Does anyone know exactly what year were bus conductors were abolished by South Yorkshire Transport?

I asked my dad, who worked for SYT for many years, but unfortunatly he cannot remember.

He thinks it would have been around 1983, but isn't sure of the exact year.

I stopped using buses when I went away to uni and then came back and got a car, but I can remember conductors in 1987 on busy buses in Sheffield.

The 52 route stopped them in about 1986

I would have been very young but I can't seem to remember them after 1985.

Oh my god, they were? :(

1983 sounds way too early

I'm not sure about when SYT aboloshed conductors, but as far as I'm aware the last regular conductor operated bus in Sheffield was run by East Midland in 1990 on a service which started at the interchange and ran to the National Tramway Museum at Crich.

It last ran in October 1990 (Routemaster RM10 being the vehicle) and a girl called Andrea Heath was the Conductress on that occasion.

The last conductors were 1986, I think on the 82, 83 etc routes. One man operators were introduced gradually on the less busy routes, then the entire network changed over gradually. The very busy routes like those mentioned were left untill the last, and were helped, on changeover by machines like the "Videmat" which made loading of the bus much quicker.

We should lament the passing of the conductor.
Bus journeys are a lot slower now that the bus is static for so long at each stop. And who'd be a driver now with no back-up and money handling added to the traffic hastle.

All hail the bus drivers.

I think they should think about bringing conductors back. It would make journeys so much quicker with the bus driver not having to mess around with money and also perhaps it would make the bus journeys a little safer for the driver and passengers.

What do you say? Shall we start a petition?

It was a sad day when bus conductors were finally phased out.
I remember being fascinated as a kid by the ticket machines and I loved the open back buses

http://www.hpac.org.uk/cgi-bin/hpac.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.id=584

http://www.hpac.org.uk/cgi-bin/hpac.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.id=5083

Some nice pictures there. I seem to recall the conductor always holding on to those little hand straps that was attached to the roof of the bus.

my husband used to be a bus driver on the 52 but left due too violence
he says he would never have lefet if he had a conductor with him, therefore it would be a 2man team, safer, more fun and help with the cashing
definetly bring back conductors especially on busy routes like the 52

They would never bring them back. It's all about cost cuttung these days and it is detriment to the service.

Originally posted by steelblade
I think they should think about bringing conductors back. It would make journeys so much quicker with the bus driver not having to mess around with money and also perhaps it would make the bus journeys a little safer for the driver and passengers.

What do you say? Shall we start a petition?

Start away. I shall gladly add my marker to it. :)

I was a clippie in 1953 on, and I loved it, we had so much fun, I thought it was the best job in the worldOriginally posted by Lickszz
They would never bring them back. It's all about cost cuttung these days and it is detriment to the service.

it was about 1986/87 on the intake/hackenthorpe bus routes. i remember it well.

first mainline should take a leaf out of supertrams book by having conductors. i have been on the tram a few times when someone refused to pay and the perpertraitors got lippy with the conductor but when he radioed the driver and he came along it was resolved pretty quickly (ie throwing them off!!).

Originally posted by steelblade
I think they should think about bringing conductors back. It would make journeys so much quicker with the bus driver not having to mess around with money and also perhaps it would make the bus journeys a little safer for the driver and passengers.

What do you say? Shall we start a petition?
YES they were brilliant!

My old Mam was a clippie on the Wiggies 208 service.
(Dinnington - Sheffield)
Back then smoking was obligatory on busses. I remember catching the Works 208 at 8am which was full of steelworkers when Sheffield was full of steelworks. You could not see to the front of the bus for the smog. :gag: The floor would be knee deep in dog ends and you'd never - ever - consider wiping the condensation off the windows.:o

I seem to remember conductors on the 52 to Crookes around 1989/1990. We left Sheffield in 1991.

Originally posted by Don_Kiddick
YES they were brilliant!

