BUS WARS: Chapter 2: The History of Preston Buses

Preston Bus  was founded in 1904 and ran as a publicly owned bus service for 89 years until in 1993 it was bough by its employees during 1993.
The bus's owned by the company operated under the City logo and with the City colours, as seen in the picture bellow. The firm operated many routes through out Preston along with other local bus companies.

A Preston Bus infront of iconic bus station 
© Copyright Tom Pennington and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Such companies like John Fishwick and Sons a bus company based in Leyland, as small local bus firm that rans buses around Leyland, Preston, Chorely and Wigan.

An old Fishwich bus running out of the bus station

There was also Ribble Motor Services, an other small transport firm that operated from the 1920s to the late 1980s. Ribble Motor Services covered many northwest bus routes and operated many out of Preston bus station.

A Ribble bus

These three firms and others created a healthy bus industry in Preston, economic theory dictates that their prices would have been competitive and service good. But in take look round the now declining Preston Bus station and you will not see a Ribble bus, the iconic colours of Preston bus are gone and Ribble Buses are rarer and rarer.

For there was a storm brewing, a new competitor was about to arrive and monopolise the North West laying waste to its competitors. The Stage Coach had arrived.

Chapter 1