Bus design has certainly evolved in the seven decades since 1950, but it
has not been a steady process. Advances in bus design have caused
manufacturers to rush back to the drawing board for fear of being left
behind. In 1950, the first of the new breed of underfloor-engined
single-deckers appeared, and, just six years later, came the first
rear-engined double-decker. Buses got longer, and one result in the
1960s was a rash of new rear-engined single-deck models. Efforts to make
buses accessible for all passengers led to low-floor models in the
1990s, and then, in the 2000s, concerns about the environment prompted
diesel-electric hybrid, gas, electric and hydrogen buses. Covering the
designs that led the way with varying degrees of success over the past
70 years, and illustrated with over 170 color images and period
advertisements, this book showcases the good, the bad and the ugly of
British bus design.