As a result of the Transport Act 1968, it was destined that certain Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) should be set up to bring in an element of co-ordinated transport in various areas of the country. There were seven in total. West Midlands (1st October 1969), SELNEC (1st November 1969), Merseyside (1st December 1969) and Tyneside (1st January 1970) were the first four, followed in 1973 by Greater Glasgow. Then, in 1974, the last two were created; West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. Also during this year SELNEC became Greater Manchester, Greater Glasgow became Strathclyde and Tyneside became Tyne and Wear. When SELNEC was set up on 1st November 1969 it brought together 11 bus fleets from Ashton, Bolton, Bury, Leigh, Manchester, Oldham, Ramsbottom, Rochdale, Salford, SHMD (Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield) and Stockport.

Hence, a number of small operating fleets became one large company with over 2,500 vehicles. Thereafter other fleets were added, such as North Western, and upon its incorporation into Greater Manchester Transport on 1st April 1974, Wigan.

After this it was further expanded by the addition of Lancashire United Transport and also the PTE extended its remit into local rail operations.

However, as a result of the Conservative Government's intention to deregulate bus services and introduce an element of competition and the private sector, the PTE's involvement in day to day bus operations ceased at deregulation on 26th October 1986. Thereafter a private company, albeit still with shareholdings in the public sector, Greater Manchester Buses Ltd was set up and operated thereafter. As indicated below, under item 11 - The Operating Life of Vehicles, there was a significant change in the vehicle purchasing policy.

Whereas in the early days of the PTE, new double-deck vehicles had been arriving at 200 a year, reducing to approximately 100 a year in the latter days, after deregulation on 26th October 1986 until true privatisation on 1st April 1994 only 53 new double-deck vehicles were purchased in this eight year period. This somewhat indicates the difference between public financing and private profit driven funding.

In any event, as a prelude to the company being sold off into truly private hands, initially as two employee owned businesses, on 1st April 1994, the company was split in half as at 13th December 1993, arbitrarily, in that certain depots passed into what was to become the north division of the company and other depots into the south.

Those depots that passed into the north were: Atherton, Oldham, Bolton, Queens Road, Bury, Wigan

and those that passed into the south were: Charles Street, Glossop, Stockport, Hyde Road, Princess Road

Consequently, the fleets inherited by the north and south divisions at this arbitrary split on 13th December 1993 were the vehicles that happened to be parked in the depots or allocated to them at that point in time, thus splitting batches of vehicles and their fleet numbers across both organisations, neither of which, even upon true privatisation on 1st April 1994, chose to renumber the fleets to take account of the gaps caused by this separation.

There have been many lists published in the past as to which vehicles passed into privatisation on 1st April 1994, none of which has been completely accurate, and what is reproduced below for the very first time is the only accurate schedule of precisely what took place at that time.

Listed below are the precise circumstances of the split north and south, on 13th December 1993, and it is noticeable that many other lists or commentaries on this exercise often miss out seven vehicles which did form part of this exercise, as follows:

A106 (1066) South Exhibition Vehicle 1915 South Scrap

A231 (7054) South Exhibition/Training Vehicle 8010 South Trainer

1815 North Revenue Protection Unit 8480 North Scrap

1843 South Scrap

These seven vehicles are incorporated in the list that follows:

Training vehicles (10); 1539, 1886, 1937, 6950, 6951, 7681, 7796, 7807, 7832 and 8038.

The remainder of the fleet was as follows:

