GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Many of the abbreviations/terms used in the Bus and Model world can be very confusing, what do they mean? e.g. AEC, BMMO, etc. I am frequently contacted by people asking the answers. To assist everybody I have decided to compile this "Glossary" page. Have you ever heard or seen abbreviations or terms that have confused you in the past? If they have confused you then they undoubtedly will have confused others.

Please CLICK HERE to email and help me expand this list  with any abbreviations and terms together with their meaning, that you think would assist others. Please also email with items you would like to see the answers to. I look forward to hearing from you.

Whilst compiling this list I have become aware that with some abbreviations particularly those relating to London vehicles there are "official" abbreviations and also "common use" abbreviations. Where I receive more than one alternative I will show both.

Click on the links below to be taken to the appropriate section.

 

Body Classifications

Bus
Manufacturers

 Bus
Operators

Bus
Other

Bus
Types
Chassis
Types 		Model Bus
Terminology 		     

 

BODY CLASSIFICATIONS

I am very grateful to Terry Stapley from the PSV Circle for providing me with the information for this section. 

These lists contain the "official" PSV Circle body classification codes which have been adopted for general use in the Industry and transport press. I understand British Bus Publishing adopted their own system of codes a couple of years or so ago.

There are two types of Body classifications i.e. Letters before seating capacity and letters after seating capacity. These are listed separately below.

The seating capacity of a double deck vehicle is expressed as a fraction with the number of seats in the upper saloon 'over' the number of seats in the lower saloon - for example 41/32 indicates a vehicle having 41 seats on the upper deck and 32 seats on the lower deck.

Note: The definition of 'highbridge' and 'lowbridge' refer to the body layout and not the overall height of the vehicle (that is 'lowbridge' has a sunken gangway on the upper deck or part thereof).

BODY CLASSIFICATIONS - LETTERS BEFORE SEATING CAPACITY

Abbreviation/Term

Meaning
AB Articulated Bus
AC Articulated Coach
B Single-deck bus
C Single-deck coach
CH Double-deck highbridge coach
CL Double-deck lowbridge coach
CO Convertible open top vehicle
Ch Char-a-banc
DP Single-deck dual-purpose vehicle
F Full fronted vehicle (where not normally fitted)
H Double-deck highbridge bus
HD Half-deck coach
L Double-deck lowbridge bus
M Minibus
O Permanent open top vehicle
RC Airport/Observation coach
T Toastrack

 

BODY CLASSIFICATIONS - LETTERS AFTER SEATING CAPACITY

Abbreviation/Term

Meaning
C Centre entrance (if there are two or more pairs of seats in front of the entrance)
D Dual entrance/exit (or more than two)
F Front entrance
L Wheelchair lift (shown after entrance)
O Outside stairs (shown after entrance)
R Rear entrance
RD Rear entrance with doors fitted
T Toilet fitted (shown after entrance)

 

BUS MANUFACTURER

 

Abbreviation/Term

Meaning
AEC Associated Equipment Company
BET British Electric Traction
BMMO Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (Midland Red)
BUT British United Traction
ECW Eastern Coach Works
ELC East Lancashire Coachbuilders
MCW Metropolitan Cammell Weymann
NCB Northern Coachbuilders
NCME Northern Counties Motor Engineering Company Limited
PRV Park Royal Vehicles
Roe Charles H Roe
UCC Union Construction Company

 

