A Lesson in Bus History

Q: Thanks for joining us Basil. Big congrats on your book, which sold out of its first run in just 8 weeks! So tell us – who is this book for?

Basil: It is aimed at bus enthusiasts, mostly likely with a strong connection to the UK, who have an interest in unusual and technically interesting vehicles. With over 400 detailed pages, it’s a sit down and read it kind of book rather a 30-second grab on social media. I should point out that it may be of very little interest or relevance for the Australian market as no Wulfrunian ever came out here.

Q: What prompted you to write the book?

Basil: I have always been interested in unusual buses and technically advanced buses, and the Guy Wulfrunian was both, and also very quirky in its own unique way. There were only 137 built and they were nearly all withdrawn and scrapped within a decade.  I was fortunate enough to ride on them when they were still in service and later to find a last survivor in 1982, which I bought for preservation and restoration. 

Unfortunately they wouldn’t let me take it on the plane when I moved to Australia in 1987 (well it is 9 metres long and over 4 metres high and weighs 8.5 tonnes!). I eventually sold it to Dewsbury Bus Museum, who also have the only other survivor, and they finally restored it and put it back on the road in 2023.

The Wulfrunian has always generated far more interest than the few built might suggest, just as unusual aircraft or cars attract a great following, and the full story had never been told.  I was lucky enough to have ridden on Wulfrunians (the last ran in 1973), and to know people who had worked for Guy Motors, the builders, and to have worked on them. Also, because I worked for Leyland Bus at the time, which had some years earlier absorbed Guy Motors, I was able to use inside resources and contacts to obtain details, photos and drawings while the material still existed.

So then I felt that I was the best placed person to tell the story, as I probably have more information on the Wulfrunian than anyone else.

Q:  Do you have some favourite parts of the book you can share with us?

Basil: Here is my favourite paragragh in the book:

“Frequently the subject of negative comments and ridicule, the Guy Wulfrunian is often held up as one of the worst Blunderbuses, a veritable disaster on wheels according to some commentators. In some ways this is true, but this was also a bus of tremendous character and, with the exception of the location of its engine, the Wulfrunian was a vehicle which embodied all of the features so widely accepted in modern buses today, which at the time (and for many years afterwards) no other bus in the UK did. However, there was much more to the Wulfrunian than this. It was a brave but ultimately misguided attempt to advance the technology of the time, but sadly it was a case of too much too soon for a very conservative operating industry still reeling from the introduction of the Leyland Atlantean. It was designed and put into production too quickly and its manufacturer and component suppliers could not afford the time or the money which was required to properly test and develop such a ground-breaking bus. This was compounded by the fact that the rest of the industry did not adopt its novel features, so its unique spare parts were always in short supply and very expensive. Undoubtedly its operational and maintenance costs were much higher than conventional buses, but this could have been resolved if the money and resources had been available. Sadly they were not.”

My favourite chapter is 17. Did the Wulfrunian bankrupt Guy Motors?

This is only a short chapter, but it debunks the myth, beloved by many enthusiasts and now almost Wulfrunian folklore, that the problems with the Wulfrunian bankrupted Guy Motors.  In a forensic analysis using financial information obtained from a friend who used to work for Guy, I have been able to prove that the Wulfrunian was only responsible for 5% of Guy’s debts, and the company would have gone bust with or without it.  Whether this actually changes history’s perceptions is another story.

Q:  What has your research on the Guy Wulfrunian made you think about present-day bus design principles?

Basil: Apart from the fact that it was a diesel and not an electric bus, the Wulfrunian had just about every feature in modern buses, such as a low floor, air suspension, disc brakes and dual circuit brakes, among many other features.  Unfortunately it was 50 years ahead of its time, the technology was not sufficiently developed at the time, Guy Motors was nearly bankrupt, and they could not afford the proper testing and development program which such a (then) radical bus need.  So it was a relatively unreliable bus and expensive to maintain and operate.  But it could have been such a winner.

Buses today are generally produced with a large budget for design, development, testing and production. Decades ago this was often not the case, as with the Wulfrunian, and sadly many manufacturers and operators paid the price.

The mix of engineering challenges, real-world impact, and the complexity of integrating modern trains into diverse networks pulled me in. There’s something fascinating about ensuring that a train—loaded with cutting-edge technology—can safely and efficiently run on tracks designed decades ago. From signal interactions to vehicle behaviour and safety validation, every project brings a new puzzle to solve, and that’s what keeps it exciting.

What I enjoy most is the fact that my work directly contributes to safer and more efficient rail networks. Whether it’s troubleshooting a compatibility issue, analysing test results, or ensuring compliance with railway standards, it’s all about making sure trains run smoothly and reliably. And now, looking back, I can confidently say I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Q:  Can we expect any subsequent books from you?

I am not sure. I self-published this book, which cost a lot of money, and I will probably eventually break even if I sell all 500. However it has been a 50 year labour of love and I am proud to have got it published and out there. It has had very good reviews and seems to be well appreciated.  I have a review from Buses Magazine written by Alan Millar, who is probably the doyen of UK bus journalists. He called it a masterpiece, which is something I treasure.

I have had probably approaching 100 articles on buses and trains published in books and magazines in the UK and Australia, plus a few booklets, and dozens of letters in various magazines over the last fifty plus years. I currently have about five articles waiting for publication and a couple more I have been requested to write. They are mostly about older vehicles and subjects, although there are some current issues, but I am very careful to separate my work from anything I write to ensure probity and no conflicts of interest.  Most publications are unpaid, although I occasionally get some very minor remuneration – usually a free copy of the book or magazine.  It is certainly not a money-making hobby! But I love it.

As for another book, well I have nothing planned, but I have to keep busy in semi-retirement, so you never know.~

The Wulfrunian was a fascinating bus, and those of us lucky enough to have ridden on them will always treasure the memories.

Basil Hancock on his favourite line from “The Guy Wulfrunian – More Than Just a Blunderbus”