the industry displayed information to the public, allowing operators to instantly update their displays without having to wait for a destination blind to be printed.

2003

• Oyster Card – The Oyster Card was introduced on 30 June and revolutionised the way that passengers paid for their journeys in London. Operated by TfL (Transport for London), it can be used on London Underground, London buses, DLR and London Tramlink services.
• megabus.com – Services commenced on 4 August using ex-Hong Kong tri-axle Leyland Olympians between Oxford and London.

2004

• Alexander Dennis – Alexander Dennis was formed in May from the collapse of the Mayflower Group. Souter Investments took a 55% share in Alexander Dennis from its formation.

2005

• Alexander Dennis – The former Wigan factory of Northern Counties closed in January.
• European Union (EU) – The EU standard for heavy-duty diesel engines increased from Euro III to Euro IV.
• Go-Ahead Group – Southern Vectis and Solent Blue Line are acquired by the group.
• Henlys Group – Group wound down due to falling vehicle sales. Plaxton was acquired by its management.
• Municipal bus operator – Bournemouth Borough Council sold Yellow Buses to Transdev Group during December.
• Shearings – The merger of Wallace Arnold and Shearings Holidays took place, at first taking the WA Shearings identity but later changing to Shearings Holidays.
• Transport for London (TfL) – Friday 9 December marked the last day of Routemaster (RM) operation on TfL bus services. Service 159 was operated by a number of special RMs including RM5 and 6, the first two production RMs and RM2216, the last of this class. Ensignbus-owned RM2565 in Stratford Blue livery also operated on the last day, which caused much interest amongst the public, many having not seen a blue and cream RM in Central London.

2006

• Caetano – The first Levante entered service on the National Express network in July. The Levante was designed exclusively for National Express and was the first mainstream wheelchair accessible vehicle on the network. Initially only available on the Volvo B12B, it was later offered on the Scania K340EB, followed by the Mercedes-Benz OC500RF, Volvo B8R, B9R and B11R.
• Transport for London (TfL) – iBus, which was a development between TfL and Siemens AG, is an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system that allows automatic passenger announcements for next stop information and two-way communication between drivers and CentreComm. CentreComm is the 24/7 Emergency Control and Command centre which can track the location of every bus operating on the TfL network, and respond immediately should any emergency occur. January 2006 saw the initial trial of the iBus system on TfL route 149, which was successful, and the system was later rolled out on the whole network.
• Mercedes-Benz – During 2006, EvoBus introduced the Turkish-built Mercedes-Benz Tourismo as a replacement for the Caetano-bodied Touro.
• Stagecoach Group – East London and Selkent operations sold to Australian-owned Macquarie Group.

2007

• Alexander Dennis – Scarborough coach builder Plaxton acquired from management by Alexander Dennis.
• Caetano – In July the Waterlooville, Hampshire factory ended production of manufacturing vehicles for the UK market. The Caetano Nimbus proved very popular during its eight-year production run. Many specialist lengths and widths were built for operators in Jersey and Guernsey. Dual-door versions to Transport for London specification were also produced.
• East Lancs – The bodybuilder went into administration during 2007 but was saved by the Darwen Group the following day.
• Municipal bus operator – Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council sold Blackburn Transport to Transdev Blazefield in January.
• Municipal bus operator – Chester City Council sold the operations of Chester Bus to FirstGroup, the council retaining the depot and fleet, initially loaning some vehicles to FirstGroup.
  Parkeon – Poole-based Wayfarer acquired by Parkeon.

2008

• Alexander Dennis – The first hybrid vehicle from the Enviro range launched as the Enviro 400H.
• Arriva – The Tellings-Golden Miller (TGM) group was acquired by Arriva. At this stage TGM also owned Classic Coaches, Link Line, Network Colchester, OFJ Connections and Wiltax.
• Darwen Group – Already owning East Lancs, Darwen Group purchased Optare and expanded the vehicle range. The group was renamed Optare and all vehicles were badged as such.
• European Union (EU) – The EU standard for heavy-duty diesel engines increased from Euro IV to Euro V.
• Legislation – Amended English National Concessionary Travel scheme extended the provision of free travel to residents who had reached state pension age. It was valid from 0930hrs to 2300hrs Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on bank holidays.
• Plaxton – The Elite was launched as a premium touring coach at the National Exhibition Centre in 2008. Although designed as a touring coach, the Elite also later found favour on the National Express network, being purchased by Stagecoach and Selwyns. Parks Motor Group also took a batch of Volvo B13RT tri-axles for National Express work.

2009

• Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) – Under a European Union Directive, from 10 September, it became law that drivers holding an HGV and/or PCV licence must carry out 35 hours of periodic training every five years to maintain their DCPC.
• Municipal bus operator –
  • Eastbourne Borough Council buy back Keolis Group’s 20% share in Eastbourne Buses and sell the whole company to Stagecoach Group which added it to its Stagecoach South operation; and
  • Plymouth City Council sold Plymouth City Bus and its coaching unit Plymouth City Coach to the Go-Ahead Group.
• Ticketer – The first Ticketer ticket machines went into mainstream production. Unlike traditional ticket machines, the Ticketer Standard model separates the printer and driver interface, allowing for quick repair and replacement if required.