BUS OPERATORS

 
Abbreviation/Term Meaning
A&D Aldershot & District Traction Co. Ltd
B&P Burnley & Pendle Travel Ltd
BC&NJTC or BCN Burnley, Colne and Nelson Joint Transport Committee or Burnley Colne and Nelson
BCT Birmingham Corporation Transport
BCT Blackpool Corporation Transport
BCT Bradford Corporation Transport
BH&D Brighton, Hove and District
BOC Bristol Omnibus Company
B&S Bullock and Sons
Central SMT Co Central Scottish Motor Traction Company
CCT Cardiff Corporation Transport or Coventry Corporation Transport
CCT Chester City Transport
CCT Cleethorpes Corporation Transport
CJOC Calderdale Joint Omnibus Committee ( a merger in 1971 of Halifax and Todmorden)
CMS Cumberland Motor Services
COMS City of Oxford Motor Services
DCT Doncaster Corporation Transport
DDS Durham District Services
ECOC Eastern Counties Omnibus Co
ECT Edinburgh Corporation Transport
EK East Kent Motor Services
ENOC Eastern National Omnibus Co. Ltd
EYMS East Yorkshire Motor Services
FBT Fylde Borough Transport
FEC First Eastern Counties
FEN First Eastern National
GCCT Grimsby Cleethorpes Corporation Transport
GCT Glasgow Corporation Transport
GCT Grimsby Corporation Transport
GGPTE Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive
GWR Great Western Railway (A major bus operator in the early years of the 20th Century)
GYCT Great Yarmouth Corporation Transport
H&D Hants and Dorset
H & D Harrogate & District
HCT Halifax Corporation Transport
HCT Huddersfield Corporation Transport
HJOC Halifax Joint Omnibus Committee or Huddersfield Joint Omnibus Committee
HOL Highland Omnibus Ltd
K&D Keighley & District
KHCT Kingston Upon Hull Corporation Transport
KWY Keighley West Yorkshire
Lancashire SLT South Lancs Transport
Ledgards Exors of Samuel Ledgard Ltd
LBL London Buses Ltd
LCBS London Country Bus Services
LCPT Liverpool Corporation Passenger Transport
LCT Leeds City Transport
LCT Leicester City Transport
LCT Luton Corporation Transport
LCT Lancaster City Transport
LGOC London General Omnibus Company
LPTB London Passenger Transport Board
LRCC Lincolnshire Road Car Co
LRT London Regional Transport
LRT Lothian Region Transport
LSCT Lytham St Annes Corporation Transport
LT London Transport
LTB London Transport Board
LTE London Transport Executive
M&D Maidstone and District
M&HCT Morecambe and Heysham Corporation Transport
LUT Lancashire United Transport/Lancashire United Ltd
LUT London United Tramways
MET Metropolitan Electric Tramways
MPTE Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive
NBC National Bus Company
NGT Northern General Transport Company
NWRCC North Western Road Car Co
PMT Potteries Motor Traction
PUDC Pontypridd Urban District Council Transport Department
RCT Reading Corporation Transport
RCT Rotherham Corporation Transport
RMS Ribble Motor Services
RUDC Ramsbottom Urban District Council
SBG Scottish Bus Group
SCT Sheffield Corporation Transport
SDO Sunderland District Omnibus Company
SELKENT South East London & Kent
SELNEC South East Lancashire North East Cheshire
SHMD Board Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Transport and Electricity Board
SJOC Sheffield Joint Omnibus Committee
SMS Southdown Motor Services
SMT Scottish Motor Traction
SOL Scottish Omnibuses Ltd
SPTE Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive
SUT Sheffield United Transport
SWT South Wales Transport Ltd
SY South Yorkshire ( the Pontefract independent not PTE)
SYPTE South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
Tees-side RTB Tees-side Railless Traction Board
THC Tilling Holdings Company
TJOC Todmorden Joint Omnibus Committee
TMT Teesside Municipal Transport
TMT Trent Motor Traction
TWM Travel West Midlands
UAS United Automobile Services
UCUC United Counties Omnibus Co
W&D Wilts and Dorset
WCS Standerwick
Western SMT Co Western Scottish Motor Traction Company
WBUDC West Bridgford Urban District Council
WHCT West Hartlepool Corporation Transport
WMPTE West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
WMT West Midlands Travel
WR or WRAC West Riding or West Riding Automobile Co
WSMT Western SMT
WY or WYRCC West Yorkshire Road Car Co
WYPTE West Yorkshire PTE
YT or YTC Yorkshire Traction
YWD Yorkshire Woollen District
YWY York West Yorkshire

 

BUS OTHER

 

Abbreviation/Term

Meaning
BTC British Transport Commission
NARTM National Association of Road Transport Museums
OMO One Man Operation
OPO One Person Operation
PCV Passenger Carrying Vehicle (new term) - see PSV below
PSV Public Service Vehicle (old term) - see PCV above
PTE Passenger Transport Executive
UDC Urban District Council

 

BUS TYPES

 

Abbreviation/Term

Meaning
DMS Daimler Standee
GS Guy Special
RCL Routemaster Coach Long
RF Regal Four
RFW Regal Four Wide
RM Routemaster
RMA Routemaster Air (Front entrance with extra luggage space for BEA services)
RMC Routemaster Coach
RMF Routemaster front entrance
RML Routemaster Long
RT Regent Type or Revised Type
RTL Regent Type Leyland or Regent Type Long
RTW Regent Type Wide or Revised Type Wide
RW Reliance Wide
ST Short Type
STL Short Type Lengthened
XA Experimental Atlantean
XF Experimental Fleetline

 

CHASSIS TYPES

 

Abbreviation/Term

Meaning
CVG6 (C)oventry, (V)ictory, Gardner Engine - 6 Cylinder
CVD6 (C)oventry, (V)ictory, Daimler Engine - 6 Cylinder
CVA6 (C)oventry, (V)ictory, AEC Engine - 6 Cylinder
CVG6LX - 30 - (C)oventry, (V)ictory, Gardner 6LX Engine - 30 Foot Long
FL (Bristol Lodekka) Flatfoor Long
FLF (Bristol Lodekka) Flatfoor Long Forward Entrance
FS (Bristol) Flat Floor Short
FSF (Bristol Lodekka) Flatfloor Short Forward Entrance
LS (Bristol) Light Saloon
MW (Bristol) Medium Weight
PD3A (Leyland Titan) Passenger Double Deck (30ft) 3, Fibreglass Front
RELL (Bristol) Rear Engine Long Lowfloor
RELL6G (Bristol) Rear Engined, Long, Low Floor, 6 Cylinder Gardener Engine
RELL6L (Bristol) Rear Engined, Long, Low Floor, 6 Cylinder Leyland Engine
RESL (Bristol) Rear Engined Short Low Floor
RESL6G (Bristol) Rear Engined, Short, Low Floor, 6 Cylinder Gardener Engine
RESL6L (Bristol) Rear Engined, Short, Low Floor, 6 Cylinder Leyland Engine
PD3 (Leyland) Passenger Double-decker 3 (30 feet)
VR(T) (Bristol) Vertical Rear (Transverse)

 

MODEL BUS TERMINOLOGY

 

Abbreviation/Term

Meaning
CMN Creative Master Northcord Ltd
EFE Exclusive First Editions
OOC Original Omnibus Company

This page last updated Thursday, 01 April 2010

© British Model Buses 2010