The Classic Irish Buses website (by Shane Conway)

Ulster Transport Authority 1948 to 1956

Page last updated on 7th October 2022

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Northern Ireland menu:

Belfast Corporation diesel buses   Belfast Corporation trolleybuses   H M S Catherwood Ltd.   Citybus   Great Northern Railway Lough Swilly   NIRTB 1935 - 39   NIRTB 1940 - 48  

Sureline, Lurgan 1966 - 87   UTA 1948 - 56   UTA 1957 - 61   UTA 1962 - 66   U'bus 1967 - 72   U'bus 1973 - 76   U'bus 1977 - 82   U'bus 1983 - 88   U'bus 1989 - 2012

The Ulster Transport Authority was set up in 1948 to take over the previously seperate transport undertakings run by the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board, the Belfast and County Down Railway and the Northern Counties Committee of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (soon to become part of British Railways). The trams, buses and trolleybuses owned by Belfast Corporation were not affected by this merger, nor was the Great Northern Railway's lines. A total of 916 buses were transferred from the N. I. R. T. B to the U. T. A in 1948, the oldest dating back to 1931 and the newest being less than a year old.

Initially new bus production continued as previously, but the new operator altered the NIRTB livery of light green lower panels with a darker waistline green stripe, so that the darker green became the dominant colour, the light green band was then applied below the windows of the bus, and the N. I. R. T. B. fleetname was replaced by the red hand crest. From 1949 onwards the UTA began a systematic closure of railway lines, and therefore an increased number of buses was required.

A total of 415 Leyland PS1s and 192 PS2s were built from 1946 to 1950, along with a batch of 20 AEC Regals. These would be the last new AECs to join the fleet until the 1960s. In 1949 ten Leyland Titan PD1s were placed in service, to be followed by 51 Leyland PD2s over five of the following six years, 1953 being the exception. All of these deckers were of lowbridge design, seating either 53 or 59 (in the case of buses built from 1951 onwards). 26 Leyland Royal Tigers entered service in 1951, along with the second, and last, of the twin steer Leyland PS2/10 deck and a half coaches.

A further 37 Royal Tigers entered service in 1953 (the only year from 1949 to 1963 in which the U. T. A. didn't build any double deckers). Although the UTA didn't possess any touring coaches of its own, two ex Southdown Leyland TS8s new in 1939 arrived in 1951 and 1952 for use on the Sussex operator's Irish tours. A similar ex Ribble coach arrived in 1955, presumably for similar contract use, all three had gone by 1957. A pair of Southdown Royal Tigers later spent seven years with the U. T. A., until their return in 1963. Wallace Arnold also benefitted in this way, with a PS1 being based in Ulster from 1953 to 1958. 1954/1955 saw four demonstrators (the one and only occasion on which the UTA tested buses in this way) arrive in the fleet, namely a Leyland Tiger Cub and Comet, an AEC Monocoach, and a Guy Arab LUF. The Cub was subsequently bought, while the other three were returned to their owners. After 1955, the design of Northern Ireland's green double deckers was to reach new heights (literally), as the cosy bench seating layout of the upper deck of the existing fleet was to be replaced by vehicles which would make life easier for conductors, and safer for those downstairs passengers seated behind the driver. The purchase of the Tiger Cub demonstrater was also to determine the next batch of Northern Ireland's single deckers.

Opening fleet in October 1948

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

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