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Buses in Bristol are the main form of public transport in Bristol, England. Most bus services are operated by First Bristol within the city, and First Somerset & Avon from the city to surrounding areas. Wessex Bus has a growing number of mainly council supported services. Other companies offering services include: Abus, Buglers, Eurotaxis and Somerbus. == History == Horse-bus services in Bristol were started in 1887 by the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company, with a service from the Victoria Rooms (connecting with the trams) to Clifton.〔Hulin, p.1〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=History of Bristol's buses )〕 The horse-buses were replaced by motor buses from 1906, first on a service from the Centre to Clifton.〔Hulin, p.2〕 From 1887 to 1986, Bristol Tramways (renamed Bristol Omnibus Company in 1957) had an almost complete monopoly of bus services in and from Bristol. The exceptions were in the 1920s, when Greyhound Motors provided competition until taken over by Bristol Tramways in 1928; a few small independent operators, the last of which, the Dundry Pioneer, was acquired in 1950; and Red & White Services, which started joint services with Bristol Omnibus Company to South Wales when the Severn Bridge opened in 1966. Between 1937 and 1978 Bristol Omnibus Company was the operating partner in Bristol Joint Services, a joint undertaking with Bristol Corporation which controlled bus services within the city (and initially also its trams).〔Curtis & Walker, p.10, Hulin, p.9〕〔Curtis & Walker, p.186〕 The company owned and operated the buses, and shared revenues with the Corporation. BJS included services to suburbs outside the city limits (e.g. Filton, Patchway, Staple Hill and Kingswood). Bus services expanded steadily between the wars. Between 1938 and 1941 Bristol's tramways were abandoned, and buses replaced the tram routes.〔Hulin, p.10〕 Bristol Tramways was state-owned from 1948. Expansion of services continued, to serve the new estates built on the edges of the city. But from 1954 passenger numbers started to decline.〔 Most services started from the Centre, Prince Street or Old Market, although the tram replacement services started between 1938 and 1941 were mostly cross-city routes. In 1958 routes were linked, so that almost all routes ran across the city. This was to reduce congestion caused by standing buses in the central area, and also to provide better access to the new Broadmead shopping area. In 1969 the company, now known as Bristol Omnibus Company, was transferred to the National Bus Company. By 1973, growing congestion was again creating delays and unreliable timing on the long cross-city routes, and some services were again split.〔(Bristol Vintage Bus Group: Bus routes in 1973 )〕 In 1978 the end of Bristol Joint Services enabled city services to be linked with routes in the eastern suburbs which were well outside the city boundaries. In 1981, limited stop express services were started to the outer suburbs,〔(Bristol Vintage Bus Group: Bus routes in 1981 )〕 initially under the Clipper brand. Also in 1981 the NBC's Market Analysis Project〔(Competition Commission report 1982 )〕 triggered more changes, with the abandonment of some long-established routes. In 1980 the Thatcher government embarked on a programme of privatisation and deregulation of bus services. In preparation the company was split into two operating units in 1983: the city services, which in 1985 adopted the brand Bristol City Line, and the country services, which in 1986 became a separate company, Badgerline Ltd.〔Curtis & Walker, p.208〕 Badgerline was sold to its management in 1986,〔(Competition Commission report 1989 ) para 4.4; Curtis & Walker, p.222〕 and the original company was sold in 1987 to Midland Red West, who kept the City Line brand.〔Curtis & Walker, p.222〕 Deregulation meant that Badgerline was able to begin bus services within the city, in competition with City Line. However, in 1988 Midland Red West was itself acquired by Badgerline, so that Bristol's bus services were again controlled by a single company. In 1995 Badgerline merged with Grampian Regional Transport to become First Bus, later renamed FirstGroup.〔Curtis & Walker, p.222-3〕 First adopted a policy of common branding, and the City Line and Badgerline brands were dropped. In 1998 bus services were extended to serve the new out of town shopping centre at Cribbs Causeway, where a new bus station was built. A few small independent operators have competed with Badgerline, City Line and First since deregulation. Buglers ran a few tendered local services from 1988. (Abus ) began with a competing service to Keynsham in 1991. South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach built up a small network of local services from 1997 until it was taken over in 2007 by Rotala, who rebranded the services Wessex Connect. However, the independents have been unable to shake the dominance of First. Long distance coach services are provided from Bristol by National Express, Megabus and Bakers Dolphin. Buses were first operated in Bristol in 1887 by the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company, a company which still operates, after several changes of name, as First Somerset & Avon.〔 〕 The company had an almost complete monopoly of bus services in the city until deregulation in 1986. Since then there has been a variety of operators. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Buses in Bristol」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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