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Ralph Bennett
• When Richard Marsh appointed Mr Ralph Bennett a full-time member of the then London Transport Board in 1968, he knew he had chosen a forward thinker to assist in the transfer of the undertaking's overall control to the Greater London Council.
Following his appointment as general manager of Bolton Corporation Transport in 1960, Ralph Bennett had pioneered the introduction of better styled buses and developed a new corporate image for the undertaking.
"Moving south" in 1965 to become gm. of Manchester City Transport, he introduced the Mancunian — the first two-doorway one-man double-decker, hundreds of which now provide comfortable transport throughout Greater Manchester, where the Bennett white and red livery is gradually giving way to SELNEC PTE's orange and white.
Ralph Bennett chaired the working party which undertook the Manchester Rapid Transit Study. The 1968 Transport Act also led to his working with fellow managers on the establishment of SELNEC PTE and its relationship with British Railways.
A Plymouth man, he was educated at Plympton Grammar School. In 1940 he began his transport career as a 16-year old articled pupil to Clement Jackson, g.m. of his native city's transport undertaking. Ralph Bennett qualified as a mechanical engineer by taking a sandwich course, and was then employed as a technical assistant, investigating problems, particularly on the operating side.
In 1954 he joined Michelin as a management trainee for a year, so gaining valuable experience in a free enterprise undertaking. However, Clement Jackson's death the following year led to Ralph Bennett's return to Plymouth as deputy manager to replace John Timpson who had, in turn, been promoted to general manager. In 1958, Mr Bennett moved to Great Yarmouth in his first post as general manager.
Already the Bennett influence can be seen in some of the vehicle policies adopted by LT — most notably the Londoner double-deckers, which are proving very popular.
On the retirement of Mr Anthony Bull last year Ralph Bennett was promoted to deputy chairman and managing director, buses. He believes LT is doing all it can to improve the bus system, and that it is now up to the GLC to do its share. He welcomes, therefore, Camden Council's plan for the introduction of a large number of bus lanes in the principal roads in the Borough. D.M.