The British Motor Bus

THE BRITISH MOTOR BUS is so much a part of the scene that we tend to take it for granted. So much so that it is difficult to visualise a time when London had only 17 motor buses in service, or when, amazingly, the Great Western Railway was the biggest motor bus operator in Britain — with 36 buses!

Since these days the story of the motor bus has been a fascinating and varied one, with the bus facing competition from electric tramcars, underground railways, motor cars, and trolleybuses, culminating in the dog-eat-dog rivalries of the 1920’s — but nevertheless surviving.

Gavin Booth presents here a comprehensively illustrated record of the reasons behind the many mechanical and design changes which have occurred in the 80-year history of the motor bus and of its special place in the hearts of the British people.