Bus preservation in the United Kingdom

In common with cars

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

and truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

s, preservation of bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

es in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

is a hobby

Hobby

A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...

activity enjoyed by many people, both actively or passively. The active preservation and operation of preserved buses is undertaken by private individuals, organised trusts or societies, and even commercial operators. The preserved bus fleet in the UK includes dating from the earliest pre-war models right up to models manufactured in the 1990s.

History

The earliest examples of bus preservation were undertaken by certain bus companies themselves. The first example of a private individual preserving a bus in the UK is said to be a Prince Marshall in 1956. He and others successfully purchased a 1929 AEC Regal number T31, registration UU 6646, for the sum of £45. It was the last ex-London General Omnibus Company vehicle to be operated by London Transport. The bus is still in existence and is now part of the Cobham Bus Museum collection, who purchased it in 1994.

The October 1961 issue of the Ian Allan magazine Buses Illustrated published a list of 76 buses believed to be the total number of preserved buses in the UK. As of 2009 it was believed the number of preserved buses in the UK numbered over 5,000.

Non commercial preservation

Many non commercial organisations dedicated to bus preservation operate under a charitable status. Some projects receive Heritage Lottery Fund

Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...

grant funding.

Non commercial bus preservation organisations can be both general in scope, or organised around preserving vehicles from a particular geographic area or time periods. Often, organisations will focus on a particular much loved company or operator, such as SELNEC

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive

Transport for Greater Manchester is the public body responsible for co-ordinating public transport services throughout Greater Manchester, in North West England. The organisation traces its origins to the Transport Act 1968, when the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive was established to...

, Southdown Motor Services

Southdown Motor Services

Southdown Motor Services Ltd operates bus and coach services in East and West Sussex and parts of Hampshire, in southern England. It was formed in 1915 and had various owners throughout its history, being purchased by the National Bus Company in 1969...

or Ribble Motor Services

Ribble Motor Services

Ribble Motor Services was a large regional bus operator in the North West of England, based in Preston. The company was started in 1919, and grew to be the largest operator in the region, with a territory stretching from Carlisle to south Lancashire...

, or particular manufacturers such as AEC or Bristol Commercial Vehicles

Bristol Commercial Vehicles

Bristol Commercial Vehicles was a vehicle manufacturer of in Bristol, England. Most production was of buses but trucks and railbus chassis were also built....

. In cases where large numbers of vehicles were produced, organisations may even concentrate on a single model, such as the Bristol VR

Bristol VR

The Bristol VR was Bristol's rear-engined bus chassis, designed as a competitor to the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline.-Development:...

or Leyland National

Leyland National

The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...

.

Preserved buses are often included in the collections of Transport Museums, and sometimes feature in general museums. In some cases, museums are dedicated to buses as their main activity. The use of operational preserved buses often contribute to the authentic atmosphere in living museums

Open air museum

An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...

such as Amberley Working Museum

Amberley Working Museum

Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre is a museum at Amberley, near Arundel in West Sussex, England.The museum was founded in 1979 by the Southern Industrial History Centre Trust and has previously been known as the Amberley Working Museum, Amberley Chalk Pits Museum or plain Amberley Museum.The museum...

and Beamish Museum

Beamish Museum

Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is an open-air museum located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, County Durham, England. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early...

.

Operational preserved buses are often exhibited at rallies and shows, or are run on 'running days', or in events that are a combination of the two. A preserved bus running a specific shuttle route also often forms part of a larger event such as a cultural festival.

Several events in the preservation calendar are regular, usually annual, while others are often organised to commemorate a specific event, such as the anniversary of a particular company or particular vehicle type coming into or out of existence or service. Running days often mark the withdrawal of particular models from a route, or the demise of particular companies. Rallies and shows often combine preserved exhibits and current service vehicles.

Candidates vehicles for preservation are often gifted or purchased from their final operator, or are bought from the scrap yard or specialist dealers. Restoration of vehicles often involves mechanical restoration such as repanelling the bodywork

Coachwork

Coachwork is the body of a horse-drawn coach or carriage, a motor vehicle , a railroad car or railway carriage. Usually reserved for bodies built on a separate chassis, rather than being of unitary or monocoque construction...

, and the reversion of the vehicle's appearance to a particular historical period, by repainting into a particular livery

Livery

A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...

and restoring other parts such as grilles or displays. On occasion, buses have been saved for preservation having been used long after the end of their passenger transport career, and been used in a variety of capacities such as caravans or storage sites, requiring more thorough preservation.

Commercial preservation

A form of bus preservation involves the commercial operation of vintage or restored buses. Some present day bus companies maintain and operate a heritage fleet

Heritage fleet

A Heritage Fleet is a collection of historic vehicles or vessels, representing a record of transport heritage. It may comprise to maritime vessels, aircraft, or other road or rail vehicles....

for both preservation and commercial purposes, such as the Arriva Heritage Fleet, and Stagecoach

Stagecoach Group

Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...

in Scotland. Others may maintain one or two examples of preserved vehicles for special services, or to act as company representatives at rallies and events.

