West Bromwich Corporation Transport - new one-man services 20, 40 & 41, 13 July 1969
In a matter of weeks after this leaflet was issued, on 1 October 1969, the long direct association between the County Borough of West Bromwich and its municipally controlled transport department would be over as the undertaking would be folded into the new West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive along with the other surrounding municipal operators. This leaflet was issued to promote the new 'one man' operated services that replaced existing routes 19 and 28 - on the grounds, as noted, that these loss makers could be brought back into profitability by new roues, new timetables and new fares allied to operation by the Corporation's nice new Daimler Fleetlines that could be OPO operated unlike West Brom's rather fine fleet of traditional front engined, back platformed Daimler CVs.
The tone of the text is rather 'municipal paternalism' - 'your committee', suffer undue hardship', your Committee felt'. "If in doubt ... he will be pleased to help". No women drivers here! The leaflet is also pushing the 'how to use one man buses' line as, for many passengers, they'd been used to getting on at the back, sitting down and waiting for the conductor or conductress to come along and issue the ticket. It was, then, fine for 'women' to do that.
I remember the name of S Jobling as it was carried, of course, on the buses themselves and I used to note it everytime we waited for a number 6 bus to and from Hamstead where we lived for many years in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The name, and the address of the Department and its garage in Oak Lane, would soon go to be replaced by the Executive's legal lettering along with West Bromwich's amazingly complex, for the day, bus livery that retained many features long lost on other municipal vehicles even before PTE's took over.
West Bromwich Corporation Transport - new one-man services 20, 40 & 41, 13 July 1969
In a matter of weeks after this leaflet was issued, on 1 October 1969, the long direct association between the County Borough of West Bromwich and its municipally controlled transport department would be over as the undertaking would be folded into the new West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive along with the other surrounding municipal operators. This leaflet was issued to promote the new 'one man' operated services that replaced existing routes 19 and 28 - on the grounds, as noted, that these loss makers could be brought back into profitability by new roues, new timetables and new fares allied to operation by the Corporation's nice new Daimler Fleetlines that could be OPO operated unlike West Brom's rather fine fleet of traditional front engined, back platformed Daimler CVs.
The tone of the text is rather 'municipal paternalism' - 'your committee', suffer undue hardship', your Committee felt'. "If in doubt ... he will be pleased to help". No women drivers here! The leaflet is also pushing the 'how to use one man buses' line as, for many passengers, they'd been used to getting on at the back, sitting down and waiting for the conductor or conductress to come along and issue the ticket. It was, then, fine for 'women' to do that.
I remember the name of S Jobling as it was carried, of course, on the buses themselves and I used to note it everytime we waited for a number 6 bus to and from Hamstead where we lived for many years in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The name, and the address of the Department and its garage in Oak Lane, would soon go to be replaced by the Executive's legal lettering along with West Bromwich's amazingly complex, for the day, bus livery that retained many features long lost on other municipal vehicles even before PTE's took over.