If you’ve lived in central Scotland, then you’ll immediately recognise the names of Clydeside, Kelvin, Stagecoach, Strathtay and Magicbus as Scottish bus companies.
They first appeared after the deregulation of the bus industry in 1986, which led to these companies all springing up.
The companies had the bright idea of buying redundant London Routemaster red buses, and to provide conductors to speed up the service.
Many of these buses are now highlighte din David Christie’s book Routemasters in Scotland – The Late 80s.
He chronicles the growth of the industry, as the buses quickly became a common sight on the streets of Glasgow, Perth and Dundee.
The book is a fascinating look at how these buses were adapted, from the famous red London bus, as the book features many previously unpublished shots, which will bring back memories for sure.
Remember the white Magicbus, with its gold, red and blue markings? Or the orange and blue of Strathtay in Dundee? Clydeside’s buses had a yellow strip around the middle, while Kelvin buses had diagonal strips of yellow, dark blue and light blue.
See some sample pages here:
Looking at these certainly brought back a few memories for this reader.
The author’s research is meticulous, with short captions with each image, and the backgrounds to present a fascinating shot of Scotland’s ever-changing high streets.
It’s a specialist interest, but the cultural relevance opens it up to the wider public.
Routemasters in Scotland – The Late 80s, by David Christie, published by Amberley, £14.99.
[review rating=”4″ align = “left”]
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