This production was filmed by Simon Lowings of the Nottingham Heritage Vehicle Group and captures the bus war between Nottingham Omnibus and Nottingham City Transport in 1993.
Brilliant! I remember this well. There were buses just everywhere, chaos at every bus stop, some of the blue omnibuses were on their last legs, but if I remember correctly at least they gave you change.
KOU796P later went to Stephensons, Rochford, Essex then onto Stevens t/a St Clouds Coaches, Southend, Essex. My mate owned St Clouds and she was sold on by him to a couple for use as a Mobile Home. He offered her to me for £1k but at the time I ddn't have the space to store her.
I worked in bilborough early 90s and it was 60p to town on NCT and 35p on the blue buses. Plus the blues were quieter and faster to get in to Nottingham
Yep they certainly did, my first day as a bus driver for Nottingham City Transport was blocking stops with a double decker bus. Then I did a run on a service 89, but i didnt get far as i was blocked in by Nottingham Omnibus.
My uncle used to drive for NCT/South Notts at this time. I was only a young lad, five/six, but remember Omnibus vaguely on the 35. Nice footage of 666 in service by the way :)
I remember the Nottingham Omnibus vehicles from 1993 (they were a company from Sheffield called originally, Sheffield Omnibus, natch). Their buses were very similar to the blue and cream South Notts buses that was used between Nottingham and Loughborough. Never travelled one on myself and was always loyal to NCT over that period. They were even copying NCT regarding the routes and the service numbers as well. I am certain that they also had 28s on Carlton Road too just like NCT, and as the timetable had them every five minutes Monday to Friday peak time, it was chaos. The Nottingham Evening Post reported that at peak time there were two buses a minute at many stops. NCT also brought back the Buster cartoon character that they had stopped using in the mid 1980s in order to let people know about this. And the daft rhyme that they used "Please don't get the blues - the green bus is the one to choose" or something like that. One gimmick that Omnibus had at the time was that they gave change when boarding, where NCT didn't to save time, although I might be confusing them with South Notts. They even tried to poach NCT drivers, I think. It wasn't long before NCT won the case, and that the Omnibus vehicles had a one way ticket and travelled out of Nottingham, presumably back to Sheffield. I think that it too four months or so - it was cleared by the end of 1993. It's almost forgotten about now.
NCT did the same with the revival of Nottingham Omnibus service 20 which ran Routemasters from Arnold to Nottingham City Centre. It was a disgraceful show by NCT, running buses to block roads. One service, one small heritage service and the Communist Party run bus service of Notts bullies them off the road. With the state of the city council finances I wouldn’t be surprised if they sell off more of NCT to Transdev.
I remember these buses at the time and I use to let those blue buses go past me because i didnt like them. the bus drivers of Nottingham city transport will flash there headlights at you just to say thank you and I would get on Nottingham City transport bus instead
I remember those blue cream buses I remember to that peep noise the busses made you look at nct now the accessibility and all back then to now 2019 2020 era back the80s disabilities access wasn’t thought of back then
I knew an nct drive that had the job of going around the old trinity square just blocking the blue buses from stopping at any of its stops, easy money. :)
I was 14 in '93 and really don't remember these blue buses at all... How long were they operating for in total? Was that roundabout at 1:25 Burnside Green in Bilborough?
The revenue wasn't there for all of them because there were increasing buses but not an increasing population. How anybody thought a model like this would've worked amazes me and I've only taken a few economics classes.
I remember this well. Omnibus used bloody dirty tactics blocking NCT buses in etc etc. Glad NCT prevailed and sent them packing. The buses they where using where all clapped out and rough riders too.
I wish i had but I never made it, I was wedged in on Mansfield Road. a few weeks later tho Nottingham Omnibus drivers started just dumping their buses and going home, leaving the buses where they stopped. I think if they have had newer buses and branched out slower they would have wiped NCT out.
Nottingham City Transport have a history of bullying other companies off the road, they did exactly the same in 2010 running against Bellamy Coaches Route 20 Routemaster Arnold line. Pathetic really, the council has far too greater monopoly over this and should really be broken up.
