Sheffield Buses Past

[hillsbro 32]

Oooh i`d forgot about the photo copier machine. That didn`t last long did it.

 

That was the Videmat machine - see this thread http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8206

[peterw 10]

Oooh i`d forgot about the photo copier machine. That didn`t last long did it.

In the late 70`s me and my g`friend (now wife) used to go to town and back for a night out and it only cost us 4p each. Now that was a cheap night out.

 

It cost you 4p each? I think you mean 4d each, but apart from that … what a tight-fisted meanie you must have been. If the lass had to pay her own fare to go with you for a night out, heaven forbid! I imagine your nights out were half a mild and two straws followed by fish, chips and mushy peas if she had the money for ’em.

Anyway, you married her so you’re not all bad.

[hillsbro 32]

Mi goodness, I must be an old b*gger. I can remember the days before 4p fares, when it was 2d to town from Dykes Hall Road.

[daftlad 11]

I remember the buses that had the open backs where you got on and off and if you were late as the bus was pulling away you could just grab the handrail and jump on

[Plain Talker 11]

Oooh i`d forgot about the photo copier machine. That didn`t last long did it.

In the late 70`s me and my g`friend (now wife) used to go to town and back for a night out and it only cost us 4p each. Now that was a cheap night out.

 

I remember it only being 6p (not 6d) from the top of East Bank Road to town, and I think it was 7p from town to Norton Water Tower, the nearest stop to Lightwood House Hospital, where I worked in 1981.

 

I remember in the 70s travelling to my aunt-in-law's, at North Anston on the bus, and it costing my mother 12p for her adult fare, and us kids cost 4p, instead of the usual 2p fare, as it was over the city boundary, or something

 

Now, wracking my brains, and trying to cast my mind back, it might have been that the fare was over 10p (2 shillings!!!" ) and that was why it cost us the extra.

[Debk 10]

I remember the buses that had the open backs where you got on and off and if you were late as the bus was pulling away you could just grab the handrail and jump on

 

Known by the crew as a back loader. My dad was a conductor in the days when they had a "press down" ticket machine that had different coloured tickets for each fare ie purple for 4d, yellow for 6d etc. Then they progressed to a machine that had one white paper role in it where he had to set each fare before turning the handle to get the ticket.

 

He found all sorts of things on the bus and always handed them in. If someone claimed the item they had to pay a small amout to get the item back and this went to the contuctor who had handed it in. The "reward" always came with his pay packet but in a seperate little envelope which he would give to my sister & I to share. s1 2d was a lot to share in those days!

[WallBuilder 10]

I remember the seats upstairs at the back of the bus were not padded but were hard brown plastic which meant it was easier to clean the graffitti off and they were littered with burn marks as people stubbed their cigarettes out on them.

I also remember the buses with the open platform at the back going up and down the Moor and the conductors who had to ring the bell twice to tell the driver to move off.

Somewhere I've still got two of the little colored tickets which remind me of the bus journey to one particular girlfriends house.

Ooh and the little periscope viewer that the driver had to see what was happening upstairs.

[hillsbro 32]

My favourite bus story is of the No 16 Low Bradfield bus. It used to terminate at the now long-gone "Cross Inn", and this involved a tricky three-point turn with little space to spare, especially if the pub regulars' cars, tractors etc. were in the way. One incident was the talk of the public bar for months - it involved a bus driver who, one summer evening, came into the pub and demanded that the owner of a Land Rover parked outside remove it, as it was preventing him from turning the bus round. The "culprit" turned out to be a local farmer, who curtly told the driver that his Land Rover was not in the way. The bus driver insisted that he could not turn the bus round until it was removed, whereupon Farmer Giles replied "If tha can't turn that bus round in that space, tha dun't deserve to be drivin' it". The driver then replied "If tha thinks tha can turn it round, thee 'ave a go". The farmer finished his pint, went outside and turned the bus round at the first attempt. Maybe it was this driver whose idea it was, some time later, to move the terminus away from the pub. This spoiled the fun.

[soft ayperth 11]

Remember running to catch the bus as it was leaving Pond St. You had to time it right but you could leap onto the platform at the bk of the bus grabbing the pole. Had some scary episodes though as often the bus would be accelerating and you'd barely make it. On more than one occasion other passengers who were stood on the platform (what were they doing there anyway?) would have to give me a hand, plus of course numerous loud admonishments. "Tha'll get thee bloody self killed lad." happy days.

[teddie 10]

Remember running to catch the bus as it was leaving Pond St. You had to time it right but you could leap onto the platform at the bk of the bus grabbing the pole. Had some scary episodes though as often the bus would be accelerating and you'd barely make it. On more than one occasion other passengers who were stood on the platform (what were they doing there anyway?) would have to give me a hand, plus of course numerous loud admonishments. "Tha'll get thee bloody self killed lad." happy days.

 

 

God, you would be arrested these days for doing that!

[illuminati 10]

Ooh and the little periscope viewer that the driver had to see what was happening upstairs.

 

Awwww, I had forgotten about the periscope, used to love sitting at the front and 'driving' the bus with the hand rail that ran across the front windows, twist right hand to go right, left to go left

[WallBuilder 10]

And didn't the driver shout if we started trying to peer down the periscope at him, I wasn't brave enough to risk that so I'm not even sure if that was possible but I do clearly remember the irritated voice of drivers bellowing up the stairs, 'get away I can't see a thing'

I've also forgotten the last time an inspector actually got on a bus and checked the tickets, the last one I saw stopped a bus but not at a bus stop and then spent a few minutes chatting with the driver [and I'm sure they used to have signs up saying please do not talk to the driver whilst the bus is moving] he then hopped off the bus at the traffic lights, talk about bad example.