On the final approach to Hanley Bus Station.
Hanley Bus Station as built in 1968 was conceived as part of a shopping and leisure precinct even though it was on the fringe of what local folks regard as the town centre. Initially occupancy was high with shops of many kinds, cafes, a restaurant and attended toilets. Latterly the place became run down with hardly any businesses, a hang out for the down and outs, dirty and an altogether forboding place with no real facilities. Now it's to be replaced by a swish new station which almost by definition will be too small, but hopefully a terminal where catching a bus might not be such an irksome experience.
Here in 1982/3 as signs of the rot were setting in, Berresfords (on hire to Stonier's) ex Highland Omnibuses Ford R192 KST 367G passes West Precinct as it travels the last few hundred yards prior to entering the bus station which was at the rear of the building.
This Willowbrook bodied Ford and it's sister 360G were never the most popular buses in the fleet being noisy in the cab, having heavy steering and a manual gearbox with comedic ratios. The other Ford in the shot, a Corsair, might be more fondly remembered!
At the time Highland still hastily painted most of their disposals grey and obliterated their identity in doing so. This pair arrived with the Berresfords group at the time of the famed conflict in the South Atlantic and received the nick name Falklands buses as they looked more like troop transport.
On the final approach to Hanley Bus Station.
Hanley Bus Station as built in 1968 was conceived as part of a shopping and leisure precinct even though it was on the fringe of what local folks regard as the town centre. Initially occupancy was high with shops of many kinds, cafes, a restaurant and attended toilets. Latterly the place became run down with hardly any businesses, a hang out for the down and outs, dirty and an altogether forboding place with no real facilities. Now it's to be replaced by a swish new station which almost by definition will be too small, but hopefully a terminal where catching a bus might not be such an irksome experience.
Here in 1982/3 as signs of the rot were setting in, Berresfords (on hire to Stonier's) ex Highland Omnibuses Ford R192 KST 367G passes West Precinct as it travels the last few hundred yards prior to entering the bus station which was at the rear of the building.
This Willowbrook bodied Ford and it's sister 360G were never the most popular buses in the fleet being noisy in the cab, having heavy steering and a manual gearbox with comedic ratios. The other Ford in the shot, a Corsair, might be more fondly remembered!
At the time Highland still hastily painted most of their disposals grey and obliterated their identity in doing so. This pair arrived with the Berresfords group at the time of the famed conflict in the South Atlantic and received the nick name Falklands buses as they looked more like troop transport.