The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963 arose from the refusal of the Bristol Omnibus Company to employ Black or Asian bus crews in the city of Bristol, England. In line with many other British cities at the time, there was widespread racial discrimination in housing and employment against so-called "Coloureds". An organisation founded by Roy Hackett and led by youth worker Paul Stephenson as the spokesperson of the group which included Owen Henry, Audley Evans, Prince Brown and Guy Bailey and the West Indian Development Council, the boycott of the company's buses by Bristolians lasted for four months until the company backed down and overturned their discriminative colour bar policy.
Audley Evans, Paul Stephenson and Owen Henry, pictured in front of a 1960s Bristol bus
Bristol University students march in support of the boycott.
The Bristol Omnibus Company was a dominant bus operator in Bristol, and was one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. It ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties.
Preserved Bristol KSW6B in May 2011
Preserved Bristol K5G on the Isle of Wight in October 2011
Preserved Bristol K5G in Taunton in May 2022
Preserved Bristol FLF in Bristol in May 2011