SMT Co Ltd
Biography
Scottish Motor Traction Co Ltd was founded in Edinburgh in 1905 and ran buses across the central belt of Scotland.
Following legislation, which allowed railway companies to invest in bus operators, the LNER and LMSR took a major stake in SMT in 1929. At nationalisation in 1949, the company became part of Scottish Omnibuses Ltd.
Subsidiary companies included area operational companies including Central SMT in Lanarkshire and Western SMT, whilst the east of Scotland services remained as SMT until the early 1960s, when the fleet name "Eastern Scottish" was adopted.
In 1962 the SMT operations became part of the state-owned Scottish Bus Group in 1962; this later became the Scottish Transport Group in 1969 following the addition of ferry services.
The Transport Act 1985 led to the deregulation of bus services across the UK, followed by privatisation of the bus-operating Scottish Transport Group subsidiaries. Western Scottish (formerly Western SMT) was sold to its local management in 1991, and was bought out by the Stagecoach Group in 1994, which renamed it Stagecoach West Scotland. Eastern Scottish briefly reverted to its former name SMT. It was bought out by the First Group, who rebranded it First Edinburgh.
Dryburgh Abbey Hotel was owned by SMT..
The garage in Falkirk had an extensive range of used cars, quality tested and also had self-drive hire cars. - Vauxhall make.
Following legislation, which allowed railway companies to invest in bus operators, the LNER and LMSR took a major stake in SMT in 1929. At nationalisation in 1949, the company became part of Scottish Omnibuses Ltd.
Subsidiary companies included area operational companies including Central SMT in Lanarkshire and Western SMT, whilst the east of Scotland services remained as SMT until the early 1960s, when the fleet name "Eastern Scottish" was adopted.
In 1962 the SMT operations became part of the state-owned Scottish Bus Group in 1962; this later became the Scottish Transport Group in 1969 following the addition of ferry services.
The Transport Act 1985 led to the deregulation of bus services across the UK, followed by privatisation of the bus-operating Scottish Transport Group subsidiaries. Western Scottish (formerly Western SMT) was sold to its local management in 1991, and was bought out by the Stagecoach Group in 1994, which renamed it Stagecoach West Scotland. Eastern Scottish briefly reverted to its former name SMT. It was bought out by the First Group, who rebranded it First Edinburgh.
Dryburgh Abbey Hotel was owned by SMT..
The garage in Falkirk had an extensive range of used cars, quality tested and also had self-drive hire cars. - Vauxhall make.