IN JANUARY 1969 the National Bus Company (NBC) was formed.

It took over most of the bus companies not run by councils such as Brighton and Eastbourne.

One of the first things it did was to put Brighton Hove and District (BH&D) buses under Southdown management. Southdown was a much larger bus/coach company. BH&D ran most of the services for Brighton and Hove.

The Corporation had run a busy service, including the very busy 49/49A East Moulsecoomb to Southwick route.

Southdown did the county routes and in Brighton they had the number 13 to Coldean and the number 15 to Upper Portslade.

Southdown started to paint the newer BH&D buses in the popular Southdown apple green and cream livery.

But then the NBC decreed that all buses were to be painted either red with a white band or green with a white band.

Southdown went for a rather dull green and even our open top cream and black buses were painted green with a white band.

Meanwhile Brighton Corporation had been painting our fleet into a cold looking blue and white and the Brighton bus scene looked very dull.

Then one day I saw a bus painted in the still missed BH&D red and cream livery. The ghastly NBC was broken up and we had the, still popular today, Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company.

They have a nice fleet, but I would still like to see its buses painted in the Brighton red and cream livery.

Perhaps the company could paint an open-top bus in the cream with black trimming livery. Another bus could be painted in the traditional BH&D red and cream livery

I am sure that both buses would look great.

Ian Steedman

Wakehurst Court

Worthing

E-mail: ian.steedman@yahoo.com

Sussex Day

This year - Wednesday 16th June 2021