REMEMBER the good old days?

Well, you can get a taste of them again thanks to a Somerset transport firm.

Heritage bus company Southern National has been revived - and buses will be operating under the well-known brand again in the near future.

Originally established in 1929, Southern National’s iconic green and cream buses were a familiar sight across the South-West for decades, although more recently the name has been dormant.

JJP Holdings SW Ltd, which already operates the Crosville Motor Services fleet, has now been granted the operator’s licence, enabling Southern National to be re-established as a new company within the group.

In celebration of the news, one of the original Southern National buses has been restored by JJP Holdings, bringing it back to its former glory.

Jonathan Jones-Pratt, managing director of JJP Holdings and Crosville Motor Services, said, “We are very excited about being granted the opportunity to revive the Southern National name.

"Being able to bring the heritage of the brand back to life, as we did with the Crosville name over ten years ago, is a real honour.

“We have big plans for Southern National, which will be very much involved in the interim work we are doing to transport workers to and from the Hinkley Point C site, as well as the Somerset Passenger Solutions collaboration that has preferred bidder status for the contract on-site in the future.

“Southern National will operate as a stand-alone business that we anticipate will expand quickly to around 50 vehicles through 2016/17, providing a great boost for the strength of our collective companies.”