Lothian White Liveried Atlantean in Edinburgh GSC664X

Although always beautifully turned out I always felt t that the stark black and white livery was a bit too different from the usual dark red on the city's buses in Edinburgh 

K722 ASC: Leyland Olympians in Edinburgh

This rather bright looking Fife Alexander bodied Leyland Olympian in it's Stagecoach stripes looks like it's from another planet compared to the very plasant but conservative Lothian fleet.

Lothian Alexander Bodied Olympian B769 GSC

Lothian Transport wasn't very popular when it decided to go to ECW to body a large batch of Leyland Olympians instead of Alexander of Falkirk.

Strathclyde Volvo Ailsa A88

Glasgow bought a large fleet of Atlanteans but in Strathclyde PTE days Volvo Ailsa B55's were the main choice but still with Alexander bodywork. A88 was seen in the Nineties.

Strathclyde Volvo Ailsa OGG 180Y

In the winter the delicate sunlight can be beautiful but a bit too thin and wispy to make sharp black and white photographs. it's worth having a go all the same especially if it is a rare opportunity as happened here as at the end of the Eighties I seldom went to Glasgow and managed to take photos. Also this was one of those stop anywhere you can for a few minutes sort of encounter and considering that it isn't a bad one of one of a typical Strathclyde Alexender Volvo Citybus. 

Parks of Hamilton Volvo Caetano Algarve C680 KDS

The interesting city of Chester was very much a mecca for coach tours and very frequent callers were Parks of Hamilton whose Caetano Algarve bodied Volvo working for Trafalgar Tours was hardly in keeping with the pleasant surroundings. I expect rather like myself with other oddities some of you will like it though and see it as character.

Scottish Citylink Metroliner

Despite being being only a year or two apart these two Scottish coaches taking a refreshment break on the long trip south to London look very different. The Eastern Scottish Leyland Tiger on the right wears a familiar looking Duple body but the Northern Citylink coach from Aberdeen was a lot more interesting as only a few of these Metrolines were ever built 

Select SK52 OJG: All Things Bright And Beautiful

A newcomer to the bus scene in Stafford stands out for the timebeing at least as it wears an unusual and  somewhat jazzy colour-scheme which in this clean condition looked nicer than one might expect. But this rather mundane Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart surprised me as it started life in Edinburgh with Lothian one of Britains most highly regarded operators so perhaps it's in better condition than would expect for a bus dating from 2002.

Northern Scottish MCW Metroliner in Plymouth on the National Express 806

Looking very smart was this MCW Metroliner coach of Northern Scottish at Plymouth Bretonside preparing to make it's return journey back to Aberdeen which must have been the longest express route in the UK I imagine.

Clydeside Tiger in Glasgow

As in England the Scottish Bus Group was broken up into smaller companies so that they could be more easily be sold off. The excuse being that it would help open the market up to competition but sadly the strongest not only survived and prospered they now have such a strong foothold they just don't care too much about giving a proper service any more. In the days of the BET Group the good urban areas used to help subsidide the country routes but now they make as much as the can in the big cities and make the local authorities pay for the country routes if they want them. Clydeside which was part of Western Scottish looked scruffy by comparison including this demoted Plaxton bodied Leyland Tiger which had gained the registration off a London Routemaster which came up here.

Lowland Scottish National2 RFS 580V

As with the NBC the Scottish Bus Group was also broken up to be sold off by the Tories who believed public ownership was a sin burdened with trade unuions, workers rights, and a strange concept that one gave a service not just to make money. The part of Eastern Scottish which became Lowland drew a short straw when it came to viable operating territory but at least had an attractive livery as seen on this Leyland National2 in Edinburgh.

Clydeside Leopard TSJ 39S in Glasgow

I think most of the other Scottish Bus Group fleets were more interesting quirky and probably more attractive too but I still think Western Scottish was my favorite as in both livery and area diversity and size it was a bit like their Ribble over the border. So I thought it was a pity when it's sprawling empire was split up and here in a busy Glasgow one of it's many Leyland Leopard Alexander Y-types operates under Clydside ownership on a service to Kilbirnie. A Scottish destination one could not imagine on a Ribble bus excepting of course after Deregulation as anything was possible then .

HSX 78X Eastern Scottish Ailsa in Edinburgh

During the Eighties buswise a visit to Scotland made a refreshing change from the scene in England and Wales especially as the still colourful Scottish Bus group escaped the drab fate of the NBC operators. A green and cream Alexander bodied Ailsa makes a nice contrast with the seemingly always immaculate Lothian Leyland Atlanteans in Edinburgh.

Strathclyde becomes Tomato Soup First Greater Glasgow: N969 SOS.

Sadly Glasgow's Strathclyde buses fell prey to First as can be seen in this busy view of bus congestion, it was not a favorite of mine but it was nice to see a former Glasgow Atlanteen running around in the Corporation colours.

TGE 837R Strathclyde Atlantean

I didn't usually have a lot of time to stop in Scotland as it was a long day anyway driving both ways from the Midlands. But when I just had one or two deliveries which took me right into Glasgow I had to stop even if it was ten-minutes to snap some buses. As you can see the weather wasn't always wonderful but I saw it more as a challenge for as transport photographers were should be able to cope with all conditions and besides where film was cheap it never did any harm to waste a few to get one or two really good ones.

Lothian Leyland Tiger Duple Laser

Always so smart I think the white livery of the Lothian coach fleet didn't do it justice, anyway it didn't show them off very well. As usual Leylands were the normal choice and a Duple Laser bodied Tiger was seen in Prince's Street.

Central Scottish Ailsa AH11 LHS 735V

Even though I was self-employed it was not always easy to take a decent break on delivery trips to take bus photographs. Sometimes though I used to stop at the side of the road briefly to get one or two shots, consequently I don't often know exactly where they were taken. However this Central Scottish Volvo Ailsa based at East Kilbride was seen somewhere south of Glasgow where it was headed. Still there's something to be said for it as we are all guilty of taking most of our scenes in the most obvious places close to garages and bus stations which of course is very unrepresentative of where they go.

DSV 61&V Lothian Transport Atlantean in Edinburgh

With greater wear of components  hilly terrain must be quite a problem for many bus operators but as a photographer it can lead to more interesting shots. A visit to Edinburgh could give one lovely feelings of nostalgia as Lothian buses continued the fine tradition once the norm amongst a number of Municipals of taking a pride in the bus operation in this instance it took over from Edinburgh Corportation. Sadly as elsewhere the Scottish capital city has to keep up with times and these attractive Alexander bodied Atlanteans are now just a memory as were the other Leylands which once dominated this fine fleet of which I note there were 700 buses in 1964.

Fife Leopards and Nationals in Kirkcaldy

The Scottish BUS Group wisely seemed to manage to not be lured in by the charms of the Leyland National preferring more orthodox buses like the Leopard in the background. However Fife having bought only thirteen raised it's total to thirty-five when the improved National2 arrived. One of the earlier Nationals can also be glimpsed in this view taken at Kirkcaldy. By this time Fife had added more cream to it's predominantly red livery and I feel it looked quite smart.

Edinburgh SMT Leyland Lion C177 VSF

Maybe it was because change seemed to be happening all the time but I often seemed to arrive ar locations where it was all happening. The last time I went to Edinburgh there was a mixture of old and new comng in amongst the former SBG fleets with a variety of liveries. Particularly smart for the more traditionalist was this SMT Alexander R-Type double-decker a rare bus built on a Danish DAB Leyland Lion chassis.