One of the hardest jobs in Britain must be running a bus company in a busy country like ours.

Even at their best, buses lack the glamour of many other forms of transport. Plenty of youngsters used to say they wanted to become train drivers when they grew up but few hankered after handling a bus.

When someone was described as looking like the back of a bus it was hardly likely to be a compliment.

Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister once said that if she saw a young man travelling by bus, she would be seeing a failure. Someone else once said that the three most depressing words in the English language were rail replacement bus.

But red double deckers are a symbol of Britain widely admired over much of the world. They are a real tourist attraction.

While tourist buses can often seem expensive especially in London, paying normal fares on standard services such as those on routes 9 and 11 can give you even better views of the city.

There were buses hauled by horses in cities during the 19th century and their numbers expanded hugely when they were given petrol engines. But even in those early days there was formidable opposition particularly from trams which were fast, pollution free and reliable.

Yet it was the trams that stopped running during the middle of the 20th century rather than the buses because they were far less flexible.

In many towns and cities such as Brighton and Eastbourne, some buses were run by local councils. There was even an agreement in Brighton starting in 1961 between the council and two commercial operators over how many buses they should each run but this proved to be inefficient.

Services declined sharply and when the list of bus cancellations each day was read out on the local radio, it might have been quicker to list those still running.

The 1986 Transport Act which introduced more competition into many areas was a disaster for much of the country. But in Brighton and Hove, services started to bloom thanks partly to astute management by people like Brighton and Hove’s Roger French and Martin Harris.

The resort proved to be just the right size for a successful bus operation. Smaller towns could not sustain frequent services while in traffic-choked major cities vehicles bunched together. Brighton and Hove Buses then took complete control of the services to towns such as to Eastbourne and Lewes, making them far more attractive while Stagecoach did the same with the buses to Worthing.

In Brighton buses became so numerous that passengers did not need timetables for the busiest routes because they knew one would come along in a minute.

The buses were made friendlier for passengers with comfortable seats and plenty of room for disabled people. Information was improved greatly both in the buses and at stops. New technology let passengers see where the buses they hoped to catch were.

But there was always a chance that trouble would be looming even for the best run companies. The worst nightmare was serious accidents. Although buses are among the safest forms of transport, they are not immune from the madness of some car drivers. Staff were shocked and saddened when crashes occurred.

Councils could help by installing bus lanes and did so with spectacular success in Brighton. But there were always some councillors with a prejudice against buses who made things very difficult.

Many drivers and other employees belonged to trades unions whose campaigns for better conditions and more money occasionally led to industrial action. Governments could alter bus finances by changing the subsidy on fuel or by allowing old people free travel. Most passengers were good natured but a minority could cause serious trouble and vandalism was also a problem. Last year buses seemed to be doing particularly well before a crisis came out of the blue. Suddenly the emergence of a virus completely disrupted public transport.

The government, which had been encouraging bus travel, told people not to use public transport if possible for fear of spreading infection.

One of the most urgent tasks for the government will be to encourage more bus travel. This will be difficult as many people have been put off public transport. It is also likely that there will be far fewer commuting as people prefer to work at home.

But there are encouraging signs that will help buses, particularly as people learn to appreciate the environment. New buses are being powered by electricity which is reducing pollution greatly. I hope that in future the double decker bus will be green as well as red. Buses must become an ever more vital part of our transport system.