Transport Societies

Transport Societies in the United Kingdom.

This listing has been compiled by Daniel McIntyre with reference to various internet sites, bus magazines, including ‘Buses’, (website at www.busesmag.com) which is published monthly and ‘Bus Fayre’, (website at www.autobus-review.co.uk) which is published bi-monthly, and various railway and model railway magazines, in order to show the variety of societies and organisations covering various types of transport that currently exist in the United Kingdom.

Links to websites are shown in blue text in the listing below.

Local or Regional Transport Societies

Cumbria Transport Society

The Cumbria Transport Society does not have a website, but its monthly illustrated newsletter covers all forms of transport, in the county of Cumbria, in North West England, including Stagecoach in Cumbria, Shaw Hadwin, minor bus and coach operators, also covering water, air and rail travel. It also arranges visits and trips and slide shows.

Passenger Transport Societies - National

Confederation of Passenger Transport UK

The Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) is the trade association representing the United Kingdom’s bus and coach operators and the light rail sector. CPT has wide responsibilities ranging from representation on government working parties (national, local and European Union) establishing operating codes of practice; advising on legal, technical and mechanical standards; management of the Bonded Coach Holiday Scheme, a government recognised consumer travel protection scheme and Coachmarque, an industry quality standard; 24-hour Crisis Control service for members; organisation of industry events and the first point of contact for the media on transport and other related issues.

Road Transport Societies in the United Kingdom

Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership

The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership is an action and advisory group providing a forum through which partners can work together towards shared goals and take the lead in the transition to a low-carbon future for road transport in the United Kingdom.

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)

The motor industry faces a time of change. Increasing competition, globalisation and newly developing markets are challenges to all businesses involved in the industry. How they respond may determine the way future generations around the world live their lives.

Closer to home, the UK Automotive Industry plays a pivotal role in the health of the UK economy. The list of businesses contributing to its success is long and diverse and includes; car, CV and PSV manufacturers; importers; suppliers of components, parts and accessories and consultancies. They all however share one common link, through membership of The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT). SMMT exists to provide services and support for the whole industry and, since 1902, has provided a focus to reflect its ever changing needs and interests.

Representation to government at home and abroad on key industry issues, national and international events and exhibitions and promotion, reliable, data, information and practical advice are available to any company whose business development relies on the success of the motor industry. SMMT plays a central role in the working life of the motor industry.

STATUS (The Specialist Transport Advisory and Testing Utility Society)

STATUS provides members, from all areas of the specialist road transport industry, with engineering development and teast services, technical legislative consultancy and a range of general technical information.

It is involved on behalf of its members in contributing to consultation documents, influencing transport related legislation and lobbying government departments and agencies.

The organisation can call on a diverse range of personnel to help deal with more difficult problems. A primary benefit is the availability of telephone consultancy on technical or legislative matters.

STATUS plays a prominent role in representing its members’ interests on legislative matters and lobbies government agencies on behalf of members. A monthly newsletter is published, featuring industry related stories.

The Vehicle Builders & Repairers Association Ltd.

The VBRA, established in 1914, is the lead organisation for the vehicle body building, commercial vehicle repair, tail lift repair and car body repair industry.

VBRA is a member driven organisation with no external or conflicting commercial interests and is structured to best represent and assist its members within the sector, in the United Kingdom and Europe and in their interaction with their customers.

Passenger Transport Societies - Local and Regional

Harrogate Transport Touring Society

Harrogate Transport Touring Society does not have a website, but it provides monthly meetings on transport related topics and a series of tours throughout the year to transport venues. Tours also pick up in Leeds and Bradford. A bi-monthly newsletter is published for members.

Ipswich Transport Society

During the latter months of 1957, a number of local transport enthusiasts who mainly were interested in railways and Ipswich trolleybuses, decided to form themselves into a group. Thus the Ipswich Land Transport Society was founded and early in 1958 started to meet formally with presentations about the local railway and transport scene. From that time regular meetings took place during the winter months and these were supported by occasional excursions to railway installations around the country. It was on these railway excursions that many developed a wider interest to include the road transport scene. During the mid 1960’s the ILTS started to produce a magazine for it’s members, and this periodic bulletin, as it was then, has developed into our now monthly ITS Journal featuring extensive reports about all aspects of the local transport scene.

