Ribble under Nationalisation 1969 -1989

Ribble Motor Services was formed in 1919 with its headquarters based in Preston. During the 1920s and 1930s the company rapidly expanded with the takeover of many smaller operators.

The Ribble family grew to be one of the largest bus operators in the country and at its peak its operating area stretched all the way from Carlisle in the north to Merseyside. In this book Mike Rhodes outlines the services and vehicles operated by Ribble, and its subsidiaries, following the formation of the National Bus Company on 1st January 1969 through to its eventual takeover by Stagecoach on 21st April 1989. Profusely illustrated the book looks at each of Ribble’s geographical operating areas in turn and records how established route patterns were radically changed with the advent of minibuses in the post-deregulation era. Ribble was slimmed down to nearly half its original size by 1986, making it easy pickings for one of the expanding operators to buy out, consigning Ribble to the history books.