Scottish Omnibuses
Scottish Omnibuses Ltd.(SOL) was a company set up by theBritish Transport Commissionon 4 April 1949[1]to take over the bus and coach operations ofScottish Motor Traction(SMT) and its subsidiaries under thenationalisationprovisions of theTransport Act 1947.SMT itself remained in private hands, continuing its motor sales, service and insurance businesses.[2] SOL took over the holding of SMT's former subsidiary companies,[2]while those buses and coaches it operated directly continued to use the SMT brand until the early 1960s, when, after a brief flirtation with "Scottish", the fleet name "Eastern Scottish" was adopted.[3]
In 1961 the holding function of SOL was transferred to a new companyScottish Omnibuses Group (Holdings) Ltd,which, following the demise of the British Transport Commission, came under the control of the state-ownedTransport Holding Companythe following year. It was renamed asScottish Bus GroupLtd. in 1963, and became part of theScottish Transport Groupin 1969 following the addition of ferry services.
SOL itself remained as a bus and coach operator in south-east Scotland, trading asEastern Scottish,until reorganisation of the group in 1985, when it was split intoEastern ScottishOmnibuses Ltd. andLowland ScottishOmnibuses Ltd. Following privatisation these were eventually re-united in 1999 under the banner ofFirst Edinburgh.
References
[edit]- ^Milne, W.J. (2008),Highland,p. 11. Venture Publications Ltd., Glossop.ISBN978-190530-4189.
- ^abHibbs, John (1968).The History of British Bus Services,p. 211. David & Charles, Newton Abbott.ISBN0715342215.
- ^McCallum, Forbes & Bloomfield, Stephen W. (1965),British Bus Fleets No.22: Scottish Bus Group,p. 75. Ian Allan, London.