Deregulation
It’s been 25 years since Deregulation was introduced by the tory government.
The Free For All
British prime minister Margaret Thatcher decided to wrest control of regulating the buses away from the local councils and allowed private bus companies to run their own routes. At first passengers were enjoying the cheaper fares, sometimes even free travel, while the established and newly formed bus companies fought over the lucrative routes.
And there was a lot of fighting. I remember watching two drivers on the Paisley High Street punching lumps out of each other, because one bus had cut the other bus off to pick up the passengers.
Once all the dust had settled, it is now apparent that the bus companies will generally only run routes that are profitable, although most companies do provide a limited service in some routes. The local authorities and the bus companies do communicate and sometimes funding is available to keep unprofitable routes running, particularly in rural areas.
This poster was displayed in the Transport Museum of Greater Manchester.
