I worked on Ribble at Aintree, Liverpool Corporation at Green Lane, MPTE at Penny Lane and Sheffield United Tours in the late 1960’s early 1970’s

I began my ‘bus life’ working at Aintree in October 1966 as a Conductor. A couple of training days at Preston Head Offices, I was found a temporary uniform Dust Jacket to use on the buses. I still have it. I got my PSV Conductors Badge CC112856 – which I also still have.

I began two weeks ‘on the road’ training with an experienced Conductor. My first duty on a Ribble bus was on Leopard DP 824 to Waddicar Church. Ribble Aintree buses not only served the villages of South West Lancashire, but also operated part of the “Joint Services” with Liverpool Corporation in the Netherton and Litherland suburbs.

After my training period, I was allocated a driver, Ronnie Wright. He had only recently passed his PSV Driving Test so we were both new to our jobs, although Ronnie had been a Conductor at Aintree for some years.

The buses we used on the Joints were mainly open platform Leyland Titans in the Ribble 13xx and 14xx series. Routes were 58 St Johns Lane to Litherland, 59 St Johns Lane to Netherton and 54, which ran form Seaforth Docks to Copy Lane roundabout. St Johns Lane was often known as Haymarket and was outside the entrance to the Mersey Tunnel.

The 54 was the “yo-yo” bus we called it. Only one bus operated the service and it was every half an hour from each end and about a 15 minute run between termini. Ronnie and I used to play games on the 54 like seeing how long or how quick we could take between Seaforth and Copy Lane especially in the cold winter’s evenings. A favourite of ours was to see how many times we could go round and round the Copy Lane Roundabout before we headed back to Seaforth!

At times we used to go on the main Ribble routes along Ormskirk Road towards Skelmersdale, Ormskirk and the North Eastern Liverpool suburbs of Lydiate and Maghull. Those included routes 101, 201, and 301, to Preston, Skelmersdale and Ormskirk. Skelmersdale was then a small village with the ‘New Town’ construction starting. The larger buses in the 15xx, 17xx and 18xx series were used and also the two Atlanteans allocated to Aintree.

I left Ribble as I wanted to be a PSV Driver and Ribble would not teach you until you were 25yrs old. Liverpool Corporation was in short supply of drivers, so I went there instead.

In 1971 Ribble allowed ‘part-time’ drivers to cover weekend and overtime work as the Driver’s Hours Regulations had been tightened. I became the first Ribble part-time driver on 6 March 1971 the Saturday it started. I left Aintree at 06.03 that morning.

I spent several months doing this work, driving the Titans and the two Atlanteans 1629 and 1630 until I moved back to Sheffield United Tours for another season’s work.

Waiting to drive route 92, an Industrial Service to Page Moss in 1965 Atlantean L712 at Fazakerley August 1967.	Route 74 terminus in Sir Thomas Street, August 1967 in central Liverpool, with an Atlantean.	10 September 1967. Green Lane Garage with Atlantean L726, a 1965 PDR1.
With Brian Reeve his A30 and Atlantean L807, a 1966 PDR1. 10 September 1967 Green Lane Garage	At Green Lane Garage with Titan L373, a 1952 PD12 / Weymann. 10 September 1967.	At Green Lane Garage, 10 September 1967 in the cab of Atlantean L807.

Photos : Don Roberts Collection 1967

I went back to Liverpool working for the MPTE. This time I was at Prince Alfred Road or as everyone called it, Penny Lane. PAR ran the routes to the Eastern Suburbs of Liverpool then extended out to Netherley, mainly along Wavertree Road.

PAR was a garage of mixed bus types with AEC Regent V, Leyland Atlanteans and Panthers. The Atlanteans included the longer Alexander versions known as “Jumbos” because of their size. I loved the Panthers on Route 99 and 46, they were just like a coach being 36ft long.

By 1971 OMO was in operation and the ‘easy life’ of simply being a PSV driver had all but gone and I was both Driver and Conductor at the same time.

Some duties were reasonably easy but 61 Bootle – Aigburth was a very difficult route. It was like having a busload of passengers on and a busload off at every 3 rd Bus Stop at times along the route, especially in the Industrial areas! It was also a very long route and took well over an hour from one end to the other.

At PAR I drove each of the three ‘Experimental’ buses Liverpool had trialed, E1, E2 and E3.

I left MPTE in September 1972 to come to New Zealand.

Leyland Atlantean PDR1 / MCW body L501.  380 similar buses were supplied to Liverpool 1962-1967 (Photo : LCPT)	Leyland Atlantean PDR2/1 / Alexander body 1143, a "Jumbo"  49 similar buses were supplied to Liverpool 1969-1970 (Photo : LCPT)	110 Leyland Panther / MCW bodies were supplied to LCPT 1968/1969. I drove these from PAR garage. (Photo : LCPT)
An AEC Regent V / MCW of 1957 A217 as used at PAR. (Photo : LCPT)	L475 a Roberts bodied Titan PD2/1 of 1951. (Photo : LCPT)	Titan PD2/20 / Crossley of 1956. (Photo : LCPT)

Photos : Don Roberts Collection 1967

As a 3 rd Year teaching Student in Sheffield money was tight and I had the PSV driving ‘bug’ in me. SUT advertised for part-time drivers, I applied and got a position for weekends / evenings. I was driving a coach for the first time and with passengers that I had to talk to!

My first duty was a Blackpool Express with 355 an AEC Reliance / Plaxton Panorama. SUT was an ‘all AEC / Plaxton’ company and part of the BET Grouping. They had one Leyland Leopard / Plaxton No 333.

I spent several years with SUT part-time working on Express, Tours and Private Hire work all over the UK and Europe. I spent all my weekends and school holidays with SUT. I took up full-time work with SUT with Tours in Germany. I also worked unusual duties such as collecting broken down coaches from all over Europe as I became the Company “goffa” My longest trip was for 30 days with a group of Canadian students as we travelled all over Europe.

I met my friend and true “Gentleman” Michael Gillott on SUT. He was also a part-time driver and we spent several years as a team with him working as driver and ‘jockey’ or with him working the UK side of a Tour, the passengers of which I collected at The Hook of Holland. We used 375 and 395 on that Rhineland Tour in 1971.

For a short time I was the First Team Coach Driver for Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and attended many First Division games.

I ended my SUT Driving Time in late 1971 when I came back to Liverpool for the last time.