Transport Holding Company

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The Transport Holding Company (THC) was a British Government owned company created by the Transport Act 1962 to administer a range of state-owned transport, travel and engineering companies that were previously managed by the British Transport Commission (BTC); it came into existence on 1 January 1963.

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[edit] Assets

The THC's assets were very varied, reflecting its role as the manager of those investments that did not fit elsewhere in the post-1962 structure of nationalised transport. There were essentially six areas of activity:

[edit] Its demise

With the coming into effect of the Transport Act 1968 on 1 January 1969, the THC's road transport and shipping interests passed to the National Bus Company, the National Freight Corporation and the Scottish Transport Group. Its remaining assets were privatised and the company itself dissolved in the early 1970's.

[edit] Subsidiary companies

[edit] Bus companies - England and Wales

The following companies passed to THC in 1963:

The THC also had a shareholding in the following coach companies (the remaining shares were owned by British Electric Traction):

  • Black and White Motorways
  • Samuelson Transport
  • A Timpson and Sons

In October 1967 the THC purchased one of the largest remaining independent bus operators:

West Riding also owned 50% of:

  • County Motors (Lepton) Limited

In March 1968, as the Transport Act 1968 was passing through parliament, British Electric Traction decided to sell their bus operations to the THC:

THC already had a minority shareholding in many of the BET companies, through shares purchased by the mainline railway companies in 1929 - 1930, which had passed to the state on nationalisation of British Railways. The acquisition of the BET companies also led to the THC gaining 100% of Black and White, County Motors, Samuelson's and Timpson's

[edit] Bus companies - Scotland

The Scottish companies were known as the Scottish Bus Group:

  • Central SMT
  • Highland Omnibuses
  • Scottish Motor Traction
  • Walter Alexander and Sons (Fife) Limited
  • Walter Alexander and Sons (Midland) Limited
  • Walter Alexander and Sons (Northern) Limited
  • Western SMT

[edit] Chairmen

  • Sir Philip Warter
  • Sir Reginald Wilson
  • Lewis Whyte
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