London Transport In The 1980s

The 1980s were a decade of change for London Transport. The last of the RTs and RFs were withdrawn during 1979 and during the 1980s the first large-scale withdrawal of Routemasters commenced, although many of these were to find a second career outside London as they became preferred vehicles by operators keen to acquire a competitive edge in the brave new world of Deregulation. London, too, witnessed revolution; not quite as dramatic as Deregulation but equally significant for the provision of bus services was the 1984 London Regional Transport Act. This separated London Transport from direct responsibility for running services and allowed for the process of franchising and privatisation that was to result in myriad operators - such as Kentish Bus - acquiring operations in the Metropolis and a break, for a brief period, from the predominantly red livery that had adorned London buses since the creation of the LPTB. In terms of vehicle acquisitions, the policy of acquiring vehicles specifically designed for operation in London ceased and, during the decade, many 'off the peg' designs were introduced both by the London Buses operational units and by the new entrants into the market. These included models produced by Dennis, Leyland, Volvo and Scania; some were to prove successful while others less so. In this informative new volume, Michael Baker details the history of public transport during the 1980s, to provide a concise overview of this period of dramatic and turbulent change for London Transport.

A great collection of illustrations of buses working in London's iconic West End throughout the 1980s.

The author examines this crucial period, when LT passed from the Swinging Sixties through the to the 1970s. Incorporating some 85 colour illustrations all of which are previously unpublished, the author portrays the great variety of bus types and operations visible on the streets of London during these years.

The 1980s were some of the most tumultuous years for the British bus industry. The Thatcher Government, in power throughout the decade, brought about privatization of the National Bus Company and the Scottish Bus Group. In addition, 1986 saw the introduction of full deregulation of bus services with the exception of London. Do not think that London was unaffected by these changes, however, as the omnibus operations of London Transport was split up and then sold into private hands. Deregulation meant competition and 'bus wars' broke out in many parts of the country, sometimes in the most unexpected of places. However, towards the end of the decade, larger groups emerged such as Stagecoach. The author was fortunate enough to be able to capture the scene on color film through the decade and the best of his results are seen in British Buses of the 1980s, a magnificent record of some challenging and ultimately pivotal times.

Nostalgic photographs that capture unexpected moments of intimacy and humor on the Underground Think of the London Underground and what comes to mind? Shuffling human traffic, trains whirring through tunnels, tired silent faces. Mike Goldwater's pictures taken in the '70s and '80s, capture the moments of tenderness and life that lie beneath that: the kisses goodbye, the man cradling a cat, another smoking deep in thought, the homeless man curled up next to his belongings. We also see old ticket booths (before Travelcards existed), retro carriages, whisky adverts and bell flares. These images, full of human interaction, take us back to a time when it was fine to talk (and smoke) on our beloved Underground.

A terrific range of previously unpublished images of East London buses, including Routemasters, during the 1970s-1980s.

Fully illustrated historical portrayal of the changing face of transport in London through the 1980s.