Scott Poole – författare

In 2018, five gas buses using Scania NU280D chassis with stylish AD E40D MMC City bodywork were presented by Nottingham City Council. Then 2019 saw the arrival of another sixty-seven new gas buses, working a variety of routes around the city.The 120 gas buses now operating in the city have impressive environmental credentials, offering an 80 per cent reduction in harmful pollutants. Passengers have also enjoyed greater comfort, with super-fast WiFi, USB charging sockets and audio and visual stop announcements.Here, Scott Poole offers an interesting selection of photographs illustrating these remarkable new buses.

Yorkshire boasts some of the most interesting countryside and urban areas in the country, and public transport has contributed to this across the years. The 1920s saw the rise of the motorbus until it was the main source of public transport, resulting in some tramway systems being abandoned during the 1930s, while other systems were replaced by trolleybuses. The bus would take passengers to and from work, home and at weekends and holidays to the coast and into London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and beyond. As bus operators grew their fleets, they worked with British Railways to build up bus services. Huddersfield Corporation solely operated the trolleybuses, while the JOC with British Railways operated the motorbus fleet. The new PTEs of the 1970s saw more changes, and a great degree of variety came onto the scene as the result of deregulation in 1985.Here, Scott Poole takes us from the halcyon days of municipal pride through the colourful days of deregulation to the new corporate image of the big three: Arriva, First and Stagecoach.

The merging of Bristol-based Badgerline and Scottish-based GRT Holding saw the creation of FirstBus in West Yorkshire. After the corporate logo was introduced, local liveries arrived. However, by 1998 First were pushing for its ‘Willow Leaf’ livery and corporate interior as the standard. Former West Yorkshire PTE vehicles were withdrawn and replaced by the standard Volvo/Wrightbus vehicles from 2004. The low-floor era brought in 120 Volvo/Alexander double-deckers and 20 Volvo saloons with Wrightbus bodies. Investment in Bradford and Leeds was apparent, eventually trickling down elsewhere. In 2012 First refreshed the livery with a more pastel colour scheme, as ninety-eight new buses arrived in Leeds from the Olympic Games. Newer vehicles were also cascaded into Halifax and Huddersfield.Scott Poole documents the ups and downs of this operator, with a range of previously unpublished images.