Book "TOP DECK DAZE"

[P1497]

Reading this book by Bill James who got together with some Aussie & Kiwi mates and started running tours from London to Europe , Africa and Australia in the mid 1970s using double-deck buses. Very funny!

[ALBION1881]

But it is true if the book is about Top deck tours it is a very true story and you want to read that book as the company ran Bristol,AEC etc and one of those Bristol Deckers is out here with one of the former owners of Top deck tours cause that bloke is the one who started Flight centre so ain`t funny its true.

[volgren|decker]

Are you suggesting that something can't be true if it's funny? Life would be pretty miserable if you are correct...

I thought Top Deck Tours only ran Bristols. (There was a Ford Transit or two)

[P1497]

But it is true if the book is about Top deck tours it is a very true story and you want to read that book as the company ran Bristol,AEC etc and one of those Bristol Deckers is out here with one of the former owners of Top deck tours cause that bloke is the one who started Flight centre so ain`t funny its true.

Yes it is the bloke that started Flight Centre and they did operate as Top Deck Tours. Is the Bristol decker the one that runs as BritTops?

[ALBION1881]

No that one is still in its Top deck livery and still decked out as far I know he has preserved it.

[volgren|decker]

Owned by Bill James.

[ALBION1881]

Thanks Volgren she is a great looking old bus.

[P1497]

Unusual door layout - PAYE?

[ALBION1881]

No Bristol like loft when in the UK had a Connie Crosville,National and other big bus pte used the Bristol FLF loddeka in the UK.

[volgren|decker]

The door is standard for FLFs. These buses weren't OMO, so there would have been a conductor.

[kitkat271]

I must admit the book is a good read. I find it somewhat ironic that both Topdeck and Contiki started life as really really dodgy operators, and look where they are now.

[Nigel_Mulvey]

We ran parallel with a lot of those buses back in the day. Boy did their punters party hard.

[wyth]

2 weeks ago, a brand new coach from Belgium or Holland was spotted with the usual tours coaches in Dublin in a retro Top Deck livery, they are part of is it Contiki????? Also, around 5 yrs ago, I saw one of the 1960's Bristol double deckers driving tru Dublin city centre, as I was driving my own bus at the time, I couldnt take a pic, but the name is still there......

[Centralian]

2 weeks ago, a brand new coach from Belgium or Holland was spotted with the usual tours coaches in Dublin in a retro Top Deck livery, they are part of is it Contiki????? Also, around 5 yrs ago, I saw one of the 1960's Bristol double deckers driving tru Dublin city centre, as I was driving my own bus at the time, I couldnt take a pic, but the name is still there......

Top Deck and Contiki are not connected. I believe Top Deck was owned more recently by the Melbourne based APT group, not sure if that is still the case. Just checked the APT Group web site and Top Deck are listed as a member of the APT Group. The Top Deck site is a little vague on ownership and doesn't actually mention APT. I notice 2013 is Top Decks 40th year of operation.

[kitkat271]

Topdeck is currently privately owned, AFAIK major shareholders are:
- Graham "Screw" Turner (founder & CEO of Flight Centre Group).
- McGeary Family (who owns APT).
- Nathan Family (James Nathan who started Connections in Australia in the 70s - and who became Topdeck boss about a decade ago when he sold the Connections business to APT in return for a stake in the then crippled Topdeck. Ironically Topdeck has bought part of the Connections business back from APT about 3-4 years ago - another part of Connections was sold to Intrepid)

I understand there is a plethora of very minor shareholders.

Whilst Topdeck independent from APT, I believe APT provides some services e.g. IT infrastructure and limited administration and marketing support.