Overview

Drawing on a wide variety of historical and media sources, this book tells the story of London’s transport during an unexplored era in a novel way. It takes the passengers’ perspective to explain fares, services and competitors through a new, accessible and challenging set of arguments, describing the users’ experience. To do that, the book approaches London’s commuters in the three ways that they have been seen by providers and politicians: as passive passengers, recipients of a service designed for them by experts; as active citizens, prepared to be directly involved in running a municipal system; and as discerning customers with choices about how, where and when they travel. The 1948–2000 period saw these viewpoints move in and out of fashion, and since each was intrinsically linked to politics and represented a complete prescription for how a transport system should work, the clashes were dramatic and had palpable effects on the daily experience of millions of people. Here James Fowler explains what ensued on London’s transport, why it happened, and how the hard lessons for Transport for London’s later success were learned in the preceding decades.

Full Product Details

9781398127388

Table of Contents

Reviews

‘Dr Fowler’s book is in no way academically dry; it is thought-provoking – controversial even – and a very good read.’ Barry LeJeune, Head of London Transport Customer Services, 1994–2000 ‘Immediately engaging and with a clear but critical respect for London’s transport network.’ Tamara Thornhill, Corporate Archives Manager at Transport for London ‘Covering prices, passengers, personalities, politics and more, the book provides a fascinating read for those interested in transport and its management.’ Dr David Turner, Transport Historian and Lecturer in Transport at the University of Aston

‘Dr Fowler’s book is in no way academically dry; it is thought-provoking – controversial even – and a very good read.’ -- Barry LeJeune, Head of London Transport Customer Services, 1994–2000 ‘Immediately engaging and with a clear but critical respect for London’s transport network.’ -- Tamara Thornhill, Corporate Archives Manager at Transport for London ‘Covering prices, passengers, personalities, politics and more, the book provides a fascinating read for those interested in transport and its management.’ -- Dr David Turner, Transport Historian and Lecturer in Transport at the University of Aston 'It is a thoughtful book, exploring the views of the time and trying to explain how the system which is now being copied around the country came about.' * PSV Circle, December 2025 * 'Overall, a book well worth studying for anyone interested in the organisation of public transport.' * Friends of the National Railway Museum Review, Winter 2025/26 * 'Fowler's account is of the bigger picture, with a far greater proportion of words to photographs and more pages than in Amberley Publishing's picture albums. It is about people, processes and policies rather than vehicles and other technical matters.' * Buses Magazine, February 2026 *

Author Information

Dr James Fowler is a lecturer at the University of Essex. His research interests are in the field of business and management history where he has published in the journals of transport history, management history and business history, winning the Economic and Business History Society’s 2022 award for his account of decline and revival at London Transport.

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