A CENTURY ago petrol and diesel-powered buses were a pretty new sight on the roads of Furness.

In 1915 the British Electric Traction Company applied for a licence to run a service from Barrow Town Hall to Dalton and Ulverstonn using six Daimler CD vehicles.

The bus operation was offered to Barrow Corporation in 1919, sold to the British Automobile Traction Company and abandoned at the end of January 1922.

The council set up its own bus service from August 17 in 1923, using a Ford and two Chevrolets on a route from the Roose tram terminus to Rampside.

In May 1925 the route from Roose was extended to Whitehall and then Ulverston, using new Guy single-deck vehicles.

By 1927 there were services from the Town Hall to Ormsgill and Hawcoat.

In January 1936 a new bus depot was opened on Hindpool Road.

Barrow'a distinctive Prussian blue and cream livery was standard by 1930 and there was a major expansion of bus services when the barrow tram system was closed in 1932.

The end of the Second World War brought another major period of growth.

In 1948 Barrow Corporation took delivery of 20y new Crossley DD42 double-deckers and between 1949 and 1951 it bought 50 Leyland Titan double-deckers.

The 1985 Transport Act brought a change of name to Barrow Borough Transport as council bus fleets had to be operated as "arm's length" to encourage competition and reduce regulation.

Barrow Council continued to be the major shareholder until May in 1989 when it stopped trading after a long-running battle for trade with Ribble Motor Services.