The Transport Holding Company (THC) was a British Government-owned company created by the

Transport Act 1962 The Transport Act 1962 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Described as the "most momentous piece of legislation in the field of railway law to have been enacted since the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1854", it was passed by Haro ...

to administer a range of state-owned transport, travel and engineering companies that were previously managed by the

British Transport Commission The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the se ...

(BTC). It came into existence on 1 September 1962, with certain assets of the BTC vested in it on 1 January 1963.

Assets

The THC's assets were very varied, reflecting its role as the manager of those investments that did not fit elsewhere in the post-1962 structure of nationalised transport. There were essentially six areas of activity: * bus companies, some part-owned with the

British Electric Traction British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rento ...

Group, later acquired by the THC, * bus manufacturing companies (

Bristol Commercial Vehicles Bristol Commercial Vehicles was a vehicle manufacturer located in Bristol, England. Most production was of buses but trucks and railbus chassis were also built. The Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company started to build buses for its own use ...

and

Eastern Coach Works Eastern Coach WorksCompanies House extract company no 318856
...

) * road haulage companies, e.g.

British Road Services The National Freight Corporation was a major British transport business between 1948 and 2000. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and at one time, as NFC plc, was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History The company was established ...

(BRS) and

Pickfords Pickfords is a moving company based in the United Kingdom, part of Pickfords Move Management Ltd. The business is believed to have been founded in the 17th century, making it one of the UK's oldest functioning companies, although the similar ...

* shipping lines, e.g. the BTC's shares in

Associated Humber Lines Associated Humber Lines (AHL) was created in 1935 to manage the services of various railway controlled shipping lines including port activities in the Humber area of the United Kingdom. The ownership of the respective vessels did not transfer to A ...

and the

Atlantic Steam Navigation Company The Atlantic Steam Navigation Company was founded in 1934 with the original object of providing a no-frills transatlantic passenger service. A combination of difficult economic conditions and then World War II frustrated these early ambitions. ...

* travel agents (

Thomas Cook and Son Thomas Cook & Son, originally simply Thomas Cook, was a company founded by Thomas Cook, a cabinet-maker, in 1841 to carry temperance supporters by railway between the cities of Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham. In 1851, Cook arrange ...

, to which

Lunn Poly Lunn Poly was, at one time, the largest chain of travel agents in the United Kingdom. History The company originated from two successful travel agencies established in the 1890s, the Polytechnic Touring Association and Sir Henry Lunn Travel. Bot ...

was later added) * miscellaneous (the BTC's shares in the Penarth Dock Engineering Company)

Demise

With the coming into effect of the

Transport Act 1968 The Transport Act 1968 (1968 c.73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The main provisions made changes to the structure of nationally owned bus companies, created passenger transport authorities and executives to take over pub ...

on 1 January 1969, the THC's road transport and shipping interests passed to the National Bus Company, the

National Freight Corporation The National Freight Corporation was a major British transport business between 1948 and 2000. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and at one time, as NFC plc, was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History The company was established ...

and the

Scottish Transport Group The Scottish Bus Group (SBG) was a state-owned group of bus operators covering the whole of mainland Scotland. The origin of the grouping was the operators owned by and including the Scottish Motor Traction company, which were transferred to ...

. Its remaining assets were privatised and the company dissolved in the early 1970s.

Subsidiary companies

Bus companies – England and Wales

The following companies passed to the THC in 1963: * Brighton Hove and District Omnibus Company *

Bristol Omnibus Company The Bristol Omnibus Company was a dominant bus operator in Bristol, and was one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. It ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. History ...

Crosville Motor Services Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator based in the north-west of England and north and mid-Wales. History On 27 October 1906, Crosville Motor Company was formed in Chester by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Geo ...

Cumberland Motor Services Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

Durham District Services Durham most commonly refers to: * Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham * County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States * Durham, North Carolina, a city in ...

* Eastern Counties Omnibus Company *

Eastern National Omnibus Company Eastern National was a bus company operating in south-east England, primarily in Essex, from 1929 to the 1990s. Early history Eastern National Omnibus Company commenced operating in 1929 as a joint venture between the London and North Easter ...

* Hants & Dorset Motor Services * Lincolnshire Road Car * Mansfield District Traction *

Midland General Omnibus Company Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, N ...

* Notts & Derby *

Red & White Services Red & White Services was a bus company operating in south east Wales and Gloucestershire, England between 1929 and 1978. Red & White evolved into Red & White United Transport Ltd, formed in 1937, which owned bus and road freight companies in ...

* Southern National Omnibus Company *

Southern Vectis Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight. The company was founded in 1921 as "Dodson and Campbell" and became the "Vectis Bus Company" in 1923. The company was purchased by the Southern Railway (Great Britain), Southern Railway b ...

South Midland The Oxford to London coach route is an express coach route between Oxford and London along the M40 motorway. Operated by Stagecoach West under the brand name ''Oxford Tube'', there are up to five coaches an hour via Lewknor, Hillingdon, and S ...

Thames Valley Traction Thames Valley Traction Company Limited was a major bus company operating services to and from Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, High Wycombe and Oxford and surrounding areas for 52 years in the 20th century. For many years it ran the "Re ...