2010

• VDL – The Bova name was discontinued from 2010, with all vehicles being badged as VDL.
• Municipal Bus Operator – Islwyn Borough Transport, which traded as IBT, is sold to the Stagecoach Group which merged IBT with Stagecoach in South Wales.
• Optare Group – Indian company Ashok Leyland acquires a 26% stake in the Group.
• Stagecoach Group – The East London and Selkent operations are re-acquired from Macquarie Group.

2011

• Arriva – The group’s former Clydeside 2000 Scottish operations are sold to McGill’s Buses during December.
• Optare Group – Ashok Leyland increases stake in the group to 75.1% and the former East Lancs Blackburn plant closes.

2012

• Plaxton – The first Interdeck coach to be built since the Paramount 4000, the Elitei was introduced in 2012. The first customer, which purchased the largest fleet of Elitei’s is Stagecoach owned megabus.com. Highland Global Transport, owned by Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, orders a number of left-hand drive versions for its PolskiBus.com express services based in Poland.
• megabus.com – The European network commenced operation with Volvo B9R/Plaxton Panthers starting off the initial network to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris. The fleet later gained eight left-hand drive Volvo B11RT/ Plaxton Eliteis.
• Transport for London (TfL) – London Mayor Boris Johnson’s enthusiasm to see the Routemaster back on the streets of the Capital led to the launch of the New Bus for London by Wrightbus, nicknamed the Borismaster or Boris Bus by the public.

2013

• European Union (EU) – The EU standard for heavy-duty diesel engines increased from Euro V to Euro VI.
• FirstGroup – The former Chester Bus operations, which had been expanded to include a School Bus operation using American built Bluebird vehicles in Wrexham and the former PMT operated Crosville services in the Wirral, were acquired by Stagecoach in Merseyside & South Lancashire.
• Government agency – The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was loaned three Wrightbus New Bus for London by Transport for London (TfL) for a world tour to promote British business and technology. Fleet numbers LT1 to 3 were allocated to the tour with LT1 touring America, LT2 touring Europe and LT3 Asia.
• Wrightbus – The Streetlite range was introduced with a Wrightbus-developed chassis. The first in the range was the Streetlite with the door behind the front wheel, followed by the Streetlite DF (Door Forward). The Streetdeck followed a year later featuring a Daimler OM934 engine. The restyled Gemini, known as the Gemini and based on the Volvo B5TL, was also produced.

2014

• Arriva – The group sells the Original London Tour to RATPDev.
• Government Agency – The merger of the Vehicle and Operators Service Agency (VOSA) and the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) took place from 1 April to form a single agency named the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
• Highland Global Transport – Owned by Stagecoach founders Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, Highland Global Transport took delivery of 20 left-hand drive Volvo B11RT tri-axle Plaxton Elitei’s to expand its PolskiBus.com express services.

2015

• Arriva – The group announced a restructure, which involved the former Arriva the Shires & Essex business merging with Midlands to form Arriva Midlands and the Shires. The Essex part of the business moved to the control of South Counties.
• Regulation – PSVAR for single-decker vehicles with a GVW of 7,500 kg and seating over 22 passengers enforced from 1 January
• Setra – EvoBus GmbH-owned Setra completed delivery of the last new right-hand drive built Setra to Talisman Coaches of Essex. Despite having received large orders from Shearings in recent years, the UK market was deemed too small to sustain the production of right-hand drive models.

2016

• Regulation – PSVAR for single-deck vehicles with a GVW of 7,500 kg and seating over 22 passengers enforced from 1 January.
• Transport for West Midlands – Following the establishment of the West Midlands Combined Authority and its transport arm Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), responsibilities were transferred to TfWM in June 2016.

2017

• Caetano – The Levante III arrived in the UK during September. Based on the Volvo B11R, the Levante III featured a complete restyle. A Scania option in the form of the K410EB6 is also available.
• megabus.com – The sale of megabus.com European retail operations to FlixBus were completed on 1 July. Stagecoach disposed of a number of European-based vehicles to Flixbus.
• Mercedes-Benz – The updated Tourismo was shown to the UK market in right-hand drive for the first time at the NEC, with a refreshed front, rear and revised window line around the cab and mirror area.
• Municipal bus company – Thamesdown Transport sold to Go South Coast in February.
• Optare Group – Ashok Leyland increases its share in the group to 98.31%.
• Regulation – PSVAR for double deck vehicles with a GVW of 7,500 kg and seating over 22 passengers enforced from 1 January.

2018

• Municipal bus operator – Rossendale Transport, which operated as Rosso, taken over by Transdev Blazefield during January.
• Transport for London (TfL) – Stagecoach in London trial the first Hanover LED destination displays on TfL services designed to mimic standard destination blinds on two ADL E400MMCs. Metroline also put into service a batch of Solo SRs with Mobitec LED destination equipment.

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