The Rise and Demise of the Bus Map

Description

Using 220 historical bus, tram and trolleybus maps, John Davies tells the story of Britain’s bus services over the last 120 years or so. Operators took pride in producing high-quality fold-out paper bus maps to promote their services and encourage residents and visitors to use them. Throughout an era of relentless social, political and technological change, bus services and maps evolved and adapted, up to the present day where digital is supplanting the paper map – adding capability, losing some things in the process.

In collaboration with Timetable World, the maps can be further explored online at full resolution. Additional maps and timetables are available.

John Davies is a lifelong enthusiastic user of buses and maps, known for his book The Red Atlas: How the Soviet Union Secretly Mapped the World.

Lord Peter Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE writes:

“John Davies has treated this subject with scholarly rigour, precision – and also, clearly, love. His book will be treasured by many – including me – and is well worth buying, and reading, not just once, but several times. Each map tells a story, and there are many of them in here! I hope you enjoy what is a wonderful, colourful, and informative, insight into the world of bus maps.”