My old Mam was a clippie on the Wiggies 208 service.
(Dinnington - Sheffield)
Back then smoking was obligatory on busses. I remember catching the Works 208 at 8am which was full of steelworkers when Sheffield was full of steelworks. You could not see to the front of the bus for the smog. :gag: The floor would be knee deep in dog ends and you'd never - ever - consider wiping the condensation off the windows.:o I used to catch the 208 wigmores bus to in Pond St to go to Dinnington technical college.
What a journey, I could hve walked to Dinnington as quick.
The SYT was quicker.

If my memory serves me right they were using driver only services on the number 4 (dobcroft road) service around 1978 or maybe even earlier infact I can not remember ever seeing conductors on the 4 service.

They also used to have that machine that took a photo of the money you put in.

How about turning the question on its head. What year were they FIRST abolished and on what route.

I remember conductors disappearing in 1970 on the 150 and 151 routes (Bridge Street - Shiregreen). As far as I can remember it was the first time I had got on a one man bus. No new ticket machines though, they had the same ones that the conductors used but mounted on a swivelling plinth. All the bus stop flags were changed to add - one man bus, pay on entry. Remember folk not realising and walking straight past the driver without paying.

Anybody got any earlier recollections?

Originally posted by Fudbeer
If my memory serves me right they were using driver only services on the number 4 (dobcroft road) service around 1978 or maybe even earlier infact I can not remember ever seeing conductors on the 4 service.

They also used to have that machine that took a photo of the money you put in.
I was a conductor on the 4s in 1973 can remember them going one man just after but not remember when all condutors stopped

I used to be a bus conductress, and so did my mother, I worked on the buses from 1952-1955,I loved the jobOriginally posted by suzi
my husband used to be a bus driver on the 52 but left due too violence
he says he would never have lefet if he had a conductor with him, therefore it would be a 2man team, safer, more fun and help with the cashing
definetly bring back conductors especially on busy routes like the 52

i worked for the SYPTE from 1977 to 1990 and I'm pretty sure the conductors finished late 80's. they introduced the vid-e-mat pay as you enter machines around 1973 as a replacement to the clippy, but that was too much of a farcicical enterprise. washers,foreign coins, not enough fare, went in that little yellow box, then came the driver pay as you go in around 85 cos I fitted them, so at a guess between then and 1989 as a gradual fade out. ps i love you janex

Originally posted by superCol
How about turning the question on its head. What year were they FIRST abolished and on what route.

I remember conductors disappearing in 1970 on the 150 and 151 routes (Bridge Street - Shiregreen). As far as I can remember it was the first time I had got on a one man bus. No new ticket machines though, they had the same ones that the conductors used but mounted on a swivelling plinth. All the bus stop flags were changed to add - one man bus, pay on entry. Remember folk not realising and walking straight past the driver without paying.

Anybody got any earlier recollections?

I remember the 51 route Gleadless - Lodge Moor changing to pay as you enter about 1968. I think they were dual door single deckers.

My dad was a conductor on the 52 route. I think it could have been as late as 86 as he was put on a disabled bus after that for a couple of years. I`m afraid he`s not around to ask he passed away just afterwards
Peter

In the six week holidays when i was a littl-un my dad used to let me go to work with him on the buses. I thought it was great as he let me ring the bell. 1 ring to stop, 2 rings to go. When they did away with the open back buses i was allowed to operate the doors with the lever at the front of the bus. Happy days.

i was a bus conductor from 1978 to 1986
i was at greenland road garage .i was made redundant in
july 1986 but i think there was still one or two conductors left
but they finshed later on that same year
of all the jobs i,ve had this was my favourite and i still tell
storys of my time as a conductor
great times m good laughs

It is so sad that they stopped conductors. Aside from keeping an eye out for trouble as has been mentioned already, they would help people on and off with prams, heavy shoppping and help elderly people on and off.

Some conductors would help keep kiddies quiet by giving them balnk ticket rolls to play with - and it worked, kids loved that.

Also really chatty, friendly conductors could make some-ones day with a laugh and a smile on a wet Monday morning.

They were first class customer service.

I remember Irelands first one man bus service...

It crashed while the driver was upstairs taking fayres :hihi: