What was behind the Bristol bus boycott?

[Bradford Traveller]

BBC Magazine
Fifty years have passed since campaigners overturned a ban on ethnic minorities working on Bristol's buses. Today the boycott is largely forgotten - but it was a milestone in achieving equality.

[sconehead85]

In 1963 Bristol Omnibus Company would not employ African/Asian staff on their buses, and this was before anti-discrimination laws came in later in the 1960s. As a result those of Afrcian/Asian descent boycotted Bristol's buses until the ban was abolished.

The boycott was inspired by events on Montgomery, Alabama in the USA when an African-American Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger, and was arrested, leading to a bus boycott there in 1954. It must be pointed out that the Montgomery boycott was far more effective in that the African-American population there was a far greater percentage than that of Bristol's ethnic minority, but the protest shamed Bristol Omnibus into dropping what was known as the "colour bar".

I hope this helps explain this historical event.


sconehead85

[busman]

Remember it was a different world then some union branches took their members out on strike when the management tried to employ African/Asian staff

[rwilkes]

That was exactly the problem at Bristol
I think a lot of while Bristol people joined the boycott and the unions could see that keeping a 'colour bar' would cost more jobs than getting rid.
Not the unions finest hour