A quarter of a century ago, the red bus fleets of the former London Buses Ltd (LBL) were privatised. By 1998, the resulting independent companies were dividing and regrouping among themselves, often submitting to takeovers from big groups armed with venture capital. There were also spectacular collapses as other firms found they could not handle the pitiless hurly-burly of London’s tendering arena.
As low-floor single-deckers (mostly Dennis Dart SLFs) and Volvo Olympian double-deckers continued to make inroads into the still large fleets of MCW Metrobuses and Leyland Titans, the picture was gradually beginning to change. The rush to be the first manufacturer to put out a low-floor double-decker was also well under way, with unlimited opportunities for the winner.
With more than 210 colour and black and white pictures, this book covers the calendar year 1998 from start to finish, cataloguing the myriad route and vehicle changes as well as other fascinating aspects of the London bus scene, from rallies to adverts, public holiday services, rail replacements and open-top tours. 96 pages.