Metroline: After London Transport

When London Buses Ltd.'s subsidiary companies were privatised in the autumn of 1994, Metroline, serving a large swathe of north-west London, was bought out by its management.

The company quickly consolidated its position in the ultra-competitive world of route tendering; it acquired one small rival, Atlas Bus, as early as 1995 and then doubled its size in 1998 with the acquisition of neighbouring MTL London.

A new livery of red with a deep blue skirt set Metroline apart from its rivals.

 In 2000, a powerful but unusually hands-off patron was secured with the company’s sale to Delgro (later ComfortDelgro) of Singapore.

Since then, Metroline has held its own as a dependable Transport for London contractor, continuing to expand with the purchase of Thorpes and Armchair in 2004.

The company pulled off an even bigger coup in 2013 when First London’s western portfolio was acquired as Metroline West.

In terms of vehicles, the London Transport legacy had all gone by 2004.

 Low-floor purchases progressed to hybrids by the 2010s and electrics followed the decade after, bookending sizeable intakes of iconic Borismasters.

With more than 250 colour pictures, this book is the first of a new series that explores the five major corporate London bus operators that have arisen in the quarter-century since the privatisation of London Buses Ltd.

 Included are details of takeovers, reorganisations, vehicle movements and the unpredictable but wholesale changes that fascinate enthusiasts.

Available: NOW

ISBN: 978 1 80282 944 0

Price: £16.99

Series: Transport Systems Series

Format: Paperback, 96 pages

Author: Matthew Wharmby

ISBN: 9781802829440