Now approaching the 500th issue, new technology allows production of colour and black & white photographs to support the many newsworthy local reports. The members supply reports and photographs from their observations and sightings around the area. Indoor meetings take place on the last Thursday of each month from September until April and feature a varied programme of transport related subjects. These meetings generally comprise of illustrated presentations about railway, bus, road, aviation and maritime themes from both members and guest speakers. The subject matter ranges through the historic to modern spectrum and as well as covering local and national area’s occasionally those from further afield are added to the meeting programme. The Society meetings also act as a social platform for members to meet and discuss all aspects of their transport interests. The Society takes pride in the quality of both of the presentations and Journal and new members are always welcome.

In 2008, the Society celebrates its 50th Anniversary and will be producing a suitable publication to document the history and development and that of events throughout the Ipswich area during the last 50 years. To support the anniversary, a number of events are being planned to take place during the year.

Ipswich & District Historical Transport Society

The Ipswich & District Historical Transport Society does not have its own website, but it was founded in 1963 by transport enthusiasts for like-minded enthusiasts. Although it is not a vehicle owning society, monthly meetings with local and national speakers are arranged to cover road, rail, air and sea subjects. all of the meetings are open to the general public, with a small admission fee being charged on entry.

Sheffield Transport Study Group

The Sheffield Transport Study Group is primarily concerned with the pre-1970s history of transport undertakings and manufacturers in the Sheffield area. The Group’s main aim is to record through its quarterly Journal, activities, not only of the area’s municipalities such as Sheffield, Chesterfield, Rotherham and Doncaster, but also Sheffield United Tours Ltd., together with local railways. There were several locomotive, carriage and vehicle builders in Sheffield and details of their histories appear occasionally. The Group holds quarterly meetings in Sheffield, where one of its members presents a paper or slide show.

West Midlands Transport Circle

The West Midlands Transport Circle deal with all forms of transport and holds monthly meetings throughout the year, except August, in Wolverhampton.

Road Transport Societies - International

International Road Transport Union (IRU)

Founded in 1948 in Geneva, the IRU is an international association of national road transport federations which has consultative status in the United Nations. One of its two Transport Councils is concerned with road passenger transport.

Transport Preservation - National Societies

Roads and Road Transport History Association

Founded in 1992, the association promotes, encourages and co-ordinates the study of the history of roads and road transport, both pasenger and freight. It aims to encourage those interested in a particular aspect of transport to understand their chosen subject in the context of developments in other areas and at other periods. It publishes a newsletter four times a year and holds an annual conference each autumn. Membership is open to professional bodies or transport societies, museums and individuals.

The Transport Trust

The Transport Trust is the national charity for the preservation of Britain’s transport heritage. “Preserving the past for the future”, the Transport Trust is the only national charity to encourage, facilitate and promote the preservation of Britain’s unique transport heritage in all of its forms, by air, road, rail and water.

The Trust’s role is to focus public attention on the past achievements, current activities and future needs of transport preservation in the following ways:-

Restoration awards, assisting projects of high standard which are well advanced but might falter without some additional financial support. Preservationist of the year award, a suberb trophy commissioned to honour annually an outstanding individual contribution to transport preservation. Heritage skills workshops through which the Trust helps to introduce young people to “hands-on” restoration work. Independent advice on transport heritage matters to organisations such as the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Trust has a library and archive of transport-related books, photographs and ephemera. The ‘Travel Back’ Scheme to encourage visits to transport heritage sites, where more than 120 venues offer special entry terms to Transport Trust members.

The Trust also organises members’ visits in a year-round programme when enthusiasts can meet at a wide range of venues, which are often generally not open to the public. The Transport Digest, the Trust’s own magazine published three times a year, with information and comment on the preservation scene.

