Open-Top Buses

This book looks at the most popular type of bus- the open-top bus. Although most often associated with the seaside and summer holidays, they often turn up further inland, on tourist services around towns- London being the obvious example. Open-top buses come in all shapes and forms, from purpose-built open-toppers, convertible open-toppers, to vehicles that have had accidents involving their top decks. They could be a single bus, or a fleet of them. Duties could be varied- open-tops naturally being in demand during the summer months, while being put aside during winter. Being open-topped often prolonged the vehicles life, many lasting longer open-topped than roofed.Covering the period from the 1980s to the present day, Vernon Smith looks at buses across different parts of England, with both fleet operators and single vehicle operators covered.