History
South Yorkshire Transport (SYT) has a mixed history, that starts in many different places, but comes together more in the 1980s and 90s.
Starting with National Yorkshire. Formed in 1969 to merge the National Bus Company's (NBC) tiny operations across Yorkshire and the Yorkshire operations of the Mountville Motor Traction Company, National Yorkshire was so named because not only could its buses and coaches be seen across its Yorkshire heartland but across the country, some with National Yorkshire itself (on its many express services), some not.
In 1986 it was sold to MSW. MSW started in the 1930s, running local services in Sheffield, grew, and was run by ten directors, who had unequal shares in the company.
It tried to merge with National Yorkshire there and then, but the Monopolies & Mergers Commision (MMC) had different ideas, and soon competitors like Northern Bluebird started to compete. In response to this MSW started its new services in Sheffield and Leeds with Dodge minibuses, killing off Western Travel of Leeds.
Mainline took advantage of the MMC's decision, and soon competition broke out between MSW/National Yorkshire and Mainline quickly, in 1988, at this point the MMC allowed the merger of MSW and National Yorkshire.
Meanwhile, on the Humber in 1986 Humberside County Transport Ltd (HCTL) was sold to its management and employees, and quickly started making changes to its fleet, particularly by transferring newer vehicles to Hull in return for older ones at Grimsby, then selling all operations out of Gimsby and Barton garages.
Quickly, independents like Humberline, Humbercoach and AWJ started to expand with Routemasters, and Kingston-upon-Hull City Transport (KHCT) and East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) quickly started competing on key services. The three independents were to grow too.
HCTL introduced a radical new livery of white base (top half of the bus) and purple (lower half), with Union Jack flag motifs, a green stripe and friendly dog motif towards the front of the bus and the rear engine cover, and gold roof. It certainly was a big improvement on NBC poppy red, many vehicles not even having white relief before. However, some vehicles had all this painted on their old poppy red base rather than white.
The scene was set, and as AWJ grew in stength it quickly seemed to be able to withstand HCTL competition more. But the tide had yet to turn on HCTL. It bought Holderness Busways Ltd, the former Hoderness Corporation, from its management. It became a subsidiary, and soon abandoned red/black in favour of EYMS's coach livery in the pre-NBC era, cream and blue. Soon, Holderness's elerly Leyland Atlanteans were being transferred to HCTL as new coach-seated Leyland Olympians with Northern Counties bodies
In 1994 Northern National, newly independent from the Casino Group, Avervale PLC, bought HCTL/Holderness but in 1995 two of the NBC managers bought what had become National Hull back. Then they sold to AWJ in 1996. In 1989, MSW split and one fleet, DartWay, took over much of what was MSW. In 1996 it also sold to AWJ.
For the rest of the history, please email me SWool9@aol.com I could not fit it on this page.
