This informative new title includes a brief introduction into the history of the BET Group leading up to the creation of NBC. BET was founded as in 1895 as British Electric Traction Co.Ltd.

It was involved in the electrification of tramways in British towns and cities. From operating trams, BET moved on to manufacturing them with the purchase of Brush Electrical Engineering in 1901. In 1905 a subsidiary was formed to operate motorbuses, which became increasingly important to the group as many municipalities were compulsorily acquiring company-owned tram networks in their areas. From 1949 until 1967 BET continued to be one of the two major bus groups in the UK, alongside the state-owned Tilling Group (owned by the British Transport Commission and from 1963 by the Transport Holding Company).

BET's subsidiaries included: Devon General; East Kent; East Yorkshire; Midland Red; City of Oxford Motor Services; Potteries; Ribble; Southdown; and, Yorkshire Traction (which included Mexborough & Swinton, the last company-owned trolleybus operator in the UK).
The BTC (and later the THC) held minority interests in many of BET's UK bus subsidiaries and in late 1967 BET sold its UK bus interests to the Transport Holding Company, to become part of the National Bus Company in 1968.

Author and transport expert Gavin Booth provides readers with a historical and in depth look into the history of the BET group illustrated with a multitude of engaging colour images.