Transport Holding Co
The Transport Holding Company (THC) was a British Government owned company created by the Transport Act 1962 to administer a range of state-owned transport, travel and engineering companies that were previously managed by the British Transport Commission (BTC)
1963 THC came into existence on 1 January.
There were essentially six areas of activity:
- Bus companies, some part-owned with the British Electric Traction Co, but later acquired by the THC,
- Bus manufacturing companies Bristol Commercial Vehicles and Eastern Coach Works
- Road haulage companies including British Road Services (BRS) and Pickfords
- Shipping lines including the BTC's shares in Associated Humber Lines and the Atlantic Steam Navigation Co
- Travel agents (Thomas Cook and Son, to which Lunn Poly was later added)
- Miscellaneous (the BTC's shares in the Penarth Dock Engineering Co)
1965 Leyland Motor Corporation acquired a 25 percent stake in Bristol Commercial Vehicles and Eastern Coach Works from the Transport Holding Co; in exchange THC received just under 30 percent of Park Royal Vehicles; the agreement allowed Bristol and Eastern to make products for other customers than their holding companies or other transport boards[1]
1968 The Transport Holding Co acquired British Electric Traction Co's shares in UK bus companies [2]
1969 With the coming into effect of the Transport Act 1968 on 1 January 1969, the THC's road transport and shipping interests passed to the National Bus Co, the National Freight Corporation and the Scottish Transport Group.
Its remaining assets were privatised and the company dissolved in the early 1970s.