Municipal bus company
A municipal bus company is an operator of bus services owned by the local government authority. This article lists all current municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom.
Most municipal bus companies disappeared between 1968 and 1974 before the formation of PTE bus operations.
Of the remaining municipal operators, post-1986 many were sold off or collapsed in the process of bus deregulation, which required their separation into stand-alone arms-length companies. A few remaining companies have accepted minority-stake holdings in their companies by private bus operating companies, as a method of securing investment.
Local authorities | Company | Routes | Number of vehicles | Private shareholdings |
Bath & North East Somerset Council | Bath & North East Somerset Council Buses | Operates route 752 and route 754 | - | |
Beaminster Town Council | Beaminster Town Council Buses | Operates route CB3 | - | |
Blackpool Borough Council | Blackpool Transport | Operates local bus services throughout Blackpool and surrounding areas | 158 buses and 75 trams | - |
Caerphilly County Borough Council | Caerphilly County Borough Council Buses | Operates routes 15, C1, J, and L | - | |
Cardiff City Council | Cardiff Bus | Operates local bus services throughout Cardiff and surrounding areas | 240 | - |
City of Edinburgh Council, East Lothian Council, Midlothian Council, West Lothian Council | Lothian Buses | Operates local bus services throughout Edinburgh as well as longer distance bus routes to the surrounding areas | 721 buses and 27 trams | - |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | Bus Na Comhairle | W5 - Stornoway to Tolsta W5 - Stornoway to Bayble/Portnaguran W7 - Stornoway Town Services | 7 | - |
Dorset County Council | Dorset County Council Buses | Operates route 6 and route 40 | 12 | - |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | DGC Buses | Operates local bus services throughout Dumfries and surrounding areas | 40 | - |
Durham County Council | Durham County Council Buses | Operates routes 205, 215, and 726 | - | |
East Riding of Yorkshire Council | East Riding of Yorkshire Council Buses | Operates route 243 and the Bridlington Park & Ride service | - | |
Ipswich Borough Council | Ipswich Buses | Operates local bus services throughout Ipswich and surrounding areas | 76 | - |
Monmouthshire County Council | Monmouthshire County Council Buses | Operates route 65 and routes W3/W4/W5 | - | |
Moray Council | Moray Council Buses | Operates various local bus routes around the Elgin and Keith areas | - | |
Newport City Council | Newport Bus | Operates local bus services throughout Newport and surrounding areas | 90 | - |
North Lincolnshire Council | North Lincolnshire Council Buses | Operates routes 55, 58, 354, and 640 | - | |
North Somerset Council | North Somerset Council Buses | Operates routes C1/C2 | - | |
North Yorkshire County Council | North Yorkshire County Council Buses | Operates many local rural bus routes around the Skipton area | - | |
Northern Ireland | Translink | Operates entire Northern Ireland bus network | - | |
Nottingham City Council | Nottingham City Transport | Operates local bus services throughout Nottingham and surrounding areas | 315 | 18% owned by Transdev |
Nottinghamshire County Council | Notts Bus | Operates many local bus routes in towns and rural areas throughout Nottinghamshire | - | |
Pembrokeshire County Council | Pembrokeshire County Council Buses | Operates routes 360/361 and 387/388 | - | |
Reading Borough Council | Reading Buses | Operates local bus services throughout Reading and surrounding areas, as well as local buses around Slough, local buses around Newbury, express services to London, contracts for Green Park Business Park and private contracts for Vodafone | 165 | - |
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council | Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council Buses | Operates many local rural bus routes around Guisborough and surrounding areas | - | |
Runnymede Borough Council | Runnymede Community Transport | Operates routes 457 and route 556 | - | |
Scottish Borders Council | Scottish Borders Council Buses | Operates the Hawick town services and other local bus routes around the Galashiels and Hawick areas | - | |
Shetland Islands Council | Shetland Islands Council Buses | Operates routes 9, 9F, and 12 | - | |
Somerset County Council | Somerset County Council Buses | Operates routes 9, 22B, and 67 | - | |
South Gloucestershire Council | South Gloucestershire Council Buses | Operates routes 634 and 684 | - | |
Southwold Town Council | Southwold Town Council Buses | Operates route SOUTHWOLD SHUTTLE | - | |
Suffolk County Council | Suffolk Norse | Operates local bus services throughout Suffolk and surrounding areas | 80% owned by Norse Commercial Services | |
Warrington Borough Council | Warrington's Own Buses | Operates local bus services throughout Warrington and surrounding areas | 102 | - |
Wolverhampton City Council | Wolverhampton City Council Buses | Operates route 500 | - |