Catalogue description Transport Ministries: Public Transport A (PTA Series) Files

The Public Transport A Division was created in January 1968 under a departmental reorganisation of the Urban Transport Group and took over some of the duties of Transport Planning Urban and Road Transport (Passenger) Divisions as well as being responsible for bringing about the major changes in public transport introduced in the Transport Act 1968. It consisted of two branches with the following distribution of responsibilities: PTA 1, with responsibility for general policy on Passenger Transport Authorities and Passenger Transport Executives; the transport aspects of local government reorganisation; and urban transport research and development; and PTA 2 with responsibility for road passenger transport; policy in connection with the National Bus Company, its organisation, annual investment programme and financial viability; the control of bus services in the Passenger Transport Areas; the co-ordination of bus undertakings outside London; and the administration of the bus grant schemes.

In 1972 the Division was re-named the Passenger Transport Industry and Investment Division, although its functions remained broadly the same. It continued to use the PTA prefix until the end of 1976 when this was superseded by the PT1 prefix, which is still in use.