132/179/197/201-203/247/436/438-442/444/451-452/454-463/501-504/701/1481-1483/1616/1622/1625/1631/1681-1687/1722-1723/1725/1777-1778/1780/1783-1786/1790/1794-1796/1799/1815/1845-1847/1850/1852/1854/1857/1864/1870-1871/1874-1876/1879/1885/1889/1894/1897/1899/1904/1906-1910/1914/1916/1918-1920/1924-1925/1927-1936/1940-1943/1945-1950/1952/1954-1956/1958/1960-1961/1965-1967/1968-1970/1972-1973/1975-1980/1982-1987/1989/1991/1994-1997/3011-3015/3037-3038/3040-3048/3050-3052/3054/3059/3061-3064/3066/3068/3071/3073/3075-3076/3078-3079/3081/3083/3085/3090/3092-3093/3096-3109/3111-3113/3115-3116/3120/3123/3127-3131/3134/3136/3140-3142/3144/3148/3151-3152/3157/3159-3163/3168/3171/3177/3180/3182-3183/3186-3190/3192/3194/3200-3204/3206/3209/3211/3217-3220/3222-3223/3225/3227-3229/3231-3233/3235/3237-3254/3256-3259/3261-3267/3270-3271/3273-3276/3278-3281/3284/3286-3288/3290/3292-3293/3299/3302-3303/3305/5011-5015/5031-5035/5039/5050/5056-5064/5068-5070/5082-5090/5096-5097/5099/5101-5105/5112-5115/5122/5126-5131/5133-5140/5146-5152/5156/5166-5169/5171-5172/5174-5178/5181-5189/5201-5210/5301-5320/6942-6949/6952-6953/6955-6956/6961-6965/6967/6969/6970-6977/6979/6981-6982/6985-6990/7001-7010/7077/7699/7719/7721/7724/7726/7760/7767-7769/7771/7779-7780/7782-7785/7787/7791/7793/7802-7803/7805-7806/7809/7821-7822/7828-7830/7833-7835/7837/7839/7846-7847/7852/7854/7866-7867/7883/7886/7898/7902/7904/7911/7914/7921-7922/7928/7931/7933-7934/7937-7938/7949/7951/8039/8046/8050-8051/8054/8056-8058/8060/8062-8064/8072-8075/8077-8079/8081/8084/8086/8088/8090-8091/8093/8095-8096/8102/8104-8106/8108-8115/8117-8123/8125-8133/8136/8139-8143/8146-8151/8154-8155/8158-8160/8163/8165/8167/8171-8172/8177/8179-8181/8183-8184/8189/8191-8192/8194/8196-8199/8201-8202/8205-8209/8213/8216/8219/8221/8223-8224/8226/8228-8229/8232-8233/8238-8240/8243-8244/8251/8253-8258/8260-8263/8265-8269/8271-8279/8282/8284-8289/8292-8293/8296-8300/8303/8305-8306/8308/8310-8311/8313/8315-8316/8318/8320/8322-8324/8326/8330-8331/8333-8338/8340-8342/8344-8347/8349-8351/8353-8361/8363-8364/8366-8367/8369-8374/8378-8379/8382-8392/8394/8398-8401/8403/8405/8407-8408/8410-8411/8413-8417/8419-8420/8423-8424/8426-8428/8431/8433-8434/8436/8438-8439/8441-8448/8456-8461/8463-8464/8466/8469-8471/8474-8475/8478/8480-8482/8485-8486/8490-8494/8497-8500/8502-8504/8507-8511/8515-8517/8520/8522-8525/8528-8529/8531-8532/8534-8536/8539-8542/8544/8547-8549/8551/8554-8558/8560-8563/8566-8567/8570-8571/8573-8576/8578/8580-8581/8583-8584/8587-8588/8590-8591/8594-8595/8598-8599/8602-8603/8606-8607/8610-8611/8614-8619/8621-8623/8626/8628-8629/8633-8636/8638/8640-8643/8645/8648-8650/8652/8654-8656/8658-8659/8662-8663/8666-8667/8670/8672-8673/8676-8677/8681-8682/8685-8686/8689/8691-8692/8697/8701/8703/8707/8709/8712-8713/8716-8718/8720-8721/8723-8724/8727-8729/8731-8733/8736-8740/8742/8746/8753/8755-8756/8758/8760/8763/8765

Training vehicles (12): PSV1, TV1, TV2, 1504, 1939, 7748, 7804, 7836, 7850, 8010, 8023 and 8036.

Main fleet:

