The first trams ran in Bournemouth in 1902 but the efforts to introduce trams into the Bournemouth and Poole area began in the 1880s. The authority to operate a motorbus was granted in 1901 and in 1906 Bournemouth was first to run such vehicles. During the 1930s there was a period of transition from trams to trolleybuses. The new vehicles were met with great excitement and ran to the late 1960s, before another change to diesel buses. The bright-yellow-liveried vehicles were a distinctive sight on the streets of Bournemouth, although under a change of ownership when Bournemouth Council sold the majority of its shares to Transdev in 2005 they were run under the name of Transdev Yellow Buses. In time, RATP assumed control and after a management takeover began operating again as Yellow Buses. In 2022 Yellow Buses went into administration, bringing to an end 120 years of history in this seaside city on England’s South Coast.

John Needham documents the highs and lows of Bournemouth Corporation buses with a wealth of fascinating images and informative details.