Transport Holding Company
Encyclopedia
The Transport Holding Company (THC) was a British Government owned company created by the Transport Act 1962
to administer a range of state-owned transport, travel and engineering companies that were previously managed by the British Transport Commission
(BTC); it came into existence on 1 January 1963.
on 1 January 1969, the THC's road transport and shipping interests passed to the National Bus Company, the National Freight Corporation and the Scottish Transport Group. Its remaining assets were privatised and the company dissolved in the early 1970s.
The THC also had a shareholding in the following coach companies (the remaining shares were owned by British Electric Traction
):
In October 1967 the THC purchased one of the largest remaining independent bus operators:
In March 1968, as the Transport Act 1968
was passing through parliament, British Electric Traction
decided to sell its bus operations to the THC:
THC already had a minority shareholding in many of the BET companies through shares purchased by the mainline railway companies in 1929-1930, which had passed to the state on the nationalisation of British Railways. The acquisition of the BET companies led to the THC gaining 100% of Black and White, County Motors, Samuelson's and Timpson's
:
Transport Act 1962
The Transport Act 1962 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Described as the "most momentous piece of legislation in the field of railway law to have been enacted since the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1854", it was passed by Harold Macmillan's Conservative government to dissolve the...
to administer a range of state-owned transport, travel and engineering companies that were previously managed by the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
(BTC); it came into existence on 1 January 1963.
Assets
The THC's assets were very varied, reflecting its role as the manager of those investments that did not fit elsewhere in the post-1962 structure of nationalised transport. There were essentially six areas of activity:- bus companies, some part-owned with the British Electric TractionBritish Electric TractionBritish Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial.- Early history :The company was founded as...
Group, later acquired by the THC, - bus manufacturing companies (Bristol Commercial VehiclesBristol Commercial VehiclesBristol Commercial Vehicles was a vehicle manufacturer of in Bristol, England. Most production was of buses but trucks and railbus chassis were also built....
and Eastern Coach WorksEastern Coach WorksEastern Coach Works Ltd was a bus and railbus body building company based in Lowestoft, England.-History:The company can trace its roots back to 1912, when United Automobile Services was founded in the town to run bus services. United began a coach building business at the Lowestoft site in 1920...
) - road haulage companies, e.g. British Road ServicesBritish Road ServicesThe National Freight Corporation was a major British transport business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and at one time, as NFC plc, it was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
(BRS) and PickfordsPickfordsPickfords is a moving company based in the United Kingdom, part of the Moving Services Group UK Ltd.The business is believed to have been founded in the 17th century, making it one of the UK's oldest functioning companies. The earliest record is of a William Pickford, a carrier who worked south of... - shipping lines, e.g. the BTC's shares in Associated Humber Lines and the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company
- travel agents (Thomas Cook and Son, to which Lunn PolyLunn PolyLunn Poly was the largest chain of travel agents in the United Kingdom. The company originated from two successful travel agencies which had been established in 1890s; The Polytechnic Touring Association and Sir Henry Lunn Travel. Both firms were acquired in the 1950s by the British Eagle airline...
was later added) - miscellaneous (the BTC's shares in the Penarth Dock Engineering Company)
Demise
With the coming into effect of the Transport Act 1968Transport Act 1968
The Transport Act 1968 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The main provisions made changes to the structure of nationally owned bus companies, created passenger transport authorities and executives to take over public transport in large conurbations.-National Bus Company:The Act...
on 1 January 1969, the THC's road transport and shipping interests passed to the National Bus Company, the National Freight Corporation and the Scottish Transport Group. Its remaining assets were privatised and the company dissolved in the early 1970s.
Bus companies - England and Wales
The following companies passed to the THC in 1963:- Brighton Hove and District Omnibus Company
- Bristol Omnibus CompanyBristol Omnibus CompanyThe Bristol Omnibus Company is the former name of the dominant bus operator in Bristol, one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. The company once ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. The name was in operational use until 1985...
- Crosville Motor ServicesCrosville Motor ServicesCrosville Motor Services was a bus operator running within the north west of England and north and mid Wales.-History:The company was formed as Crosville Motor Company Limited on 27 October 1906 in Chester, by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Georges de Ville, with the...
