Doncaster Buses in Transition: Before and After SYPTE

The period after April 1974 brought about major and irrevocable changes to bus operations in Doncaster and the surrounding communities to the north-east of the town. The reorganisation of local government in England from 1974 had been brought about by the Local Government Act of 1972. It created six metropolitan counties, each responsible for running transport operations in their respective regions through a passenger transport executive. The newly formed South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive took control of Doncaster Corporation Transport in April 1974 and brought to an end the seventy-plus years of local council organisation of tramway, trolleybus and motorbus services.

At first the changes were minimal insofar as the appearance of buses in service was concerned; they retained their Doncaster livery with the addition of new fleet numbers until they became due for a repaint or replacement by newly acquired vehicles. The independent companies operating bus services into Doncaster remained unchanged at first and, with their colourful and distinctive liveries, gave welcome relief to the corporate cream-and-brown that was gradually enveloping the SYPTE fleet. This situation was to change over the following few years as one by one the independent operators were acquired by the PTE and their fleets of buses were either rapidly withdrawn or repainted.

The photographs in the book illustrate this process of the absorption of the bus fleets of Doncaster Corporation Transport, Felix Motors, T. Severn & Sons, Blue Line and Reliance up to 1979.