Competition launched 60 years after black and Asian ban lifted

The four-month Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963 was sparked after bus operators at the time introduced a new rule banning black and Asian people from becoming drivers and conductors.

Now, six decades later, the city’s main bus operator, First Bus, has launched a competition to create a new design to cover a whole double decker bus to mark this milestone in racial equality history.

The competition is part of a Drive for Change campaign to mark the boycott’s anniversary in collaboration with First Bus, Bristol Ideas, Creative Connex and Curiosity UnLtd.

Doug Claringbold, Managing Director for First Bus West of England, said: “To commemorate this momentous anniversary, we have a series of events taking place this year, including our design competition.

“We’re looking for someone to design a new bus livery to mark the 60th anniversary of the boycott, and bring to life this important moment of social action and the legacies of those involved.

“Alongside this competition, we also invited the local community to the launch of Drive for Change, at what would have been the start of the boycott, and passengers on our buses in the region can now hear audio clips telling the story of the boycott.”

In the 1960s, Bristol’s bus services were operated by Bristol Joint Services, owned by the Corporation of Bristol and the privately owned Bristol Omnibus Company, whose workers belonged to the Transport and General Workers’ Union.

In 1955, the local branch of the union passed a resolution to ban black or Asian people from working as bus conductors and drivers. This policy was exposed by the Bristol Evening Post in 1961 sparking the launch of a new campaign group.

Inspired by the events of the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, in which Rosa Parks and other community activists refused to give up their seats, a boycott of Bristol’s entire bus network began on 30 April 1963, lasting for four months. It ended in August 1963 when the Bristol Omnibus Company was finally forced to end its ‘colour bar’. The campaign helped pave the way for the UK’s Race Relations Acts of 1965 and 1968.

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “The men and women who led the Bristol Bus Boycott brought protest to our streets and legislation to the statute book. People like me have been able to walk through the doors that they opened for people of colour. We are truly standing on the shoulders of giants, and I thank all those who have given us the opportunity to thank and celebrate them once again.”

The design-a-bus competition is open to everyone, and the winner will see their artwork transform one of Bristol’s double decker buses, as well as receiving a year’s bus travel with First West of England - a prize worth more than £1,000. The design must be eye-catching, bold and clearly commemorate the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott.

The deadline for entries has been extended to midnight on July 2. Entries must be sent to bristolmarketing@firstbus.co.uk, and designs can be hand or digitally drawn, and can feature digital photography. The winner will be notified by Friday, July 7,  with the bus wrap unveiled at a special launch event on Monday, August 28. The winning design will remain on the vehicle for at least 12 months. For more details and to download a blank bus template for your design visit: www.firstbus.co.uk/driveforchange.