A History of Bus Operators in Preston

The earliest recorded operators of buses in Preston were pioneers who provided services from nearby surrounding villages in the 1910s. The local town services were initially provided by the Corporation’s tramway system with buses only being introduced in 1922. From 1919, Ribble Motor Services gradually became the dominant operator connecting the town to the rest of Lancashire and beyond. Other significant operators were J. Fishwick & Sons, Scout Motors and Viking Motors.

The various out-of-town operators established their own bus stations in the town centre while the Corporation bus services used on-street stands. This situation prevailed until 1969 when a new central bus station was opened in the centre and all bus services were transferred accordingly.

This book also details special services such as football and works buses and holiday traffic, which used to snake along the Arterial Road (Blackpool Road) in the postwar boom years carrying holidaymakers to the Fylde coast in their tens-of-thousands. The once-every-twenty-years Preston Guild and its impact on local services over the years is not without mention.

Mike Rhodes documents the bus operators who have served Preston with many rare and unpublished photographs and informative captions.