On the buses

A FORMER Ribble bus driver and conductor has been sharing his memories about working for the company in the ‘60s.
James Mawer, who was a Ribble employee from 1963, met with other drivers and conductors at a special reunion in Litherland recently.
He described it as “smashing� and added: “We had a drink and a chat and were just getting to know one another.
“We may be having another one in May.�

But James was also keen to tell Memories about his nine years on the buses which he describes as some of his happiest.
James, who lives in Anfield but grew up in Seaforth, said: “I started at the Aintree depot but had to go into conducting first.
“I would have been about 23 and you had to be 24 or 25 to be a driver so I had to wait a couple of years.
“I became a conductor then went into driving and had to go to Bootle to sit my driving test.�
The Ribble buses ran across the Crosby and Waterloo areas and beyond before being taken over in the 1980s.
Talking about his time as a conductor, James said sometimes the driver would accidentally leave without them on board.
He said: “We got some buses where you could get on at the front so the conductor didn’t really have to be on the back ringing the bell.
“I said to the driver I’m going over to the shop to buy something and he left me.�
On another occasion when a driver “forgot� James, he enlisted the help of a passing milk float so he could catch up with the bus to board it again.
And when James became a driver, he too ended up leaving a conductor behind.
He explained: “When I went into driving I came out the depot at Aintree with a front entrance bus, thought the conductor was on and shut the door.
“At the first stop over Old Roan bridge I pulled in and people where saying ‘where’s the conductor?’.
“I said he was at the back but he wasn’t because I’d left him at the depot.�
Comparing the buses now to how it used to be, James added: “You could run after a bus and try and catch it, grab a hold of the rail and try and jump on.
“They were a bit slow starting off when you were changing gear.
“People used to try and jump off before stops.
“When you jump off you have to run a bit.
“If the driver knew you were going to do that he would put his foot down!
“You got to know the people and where they got on.�
Do you have memories or pictures of the Ribble buses you would like to share with Memories? Leave your comments here. You don't need a password - just an email address, which will not be published.