The Trust

London Bus Museum is operated by The London Bus Preservation Trust Ltd (‘the Trust’), a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.  It is a not-for-profit organisation. The Trust is subject to company law (the Companies Acts) and charity law (the Charities Acts). In addition, as an Accredited Museum, it must meet the UK Standard for  Museums and Galleries as regulated by Arts Council England.

Under the Trust’s constitution, its objects are to advance public education by operating the London Bus Museum, restoring, maintaining and presenting the social, engineering and design heritage of London’s buses from the Victorian era to today, together with the presentation of associated historic artefacts.

Membership

Subject to approval by the trustees, any individual (over 18) or body corporate supporting the objects of the Trust shall be eligible for admission as a Member. The liability of each Member is limited to £1.  Membership provides free admission to the museum and its events and members receive a regular magazine and newsletters.  All Members are entitled to attend the Trust’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at which the directors provide their reports on the various activities for which they are responsible.

Governance

The Trust is governed by the trustees, who for the purposes of the Companies Act are directors of the company.  The trustees are members of the Trust and comprise a mix of museum volunteers and external people with relevant expertise.  The trustees may not receive any remuneration for their duties.  The Trust’s Chairman, Vice-chairman, Treasurer and Company Secretary are ex-officio trustees.  The maximum number of trustees is 12 and the Trust aims to have at least seven at any time; trustees meet at least four times a year and usually more frequently.

In accordance with the Articles, Trustees may be appointed either by the Annual General Meeting or by a meeting of the Board of Trustees. Appointment of Trustees between AGMs requires confirmation at the following AGM. The Board seek to maintain a balance of skills and backgrounds amongst the serving Trustees. In advance of each AGM, candidates are invited for nomination for vacant positions on the Board, based on the appointment criteria set out in the Articles. Trustees serve a maximum term as set out in the Articles.

The trustees delegate management of the Trust’s activities to a Council of Management (‘CoM’), comprising, in addition to the officers listed above, volunteers managing each group of activities that the Trust undertakes.  The CoM delegates management of Trust events to an Events Committee.

Accounts

A report on the Trust’s financial position is presented to the membership at each AGM and the latest audited accounts are publicly available from Companies House (with hard copy available from the Treasurer on request).  Financial information is also freely available to donors, grant-givers and major supporters.

Subsidiary companies

The Trust operates its trading activities through a trading subsidiary, London Bus Museum Ltd, which operates the museum shop and online sales activities.

The Trust also owns the non-trading subsidiary company London Bus Preservation & Repair Ltd.

Review of the Trust’s constitution

The Trust’s constitution is set out in the Articles of Association.  Following a review commissioned in 2012, the current Articles were approved by the membership in 2015.  This document is subject to periodic review, the next due in 2025.

Click to see the current Articles of the London Bus Preservation Trust Ltd.