Formed immediately after the deregulation of coach services in October 1980, it competed with the state-owned National Express and Scottish Bus Group on a range of long-distance routes.

Initially composed of six members, it varied in size and composition over its two years of operation to include a range of ten different companies.

The consortium was not granted access to large facilities in major cities, such as Victoria Coach Station in London, and was forced to use less developed alternative sites.

The consortium chose the name British Coachways to present a nationwide image, and a small number of coaches received a new livery of white, red and blue to advertise the venture.

However, within weeks of British Coachways commencing operation National Express cut their fares to match those offered by the consortium, reducing the appeal of the new routes.

[5] Additional competition on the corridor was provided by Cotters Tours, which introduced a more expensive high-quality service between London and Glasgow in December 1980.

[8] By the summer of 1981 both Wallace Arnold and Grey-Green left the group; by the end of the year, both were operating joint services with National Express.

[2] The exit from the group of Wallace Arnold and Grey-Green had seen more responsibility transferred to Shearings, now the largest of the six surviving members of British Coachways.

In each case, the terminal point was located close to a depot owned by one of the consortium's members, and the majority of workings were operated by the company whose region the service ran to.

[10] Journey times offered by British Coachways between the major cities were often quicker than those on the corresponding NEX or SBG services, as intermediate locations were omitted.

[2] The companies that formed British Coachways in 1980 believed that a strong marketing campaign would be required to counter the established network offered by the incumbent operators.

Wallace Arnold, the largest of the six founding members, and Grey-Green, the only constituent company based in London, designed the marketing used to promote British Coachways in its first year.

[2] Mike Kay was appointed marketing director for the consortium, and received interviews in local newspapers to complement the advertising campaign.

[2] The Leyland Leopard proved popular with some members of British Coachways, including Ellerman Bee Line, Barton Transport, Wallace Arnold and Grey-Green, although the latter specified Duple bodywork instead of Plaxton.

[12] The most varied fleet, however, was that of Park's, which contained Leyland Leopards, DAF SB2005 integrals[6] and a small number of rare MAN SR280s imported from Germany.

[14] The competition created by the 1980 Transport Act caused NEX's market share to reduce temporarily, although its passenger numbers increased in real terms.

The lower fares, improved vehicle quality and better timetabling introduced after deregulation meant that its market share had recovered within three years.

This differed from British Coachways by providing more frequent services over a wider range of routes, and in its use of nationwide advertising and yield management to set fares, with early bookers to a particular coach paying only £1 for a journey.

However, in September 2010, a preserved Volvo B58 coach, new to Morris Bros, was painted into British Coachways livery for the thirtieth anniversary of the consortium's formation.