Summary
The Bus Archive has a mission to collect and preserve records, photographs, publications and publicity from the road passenger transport industries — bus, coach, trolleybus and tram — and make these freely available to the public for research and education.
The organisation in its current form dates from 2018 when the collections of two long-established community archives – The Kithead Trust and the Omnibus Society – were brought together. The re-branding to its current title and the addition of its strapline – the memory of the bus industry – has made a significant difference to its profile. It currently operates from three premises in Droitwich, Walsall and Acton.
The collections, which cover the period from Victorian times to today, provide an insight into the operating companies, manufacturers, and regulatory bodies as well as the papers of significant individuals. It contains an estimated two million images and the largest collection of timetables and industry publicity in the UK. A supporting reference library of over 8,000 books and other publications gives wider context to these records.
The charity is governed by seven trustees, each having an interest in the history of the road passenger transport industries. The day-to-day running of the Charity, Archive and Library is the responsibility of Philip Kirk, Director and Archivist, and Pat Russell, Secretary and Treasurer. Philip spent more than 30 years working in the transport sector concluding as Managing Director of the Oxford Bus Company. After taking early retirement he undertook the PG Diploma in Archives and Records Management to combine his two passions.
The Bus Archive Facebook site, which currently has over 7,000 followers, is an important outlet with postings made at least three times a week, although this was intentionally increased to daily postings during the Covid-19 pandemic. The team also provide a regular feature in the Classic Bus magazine.
This visibility raised The Bus Archive’s profile over the years and in turn it led to a number of direct approaches and offers of material. The regular receipt of significant quantities of material meant that by 2019, the Archive was faced with finding a new home that offered significantly more archival storage space.
“I have been waiting for several years to visit The Bus Archive. I watched from afar as it was created and has now grown to be a quite astonishing store of original documents, kept in professional conditions. It is a credit to the Bus Archive team.”
James Freeman, former Managing Director of First West of England with 47 years in the bus industry
Southern National Bus in rural Somerset, 1940s (Ref CK03/01120). Image courtesy of The Bus Archive.
Challenges and opportunities
An industrial unit, near to its current Droitwich site, offered The Bus Archive the additional space they sought including, importantly, the potential for further expansion.
Plans were developed to re-configure the space including the creation of a secure and environmentally stable storage pod with space for over 14,000 conservation boxes on mobile shelving, alongside a research space and a volunteer working area. External professional preservation advice was sought when developing the pod.
In June 2021 The Bus Archive began the task of raising the (then required) £300,000 by asking for donations from individuals and organisations who had previously supported the charity. A dedicated page on its website outlined the project and this formed the basis for regular features in its quarterly newsletter, on its Facebook page and features in Classic Bus magazine.
Outcomes
The target was reached within 14 months including a donation from The National Association of Road Transport Museums.
“We have watched with considerable interest as The Bus Archive has developed over the last four years and we have been impressed with the work it is doing [and which] compliments the preservation work which is carried out by our members.”
Dennis Talbot, Chairman, National Association of Road Transport Museums
Work began, but with some costs increasing by 25%, the appeal was re-opened to cover these additional costs. In total £436,000 (including Gift Aid) was raised allowing the work to be completed in December 2023. The fundraising was a significant achievement with 174 individuals and organisations contributing £50 or more with 32 donating over £5,000. The large number of individual donations was felt to be a testament to the perceived value of the work of The Bus Archive.
The new facility, opened to the public in March 2024, has been named Shilibeer House in recognition of George Shilibeer, who started the first omnibus service in London in 1829.
“After three years, it is quite a relief that the refit of the building and the move of the valuable, unique archive material has been completed.”
Brian King, Chairman, Bus Archive
What was learned from the process?
As a volunteer organisation, it was important to consult internally, but there was a realisation that not everything was possible and that everything takes longer than anticipated. Ultimately the decision was made to have one trustee who dealt with the fundraising and the new store as a distinct project. This proved to be important as it minimised the impact on the Bus Archive’s ongoing work and activities, which continued during the fundraising, build, and move.
Key advice
The Bus Archive would advise colleagues considering a similar project to ensure they define the project, obtain a costing and then add a contingency: this last point is crucial, as costs may change during the project. In terms of a fundraising campaign, they suggest creating or reviewing your list of potential donor groups and considering how best to appeal to them directly. An important factor is recognising that what resonates with a group will be different than what resonates with individuals. They found that continuing to communicate with donors after they have made their payment about the work and progress to securing the target was worthwhile. This helped The Bus Archive to show the impact each donation was making and kept donors invested in the project as it progressed.
How will this work be developed in the future?
With the fundraising, construction and move complete, The Bus Archive can now focus more on its engagement activities with two key stakeholder groups: transport enthusiasts and business leaders in the sector.
It is also actively supporting a number of other projects. It is working with The Omnibus Society to collect stories from the Covid-19 pandemic from across the bus industry and has also supplied data to support academic research including researchers at Leeds University’s Institute of Transport Studies, who are investigating bus service frequency using timetable data.
The Bus Archive has a clear view that it wants to secure Archive Service Accreditation. This framework and guidance already informs its thinking and planning to ensure that its work meets or exceeds current professional standards.
Knowing what is in each and every box has facilitated access and discovery to the overwhelming majority of its 120 collections but the Archive is aware of the need to move to multi-level cataloguing.
With a commitment to access and such an extensive photographic collection, it is not surprising that the Bus Archive also has an active digitisation programme. The Archive has eight overhead scanners and a similar number of flatbed scanners and thanks to its dedicated volunteers, an estimated 1,000 images and 500 documents are digitised every month and backed-up.
As well as the digitised files, a small amount (23 GB) of born-digital material has been collected but this will clearly increase in the future. The Archive is aware of the need for the procurement and implementation of a a digital preservation system and is factoring this into their forward planning.
Find out more
Email: hello@busarchive.org.uk
Relevant resources
The National Archives’ capital developments guidance
The National Archives’ planning a new repository guidance
The National Archives’ guidance on advocating for your archive