A conductors life

As I said in the first post, I started out as a bus conductor. Most of us did back then unless you already had a bus driving licence and then you could start as a driver straight away.

So what was life like? Well for one thing you kept pretty fit running up and down stairs all day long. I was getting married in six months and worked long hours. You did not have much choice as the wages were not that good.

Of course in the late sixties the mini skirt was all the rage with the girls and I spent many a happy time gazing up the stairs as they climbed it! I tried to make sure my future wife did not see me though!

Bus conductors were usually paired up with a driver full time and good friends were made at that time. With the hours that they worked drivers and conductors often saw each other more than there wife's or husbands. If there was a male/female partnership that was the cause of many a marriage breakdown back then.

For myself at 21 of course the main thing was to get that driving licence and be at the front of the bus. More later on that but it did mean that I was not partnered up fully as I was new and just got put with a few drivers. One that I was with often was called 'The Wombat'. Bill if you ever read this you will know why and I enjoyed the friendship that was had.

Bus staff often in those days had nicknames and in fact today many of the drivers have names that they are called in friendship by others. (Sometimes not so friendly either).

The life of the bus conductor has gone now of course as just about all buses are operated by one man/woman. But back in the late sixties and early seventies we were the main stay of the bus. The buses were 'half cabs' with the driver up in his cab on his own. I say his because of course back then women bus drivers just did not exist. The buses were heavy and with no power steering. This is not meant to be a sexist remark but it just did not happen.

You met hundreds of people a day, most friendly and some not. The violence that seems to be around today was not as bad back then and on the whole I had few problems. Even the drunks seemed to be OK and would usually pay the fare.(Eventually). Smoking was of course aloud upstairs back then and on the last buses I often had a job seeing the front of the bus for the smoke. That is one thing I am glad that has changed but as I smoked myself at the time I guess that I was not so bothered as I would be today.

What you could have was a lot of FUN! Some of the passengers were real comedians and most of the staff were great. The female conductors (clippies) were always up for a laugh and teased us men rotten. As my father was an depot inspector doing in fact a similar job that I have done for over 20 years I was taken in very easily. I do not mean that the staff 'sucked up' to me because believe me that would never happen but I had been back and fore with Dad for years and I was known and accepted very quickly. That helped believe me and was one of the reasons that I stayed for four years.

On the next post I move on to driving and the fun and trouble that bought me.