- Cumberland Motor Services
- Durham District Services
- Eastern Counties Omnibus Company
- Eastern National Omnibus CompanyEastern National Omnibus CompanyEastern National was a bus operating company in south east England from 1929 to the 1990s.-Early history:Eastern National Omnibus Company Ltd started in 1929 as a joint venture between the London and North Eastern Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the National Omnibus &...
- Hants & Dorset Motor ServicesHants & Dorset Motor ServicesHants & Dorset Motor Services Ltd was a stage carriage bus service operator in southern England, between 1920 and 1983.-Early history:The Bournemouth & District Motor Services Ltd was incorporated in 1916. In 1920, a change of name to Hants & Dorset reflected the wider aspirations of its owners...
- Lincolnshire Road Car
- Mansfield District Traction
- Midland General Omnibus Company
- Notts & Derby
- Red and White Services Limited
- Southern National Omnibus CompanySouthern NationalSouthern National was a bus company operating in South West England from 1929 to 1969, and again from 1983 to 1999.-Original company :...
- Southern VectisSouthern VectisThe Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
- South Midland
- Thames Valley TractionThames Valley TractionThames Valley Traction Company Limited was a major bus company operating services to and from Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, High Wycombe and Oxford and surrounding areas for over 50 years during the 20th century...
- Tilling's Transport (THC) Limited
- United Automobile ServicesUnited Automobile ServicesUnited Automobile Services or United, as it was commonly known, was a major provider of bus services across the North East and North Yorkshire for 80 years or more...
- United Counties Omnibus Company
- United Welsh Services Limited
- West Yorkshire Road Car
- Western National Omnibus CompanyWestern NationalWestern National was a bus operating company in South West England from 1929 to the 1990s.-Early history:Western National Omnibus Company Ltd started in 1929 as a joint venture between the Great Western Railway and the National Omnibus & Transport Company...
- Wilts and Dorset Motor ServicesWilts & DorsetWilts & Dorset is a bus company in England covering Poole, Bournemouth, East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. Its local headquarters is in Poole, but it is owned by the Go-Ahead Group, a major UK transport group....
The THC also had a shareholding in the following coach companies (the remaining shares were owned by British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial.- Early history :The company was founded as...
):
- Black and White Motorways
- Samuelson Transport
- A Timpson and Sons
In October 1967 the THC purchased one of the largest remaining independent bus operators:
- West Riding Automobile CompanyWest Riding Automobile CompanyThe West Riding Automobile Company, under the fleet name of West Riding, was a bus company that served the Wakefield area of Yorkshire, England from 1923.-Company history:...
and its 50% subsidiary:- County Motors (Lepton) Limited
In March 1968, as the Transport Act 1968
Transport Act 1968
The Transport Act 1968 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The main provisions made changes to the structure of nationally owned bus companies, created passenger transport authorities and executives to take over public transport in large conurbations.-National Bus Company:The Act...
was passing through parliament, British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial.- Early history :The company was founded as...
decided to sell its bus operations to the THC:
- Aldershot and District TractionAldershot and District TractionAldershot & District Traction Company Limited was a major bus company operating services in East Hampshire, West Surrey and parts of adjoining counties for sixty years during the 20th century, from 1912 until 1972 when it became part of Alder Valley....
- Devon General Omnibus and Touring CompanyDevon GeneralDevon General was the brand name for the principal bus operator in south Devon from 1919. The name was first used by the Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company which was created in 1919. In 1922 it was purchased by the National Electric Construction Company which merged with British Electric...
and its subsidiary:- Grey Cars of Torquay
- East Kent Road Car CompanyEast Kent Road Car CompanyThe East Kent Road Car Company Ltd was a bus company formed in 1916 and based in Canterbury, Kent. The company operated bus and coach services in Kent...
- East Midland Motor Services
- East Yorkshire Motor ServicesEast Yorkshire Motor ServicesEast Yorkshire Motor Services is a large bus and coach operator which operates throughout Kingston upon Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire, the North Yorkshire coast and the North York Moors. In and around Scarborough, EYMS operates as Scarborough & District Motor Services...
