This book offers a novel explanation of the transformation of London’s transport from a free market to a public corporation rooted in social and political legitimacy rather than economic rationality. To become a single corporation London Transport first had to gain a ‘social licence’ to operate, and this book explains how and why. It considers how a revolution in data gathering during this period helped to justify the transition to a central, unified provider, while also investigating how reputational damage to key figures in the transport industry jeopardized the political and...

This book offers a novel explanation of the transformation of London’s transport from a free market to a public corporation rooted in social and political legitimacy rather than economic rationality. To become a single corporation London Transport first had to gain a ‘social licence’ to operate, and this book explains how and why. It considers how a revolution in data gathering during this period helped to justify the transition to a central, unified provider, while also investigating how reputational damage to key figures in the transport industry jeopardized the political and...