If not actively involved, present day modern bus operators will often assist groups involved in preserving examples of their old vehicles, such as providing maintenance facilities or garaging facilities

Bus garage

A bus garage or bus depot is a building where buses are stored and maintained. In many conurbations, bus garages are on the site of former car barns or tram sheds, where Streetcars or Trams were stored, and the operation transferred to buses...

. Some niche commercial bus operators such as Timebus Travel

Timebus Travel

Timebus Travel is a bus operator based north of London, United Kingdom specialising only in heritage ex-London buses for private hire.- History :...

exclusively exist for the purposes of heritage vehicle operation. Most commercial preserved bus operation is for private hire, although occasionally a preserved bus may appear on a scheduled service.

With the mass withdrawal of the iconic Routemaster

Routemaster

The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...

bus from London and the introduction of many new operators due to bus deregulation, many operators registered scheduled services around the country in the 1980s, long after the model was considered modern. Post millennium this is less common.

Museums

Museums with over 10 bus exhibits include:

Castle Point Transport Museum, Canvey Island
Cobham Bus Museum
Ensignbus
Ensignbus
Ensignbus is a Purfleet-based bus and coach dealer, open top bus tour operator and bus service operator. Ensignbus has amassed 20 ex-London vehicles of various ages and conditions in a ....

bus museum, Essex
Ipswich Transport Museum
Glasgow Museum of Transport
Glasgow Bus Museum
Isle of Man Transport Museum, Jurby
Keighley Bus Museum
Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum
London Transport Museum
Museum of Transport in Manchester
Museum of Transport in Manchester
The Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester is a museum that aims to preserve and promote the public transport heritage of Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. Owned by Transport for Greater Manchester, the museum is located in the Cheetham Hill area of...
Sandtoft Transport Centre
Scottish Vintage Bus Museum, Lathalmond, Fife
Sheffield Bus Museum
Wirral Transport Museum, Birkenhead
Wythall Transport Museum, Birmingham

Annual rallies and events

Brighton Coach Rally
Cobham
Cobham
- Towns or districts :* Cobham, Kent, England* Cobham, Surrey, England* Cobham, Virginia , multiple places- Other place names :* Cobham Intermediate School* Cobham Sports and Social Club...

Bus Rally
MetroCentre rally, Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
North Tyneside Bus Rally, Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
Showbus, Imperial War Museum Duxford
Imperial War Museum Duxford
Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near the village of Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artillery and minor naval vessels in seven...
Trans-Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally
Wirral Bus & Tram Show

Societies and Trusts

Bus preservation rusts and societies which are usually registered charities, with one or more preserved bus in their possession:

201 Bus Group http://www.201busgroup.wordpress.com
Eastern Transport Collection Society
Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust http://www.gvvt.org/stocklist/psv/hsd86v.html
Leyland National Group http://www.leylandnationalgroup.org/
North East Bus Preservation Trust http://nebpt.co.uk/
Scottish Vintage Vehicle Federation http://www.svvf.org.uk/index.html
SELNEC Preservation Society http://www.selnec.org.uk/
Tyne & Wear Bus Preservation Ltd http://www.tyneandwearbuspreservation.co.uk/index.html

Regulatory issues

The legal relationship between the operation of preserved buses and commercial buses is complex, depending variously on the age of the vehicle, age of the driver and circumstances of the operation.

Under the UK driving license

Driving licence in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the driving licence is the official document which authorises its holder to operate various types of motor vehicle on public roads. In England, Scotland and Wales they are administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and in Northern Ireland by the Driver & Vehicle...

rules, anybody with a standard car license gained before 1997 can drive a preserved bus over 30 years old without a PCV (public carriage vehicle) license, as long as it is not for hire or reward, and less than 8 people are carried in the vehicle. For licenses gained after 1997 and buses under 30 years old, the rules are more complex.

Depending on circumstances, operators of preserved buses may need to fit their vehicle with an analogue or digital tachograph

Tachograph

A tachograph is a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver's activity selected from a choice of modes. The drive mode is activated automatically when the vehicle is in motion, and modern tachograph heads usually default to the other work...

. All commercial operation (not on a scheduled bus route) requires a tachograph

Tachograph

. Drivers operating preserved buses for "non-commercial carriage of passengers" are exempt from the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) regulations.

With regard to the London low emission zone

London low emission zone

The London Low Emission Zone is a charging scheme with the aim of reducing the pollution emissions of diesel-powered commercial vehicles in London, England. Vehicles are defined by their emissions and those that exceed pre-determined levels are charged to enter Greater London. The low emission...

, an exemption is made for "Historic vehicles" (built before 1 January 1973). Preserved bus operators operating vehicles taxed as a 'bus' are exempt from the London congestion charge

London congestion charge

The London congestion charge is a fee charged for some categories of motor vehicle to travel at certain times within the Congestion Charge Zone , a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London's transport system...

and do not have to register their vehicles. Those vehicles taxed as a Large Car are not exempt from the London congestion charge

London congestion charge

but can register for a 100% discount for their vehicle.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.