* Tilling's Transport (THC) Limited *

United Automobile Services United Automobile Services was a bus company, which operated local and regional bus services in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It provided bus services across a wide geographical area, stret ...

* United Counties Omnibus Company * United Welsh Services Limited *

West Yorkshire Road Car The West Yorkshire Road Car Company was a major bus operator operating in North and West Yorkshire between 1906 and 1987. History West Yorkshire The Harrogate Road Car Company was formed in 1906, running at first steam buses in Harrogate, then ...

* Western National Omnibus Company * Wilts and Dorset Motor Services The THC also had a shareholding in the following coach companies (the remaining shares were owned by

): * Black and White Motorways * Samuelson Transport * A Timpson and Sons In October 1967 the THC purchased one of the largest remaining independent bus operators: *

West Riding Automobile Company The West Riding Automobile Company was a bus company that served the Wakefield area of Yorkshire, England from 1922. Company history The West Riding Automobile Company was formed as a subsidiary of the Yorkshire (West Riding) Electric Tramways ...

and its 50% subsidiary: ** County Motors (Lepton) Limited In March 1968, as the

was passing through parliament,

decided to sell its bus operations to the THC: *

Aldershot and District Traction Aldershot & District Traction Company Limited was a major bus company operating services in East Hampshire, West Surrey and parts of adjoining counties for sixty years during the 20th century, from 1912 until 1972 when it became part of Alde ...

* Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company and its subsidiary: ** Grey Cars of Torquay *

East Kent Road Car Company The East Kent Road Car Company Ltd was a bus company formed in 1916 and based in Canterbury, Kent. The company operated bus and coach services in Kent. In 1993 it was one of the first companies to be acquired by the Stagecoach Group, which e ...

* East Midland Motor Services *

East Yorkshire Motor Services East Yorkshire operates both local and regional bus services in the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire, England. Prior to acquisition by the Go-Ahead Group in June 2018, the company was known as East Yorkshire Motor Services. History ...

* Greenslade's Tours * Hebble Motor Services * Maidstone & District * Mexborough and Swinton Traction *

Midland Red Midland RedCompanies House extract company no 82681
Midland Re ...

and its subsidiary: ** Stratford Blue * Neath and Cardiff Luxury Coaches * North Western Road Car * Northern General Transport and its subsidiaries: ** Gateshead and District Omnibus Company ** Sunderland District Omnibus Company ** Tynemouth and District Transport ** Tyneside Omnibus company ** Wakefield's Motors Limited * City of Oxford Motor Services *

Potteries Motor Traction First Potteries is a bus company based in Stoke-on-Trent operating services in North Staffordshire, England. It is a part of First Midlands and a subsidiary of FirstGroup. History The company began life as Potteries Motor Traction. As part ...

* Rhondda Transport Company *

Ribble Motor Services Ribble Motor Services was a large regional bus operator in the North West England based in Preston. History Ribble Motor Services commenced operating in 1919, and grew to be the largest operator in the region, with a territory stretching ...

and its subsidiaries: **

Standerwick Beckington is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome. According to the 2011 census the parish, which includes the hamlet of Rudge, which ...

**Scout * Sheffield United Tours *

South Wales Transport South Wales Transport was a bus company that operated services in South Wales centred on Swansea and West Wales. History South Wales Transport commenced operating on 2 May 1914 in Swansea. It operated bus services that connected with the S ...

Southdown Motor Services Southdown Motors Services Ltd (although this was the legal name of the company (until 1992) it was normally referred to as Southdown Motor Services) was a bus and coach operator in East and West Sussex and parts of Hampshire, in southern Engl ...

* Trent Motor Traction * Western Welsh Omnibus Company * Thomas Bros (Port Talbot) Limited *

Yorkshire Traction Yorkshire Traction was a bus operator in Yorkshire that operated from 1902 until 2005. History In March 1902 the Barnsley & District Electric Traction Company Limited was formed. It operated trams around the Barnsley area until around 1930 ...

Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

THC already had a minority shareholding in many of the BET companies through shares purchased by the mainline railway companies in 1929–1930, which had passed to the state on the nationalisation of

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

. The acquisition of the BET companies led to the THC gaining 100% of Black and White, County Motors, Samuelson's and Timpson's

Bus companies – Scotland

The Scottish companies were known as the

Scottish Bus Group The Scottish Bus Group (SBG) was a state-owned group of bus operators covering the whole of mainland Scotland. The origin of the grouping was the operators owned by and including the Scottish Motor Traction company, which were transferred to ...

: *

Central SMT Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center (disambiguation), center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa ...

* Highland Omnibuses * Scottish Omnibuses * Walter Alexander and Sons (Fife) Limited * Walter Alexander and Sons (Midland) Limited * Walter Alexander and Sons (Northern) Limited *

Western SMT Western Scottish Motor Traction Co. Limited was a bus operator in south-west Scotland from 1929 to 1985. The company was formed in 1929 by the renaming of Scottish General Transport Co. Ltd, after the British Electric Traction subsidiary forme ...

Chairmen

* Sir Philip Warter * Sir Reginald Wilson * Lewis Whyte

Notes

References

{{Authority control Former nationalised industries of the United Kingdom British Transport Commission British companies established in 1962