Transport Act 1980

The Transport Act 1980 was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom law. He introduced the deregulation of local bus services across the UK and allowed regulators to deregulate the buses on a trial basis. It was adopted on the initiative of the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. The later Transport Act 1985 extended the deregulation of the inner-city bus service.

As a result of the law, there was a foundation of numerous bus companies, but with few exceptions, the dominance of state-owned bus company National Express initially could not break. However, the law has had an impact on the national bus industry. The possible competition led to a need for heavier chassis that were more suited to the longer distances and higher travel speeds. As a result, the market for smaller coaches collapsed almost entirely. Manufacturers such as Bedford, Ford Thames or Duple Coachbuilders discontinued the production of such vehicles in the course of the 1980s, a part of them has been closed.