History
The first omnibus services on the island were provided by the Manxland Bus Co., Ltd., in addition to several smaller operators which operated independently. Primary means of long-distance travel was by way of either the Isle of Man Railway to the west, south and north (via the westerly side of the island) or Manx Electric Railway on the east coast.
When bus competition became a threat to the Isle of Man Railway it bought out the bus company and operated it as "Isle of Man Road Services" in conjunction with the railway. In addition to the island-wide services Douglas Corporation also operated a fleet of buses around the capital, distinctive by their yellow livery. As the railway company began to falter, it relied more heavily on the bus operation, and when the railway lines closed for the first time in 1965 the bus services were intensified to replace the removed rail services.
The vehicles of Road Services carried an allover red livery with two off-white bands and the Railway Company crest was modified to include a facsimile of a bus instead of a railway locomotive. The buses of Douglas Corporation which only operated within the borough, carried an allover yellow livery with two red bands and corporation crest.
Both operators used the bus station on Lord Street in Douglas as their base although today this site has been given over to car park whilst buses use roadside lay-bys on Lord Street itself. The two companies operated services independently from this site until the operations began to falter in the early 1970s at which time government intervention was required to ensure continued operation.
By 1987 when a new management scheme was under way, a new livery of cream and red was introduced, and Isle Of Man Transport adopted as the title, using a similar design motif to all the island's government departments including a Three Legs motif. During this period the buses carried a variety of advertisements along their side panels, with several distinctive buses carrying all-over advertising for local businesses including the Gaiety Theatre, Lombard Bank, Wild Life Park and the National Coal Board.
A further change of leadership in 1999 saw the introduction of brand-new buses and gradual phasing out of older stock, latterly used only on school services, and the advertising policy changed resulting in no advertisements appearing at all. By 2009 a further change of policy resulted in the reintroduction of advertisements which has proved popular, with local radio stations, estate agents, travel agents and cinemas taking advantage of the new scheme which operates on a fixed six-monthly rate for the space used. There are a number of vehicles fitted with trim for affixing adverts that do not carry them however.
Source: Wikipeadia
When bus competition became a threat to the Isle of Man Railway it bought out the bus company and operated it as "Isle of Man Road Services" in conjunction with the railway. In addition to the island-wide services Douglas Corporation also operated a fleet of buses around the capital, distinctive by their yellow livery. As the railway company began to falter, it relied more heavily on the bus operation, and when the railway lines closed for the first time in 1965 the bus services were intensified to replace the removed rail services.
The vehicles of Road Services carried an allover red livery with two off-white bands and the Railway Company crest was modified to include a facsimile of a bus instead of a railway locomotive. The buses of Douglas Corporation which only operated within the borough, carried an allover yellow livery with two red bands and corporation crest.
Both operators used the bus station on Lord Street in Douglas as their base although today this site has been given over to car park whilst buses use roadside lay-bys on Lord Street itself. The two companies operated services independently from this site until the operations began to falter in the early 1970s at which time government intervention was required to ensure continued operation.
By 1987 when a new management scheme was under way, a new livery of cream and red was introduced, and Isle Of Man Transport adopted as the title, using a similar design motif to all the island's government departments including a Three Legs motif. During this period the buses carried a variety of advertisements along their side panels, with several distinctive buses carrying all-over advertising for local businesses including the Gaiety Theatre, Lombard Bank, Wild Life Park and the National Coal Board.
A further change of leadership in 1999 saw the introduction of brand-new buses and gradual phasing out of older stock, latterly used only on school services, and the advertising policy changed resulting in no advertisements appearing at all. By 2009 a further change of policy resulted in the reintroduction of advertisements which has proved popular, with local radio stations, estate agents, travel agents and cinemas taking advantage of the new scheme which operates on a fixed six-monthly rate for the space used. There are a number of vehicles fitted with trim for affixing adverts that do not carry them however.
Source: Wikipeadia