A new book chronicles the path of the county’s buses over the past 40 years. Callum Keown reports.

It might seem like a strange hobby, but John Law has been spotting Oxfordshire buses since the early 1970s.

Now he has turned his obsession into a colourful book, filled with the pictures he has taken on his travels.

Mr Law has made regular trips to the county since he first visited in 1973 and he never failed to return home without a camera full of bus photos.

Oxfordshire Buses, published by Amberley, covers county buses from the days of the National Bus Company, which was split into smaller companies such as Oxford Bus Company, South Midland and Midland Red South, to the present day, when large companies have taken over many of the county’s bus routes.

Privatisation in the 1980s and the modernisation of bus services in recent years is reflected in the bus images captured by the author.

Mr Law said: “I first visited Oxfordshire in 1973 and found that the city of Oxford was a fascinating place for a bus enthusiast like myself.

“I could have done a book on a lot of cities but Oxford is an interesting place from a bus point of view.”

By the end of the 1960s the National Bus Company had absorbed two long-serving bus companies, South Midland and City of Oxford Motor Services – the latter could trace its history back to the days of horse trams in the city.

Oxford South Midland was formed as a subsidiary of NBC.

The 63-year-old said: “Back in the 1970s the National Bus Company was the standard thing and then it was privatisation in the 1980s thanks to Mrs Thatcher.

“But Oxford Bus Company retained a lot of its buses and its individuality.”

Eventually the company was sold to the Go Ahead Group which still runs it today. Privatisation led to the formation of rival bus companies including Stagecoach.

Mr Law, a retired railway worker who lives in Hertfordshire, could not put his finger on his fascination with buses but heaped praise on the county’s provision.

He said: “I don’t know really it’s just something you get into.

“It’s a bit difficult getting west of the county but going north to Banbury and particularly to London it’s very good.

“It cuts the corner that the train to London does not.”

Oxford Bus Museum accounts for the city’s bus history from the 1880s to the 1970s and 1980s.

Its Long Hanborough depot has fully operational buses dating back to the 1950s.

Trustee Chris Butterfield said major changes had occurred since that time to transform the bus service we know today.

He said: “The drivers sat in their separate cab with just a bell ringing to let them know when to stop.

“A conductor would come round to collect tickets until there was a big change in 1966 that allowed double deckers to be operated by one man.”

The former transport lawyer said that Oxford ‘s bus services was unusual as – unlike Swindon and Reading – it had never been run by the local council.

Despite the flurry of new services and changes to buses the museum volunteer said Oxford’s traditional colours – used in the 1930s and 1940s – could not be beaten.

He said: “The thing that everyone visiting us comments on is the traditional Oxford colours.

“The bright red with duck egg blue and also the deep maroon bus might be the finest colours on any service.

“There are some other good ones – but Oxford is outstanding.”

Oxford Mail:

  • Vintage: Trustee Stephen Jolly in front of a 1967 AEC Renown at the Oxford Bus Museum 

In July Oxford Bus Company brightened up 11 of its services with a colourful rebrand.

A new fleet of pink-liveried City5 buses to Blackbird Leys, purple City4 buses from Wood Farm to Abingdon and green City6 from the city centre to Wolvercote have brightened up the city.

* Oxfordshire Buses by John Law is published by Amberley, price £14.99.

What gets author’s vote as the top of the lot...

Mr Law was reluctant to pick out his favourite Oxfordshire buses because he likes them all.

But when pushed, he selected his favourite five.

Number one bus was a Charlton-on-Otmoor Service single decker coach built in 1964. 

The iconic blue bus could be seen ferrying passengers regularly between Oxford and the village four miles south of Bicester throughout the 1970s.

His second favourite was Oxford South Midland’s standard AEC Renown – a 1975 double decker red bus with sliding door.

The author photographed the in Gloucester Green 40 years ago where it lined up with a fleet of bright red buses. 

In third and fourth place are two buses celebrating the history of city buses.

To celebrate 125 years of bus travel in the city centre two Oxford buses received a commemorative repaint.

There were repainted with historic liveries used by the original tram company and bus company in the 1930s and 1940s.

In 2006 the number 5 to Blackbird Leys was adorned with City of Oxford colours – red with a light blue trim.

And the number 15 to Wood Farm wore an Oxford Tramways Company livery – brown and cream. 

His fifth favourite was the Charlton-on-Otmoor Services-owned 719 FHA Leyland Tiger Cub, complete with eye-catching tailfin.