Motor Coaches and Charabancs

Motor Coaches and Charabancs

The coach - distinguished from the bus by its use for longer-haul and more comfortable trips - has a long and august history. Its origins lie in the charabanc, a long open-topped vehicle used to transport passengers on works outings and pleasure excursions. Over time, coaches came to be enclosed and fitted with more comfortable seating and higher-quality bodywork than the charabancs and the buses used on shorter routes. By the 1960s and 1970s on-board toilets began to be fitted, and despite a decline due to private car ownership, coach travel remains popular, with Wi-Fi, electric sockets and even video screens now built in. This colourful introduction explains the development of motor coach design and the main coach manufacturers, models and operators, offering a fascinating insight into the history of the nation's most popular vehicles.

From Charabanc to Express Coach
Luxury Travel: the 1930s
Wartime and Austerity: The 1940s and 1950s
Winds of Change: The 1960s and 1970s
Modern Times
Further Reading
Places to Visit
Index

A history of motor coach design from the early days of open-top charabancs, to modern WIFI and built-in toilets.