- Greenslade's Tours
- Hebble Motor Services
- Maidstone & DistrictMaidstone & District Motor Services LtdMaidstone & District Motor Services Ltd was a bus company based in Maidstone, Kent. The company operated bus and coach services in Mid and West Kent and East Sussex from 1911 until 1998. The company's surviving operations were absorbed into Arriva Southern Counties.-Early years:In 1908 a hired...
- Mexborough and Swinton Traction
- Midland RedMidland RedMidland Red was a bus company which operated in the English Midlands from 1905 to 1981. It was the trading name used by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company , which was renamed Midland Red Omnibus Company in 1974...
and its subsidiary:- Stratford Blue
- Neath and Cardiff Luxury Coaches
- North Western Road CarNorth Western Road Car Company (1923)The North Western Road Car Company was a bus company located in Stockport, England. Formed in 1923 from the existing bus services of the British Automobile Traction Company Limited operations based in Macclesfield, the new company grew to operate bus services in five counties The North Western...
- Northern General TransportGo North EastGo North East is the largest operator of bus services in North East England, United Kingdom. Go North East operates services in the counties of Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland...
and its subsidiaries:- Gateshead and District Omnibus Company
- Sunderland District Omnibus Company
- Tynemouth and District Transport
- Tyneside Omnibus company
- Wakefield's Motors Limited
- City of Oxford Motor ServicesOxford Bus CompanyOxford Bus Company is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England and is the trading name of City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd. It is now a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group...
- Potteries Motor Traction
- Rhondda Transport CompanyRhondda Transport CompanyThe Rhondda Tramways Company was established in 1906 as a subsidiary of the British Electric Traction Company . In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the BET was a major operator of tramways in the UK, and later became one of the biggest operators of motor buses in the UK.-History:The Rhondda...
- Ribble Motor ServicesRibble Motor ServicesRibble 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...
and its subsidiaries:- Standerwick
- ScoutScoutA scout is a soldier performing reconnaissance and other support duties.Scout may also refer to:-Aircraft:* Scout , pre-1920s terminology for a single-seat fighter...
- Sheffield United Tours
- South Wales Transport
- Southdown Motor ServicesSouthdown Motor ServicesSouthdown 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...
- Trent Motor Traction
- Western Welsh Omnibus Company
- Thomas Bros (Port Talbot) Limited
- Yorkshire TractionYorkshire TractionYorkshire Traction was a bus operator in South Yorkshire. Between 1986 and 2005 it was a key part of the Traction Group. In December 2005 it was sold to the Stagecoach Group.-History:...
- Yorkshire Woollen District Transport
THC already had a minority shareholding in many of the BET companies through shares purchased by the mainline railway companies in 1929-1930, which had passed to the state on the nationalisation of British Railways. The acquisition of the BET companies led to the THC gaining 100% of Black and White, County Motors, Samuelson's and Timpson's
Bus companies - Scotland
The Scottish companies were known as the Scottish Bus GroupScottish Bus Group
The Scottish Bus Group was a state-owned Scottish holding company that included a number of bus operators covering the whole of Scotland. The group was formed in 1961 as Scottish Omnibuses Group Ltd, to take control of the British Transport Commission's bus operating subsidiaries in Scotland...
:
- Central SMT
- Highland Omnibuses
- Scottish Motor TractionScottish Motor TractionScottish Motor Traction was founded in Edinburgh in 1905. It operated buses in much of central Scotland. Aside from its traditional bus operations, it operated an air taxi service with a De Havilland Fox Moth between July 18 and October 31, 1932 and for many years owned Dryburgh Abbey Hotel...
- Walter Alexander and Sons (Fife) Limited
- Walter Alexander and Sons (Midland) Limited
- Walter Alexander and Sons (Northern) Limited
- Western SMTWestern SMTWestern Scottish Motor Traction Co. Limited was a bus operator in south-west Scotland from 1929 to 1985.The company was formed in 1929 by the renaming of Scottish General Transport Co. Ltd, after the British Electric Traction subsidiary formed in 1913 was acquired by the Scottish Motor Traction...