In partnership with the Trust’s corporate and affiliate members, the Transport Trust aims to increase the availability of covered storage space for historic transport. To encourage the use and where appropriate, accessibility to the public, of preserved items; expand the scope of the Railway Heritage Register, in which the Trust is jointly involved with the National Railway Museum in York and the Heritage Railway Association. This aims to create a comprehensive database of railway heritage material in addition to the carriage and wagon listings, which have been compiled already and to highlight significant items at risk. To help specialist organisations to introduce a system of prioritising, so that restoration funding and endeavour may be chanelled towards the most important items at risk. Stimulate the interest of young people in transport preservation by all means possible, through visits, participation, skills training and the introduction of a young preservationist of the year award.

The management of the Transport Trust is by volunteers who give their services free. It welcomes individuals and families as private members and transport heritage venues, societies and clubs as affiliate members.

Transport Preservation - Local Societies

The Chiltern Vehicle Preservation Group

The Chiltern Vehicle Preservation Group was formed in 1991 to cater for all types of road vehicle with no preference for make or model, so today the club has members with interests in pre-war, post-war and classic cars as well as buses, commercial vehicles, fire engines, bicycles and motorcycles, in fact if it has wheels it has an interest in it.

Transport Ticket Societies

The Transport Ticket Society

The Transport Ticket Society caters for people who are interested in tickets and fare collection systems in the United Kingdom and abroad. Members research and collect tickets from bus and rail services, water and air transport, tolls and miscellaneous charges.

The Society publishes a monthly illustrated journal, sent free to every member, containing historical articles and up-to-the-minute news and developments in fare collection from all over the world. Members are encouraged to contribute to its columns, can seek advice from others and offer tickets for exchange through small advertisements.

The Society distributes to members rail, bus and water tickets and tokens. Offers withdrawn ticket-issuing machines at low cost.

The Society also publishes a range of research publications and historical reprints to help members gain more understanding of their ticket collections.

In addition to the above, the Society maintains a comprehensive library of related publications which are available on a postal basis. It also holds meetings in London, Birmingham and Manchester, with visiting speakers or for members to exchange tickets, information and advice. It also organises exchange circuit pools under specific categories - road, rail, water, etc, United Kingdom or abroad - through which members with a particular interest can circulate their surplus tickets.

The Society encourages both the serious student and the casual collector. Transport Ticket Society members will gladly advise and encourage newcomers to the hobby.

The microchip era has brought new sophistication to ticket systems. Within a few years the traditional paper and card tickets will have virtually disappeared from buses, trains and other transport. Now is the ideal time to start saving your tickets for the future.

Vehicle Owner Societies

The Bedford Owners Club

The Bedford Owners Club was founded in 1993 as an offshoot of the Vauxhall Victor Owners Club with which it remains closely associated. The Club caters for owners and enthusiasts of all Bedfords, pasengers and goods from 1931 to the last in the late 1980s. Its activities include the annual Vauxhall, Bedford and Opel Show at Billing Aerodrome and it is involved in the annual Bedford Gathering. It offers help with sourcing parts, DVLA and insurance documentation, a forum for everyone to enjoy Bedfords and a quarterly, glossy magazine with interesting articles, photographs, archive material and free classified advertising.

The Leyland Society

The Leyland Society was formed in 1988 and now has around 600 members. Its objectives are “to promote the study and preservation of Leyland vehicles”. Membership entitles you to four copies of the quarterly magazine ‘Leyland Torque’, a 48-page A5 size high quality magazine on art paper, which is packed with interesting articles and photographs relating to Leyland Motors and its products. Also included is the Leyland Society ‘Journal’, an annual A4 size magazine again on high quality art paper, packed with archive photographs and interesting material covering over 100 years of Leyland.

Members are positively encouraged to contribute authoritative and enlightening articles on all aspects of the history of Leyland and its vehicles and the people and factories of Leyland. An annual rally is held for Leyland badged vehicles and the Society has access to rare, and in some cases unique documentation, including very comprehensive photograph collections and records. Items for sale include badges and the ‘Fleet Series’ booklets.

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