1-12/14-20/22-23/30/32-33/64-65/82/86/100/160/190/192/194/199/205/232/240/1066/1451/1461-1467/1471-1473/1601-1615/1617-1621/1623-1624/1626-1630/1632-1636/1638-1668/1670-1680/1721/1724/1726-1728/1751-1770/1772-1776/1781-1782/1787-1789/1791-1793/1797-1798/1800/1843/1861/1865/1891-1892/1896/1898/1911-1913/1915/1917/1921-1923/1926/1938/1944/1951/1953/1957/1959/1962-1964/1968/1971/1974/1981/1988/1990/1992-1993/1998-2000/2001-2040/3001-3010/3016-3036/3039/3049/3053/3055-3058/3060/3065/3067/3069-3070/3072/3074/3077/3080/3082/3084/3086-3089/3091/3094-3095/3110/3114/3117-3119/3121-3122/3124-3126/3132-3133/3135/3137-3139/3143/3145-3147/3149-3150/3153-3156/3158/3164-3167/3169-3170/3172-3176/3178-3179/3181/3184-3185/3191/3193/3195-3199/3205/3207-3208/3210/3212-3216/3221/3224/3226/3230/3234/3236/3255/3260/3268-3269/3272/3277/3282-3283/3285/3289/3291/3294-3298/3300-3301/3304/5017-5024/5026-5030/5036-5038/5040-5049/5051-5055/5066-5067/5071-5081/5091-5095/5098/5100/5106-5111/5116-5121/5123-5125/5132/5141-5145/5153-5155/5157-5165/5170/5173/5179-5180/5190/7032/7054/7564/7687/7696/7701/7718/7729/7736/7759/7766/7778/7813-7815/7820/7831/7838/7843/7845/7856/7860/7862/7868/7870/7872/7878-7879/7881/7885/7889/7891-7892/7894-7896/7899-7900/7903/7908/7912-7913/7915/7919/7924-7926/7929/7939/7941/7944-7945/7948/7953-7956/7958-7960/8002/8020-8021/8024/8035/8037/8042-8043/8061/8068/8098/8100-8101/8103/8107/8116/8135/8137-8138/8144-8145/8152-8153/8156-8157/8162/8164/8166/8168-8170/8174-8175/8178/8182/8186-8188/8190/8193/8195/8200/8203-8204/8210/8212/8214-8215/8217-8218/8220/8222/8225/8227/8230-8231/8234-8237/8241-8242/8245-8247/8249-8250/8252/8259/8264/8280-8281/8283/8290-8291/8294-8295/8301-8302/8304/8307/8309/8312/8314/8317/8319/8321/8325/8327-8329/8332/8339/8343/8348/8352/8362/8365/8368/8375-8377/8380-8381/8393/8395-8396/8402/8404/8406/8409/8412/8418/8421-8422/8425/8429-8430/8432/8435/8437/8440/8449-8455/8462/8465/8468/8472-8473/8476-8477/8479/8483-8484/8487-8489/8495-8496/8501/8505-8506/8512-8514/8518-8519/8521/8526-8527/8530/8533/8537-8538/8543/8545-8546/8550/8552-8553/8559/8564/8568-8569/8572/8577/8579/8582/8585-8586/8589/8592-8593/8596-8597/8600-8601/8604-8605/8608-8609/8612-8613/8620/8651/8653/8657/8660-8661/8664-8665/8668-8669/8671/8674-8675/8678-8680/8683-8684/8687-8688/8690/8693-8696/8698-8700/8702/8704-8706/8708/8710-8711/8714-8715/8719/8722/8725-8726/8730/8734-8735/8741/8743-8745/8747-8752/8754/8757/8759/8761-8762/8764.

Although there was a split between the North and South on 13th December 1993, the companies were not formally set up as truly private operators in the hands of employee owned businesses until 1st April 1994, and as at 31st March 1994 some changes had occurred with the composition of the fleets. In the North company they had sold eight vehicles; 1924, 1955, 1982, 6951, 7931, 7938, 8038 and 8112. Consequently, these vehicles did not enter the ownership of GM Buses North Ltd, a formal company operating from 1st April 1994 onwards.

However, what did enter this fleet were six vehicles secured from Yorkshire Rider in the intervening period 13th December 1993 to 31st March 1994, which were ex-GM Buses vehicles bought back; 6914, 7685, 7725, 7762, 7773 and 8026.

Although there was a movement with the North half of the company selling eight vehicles and gaining six, no such changes in composition took place in the South, which remained at 1st April 1994 as it was on 13th December 1993, as indicated above. When you consider the remaining Leyland Atlanteans running for the "North Division", which is now First Manchester, on the Farewell to the Atlantean Running Day on 11th August 2001 (see item 6 in the newsletter) the random nature of these vehicles became more apparent when the above split is considered. A range of the Atlanteans that went to the South Division could still be operating today, e.g. 8620, 8698, 8700, 8706, 8764, etc., had they been in the North. The South company which is nowadays Stagecoach Manchester, ceased Atlantean operation in Summer 1999, but still has some training vehicles of this type (8451, 8455 and 8472).