70 Years Ago

Let's remember those within the bus industry who either lost their lives or were injured during the course of their duties, or in fighting for their country.

• Almost within days of going to war in 1939, the country’s traffic commissioners had seized control on England’s bus services in the national interest and were dictating rationalisations.


• There began a significant reduction in bus service mileage in all parts of the country. Even those areas where the war effort meant services were required saw some reductions.


• Evacuation of children and adults resulted in bigger cities (especially London) having a surplus of buses to donate elsewhere. This was important given that fewer new buses were built.


• By the end of the war, fitters had been coaxing life-expired buses into service every day.


• In many areas, a proportion of buses was commandeered for military use.


• Where there were factories engaged in helping the war effort, service cuts were generally less severe.


• There were often unpublished workers’ ghost buses running up to curfew in areas where there were factories engaged in the war effort.


• Evacuees placed a burden on already overcrowded buses in more rural areas or those towns deemed appropriate to receive them. The fewer services operating were already stretched.


• Seats on single deck buses were often rearranged around the perimeter to create a standing reservoir.


• Short distance passengers were often discouraged from making trips, especially at peak times.


• As platform staff were called up, there was a national shortage of staff. Women stepped in as clippies and these were often the first women employees on operational bus duties since the General Strike of 1926. This time, many women stayed on after the war.


• Early petrol rationing for private use and eventually no civilian petrol at all resulted in many more passengers than before the war.


• New builds were in short supply, as many factories turned their hands to the war effort. There were eventually new chassis and bodies produced, to utilitarian designs, from about 1942/3.


• Evening services were sharply curtailed and in many cases in the early years, buses ceased after 1900. This was relaxed as the war continued.


• A number of garages throughout the country were directly hit by enemy action though where possible operators would scatter their out of service buses around their towns.


• Darkened conditions on buses at night meant that it proved difficult for clippies to undertake their duties. In these darkened conditions, there were a number of collisions between buses and pedestrians.


• Seasonal and leisure traffic stopped abruptly as tourists melted away. Often, unneeded seasonal bus staff found their way into factories.


• Double shifts were common owing to staff shortages.


• For a while, gas powered buses became if not relatively common then certainly prevalent enough to notice.


• Bright liveries were often toned down as greys became common and coloured roofs were treated. Operating names that might give a clue to arriving enemy parachutists were sometimes removed.


• Under the traffic commissioners, there was often a state of heightened co-operation between operators, helping each other out, informally or formally.


• General coaching activities stopped altogether.