Birmingham buses

[Heartland]

The Central Bus station formed the centre of Paradise Circus and was covered by the Library and other buildings. The Council's version of Ground Zero which destroyed those structures also removed all traces of the intended bus station. As stated the space generally lay vacant although some hotel development did take over part of the ground.

As bus design was changing, those that planned the bus station should perhaps have been more far sighted. It was in a convenient spot for a bus station and perhaps may well have improved travelling by bus in the city.

 

[Vinny]

Busses

I Used To Go To Icknield Stret Hockley Brook On The Bus,s
Around On The No,8 From Aston Cross In Rocky Lane
We Was So Poor Mom Got A Load Of Plastic Tokens From The Education Dept , Some Was Grren And Some Was Red Ones
And They Was Thevalue Of 1 Penny Other Wise We Couldnt Get To School And Also Old Man Kitchener Wouldappearat The Front Door
Asking Why Ain,t We Are In School
Blimy They Was The Days
Diid Any Body Else Get These Tokens ,? .
Best Wishes Astonian ,;;

Yes we were also given the tokens to go swimming.

 

[mikeflan]

Yes we were also given the tokens to go swimming.

Yes...we had some green and red tokens given to us by the school........the school somehow got involved in Irish dancing and there were various journeys to other schools...... one was St Catherines in the Horse Fair...... so our school gave us all tokens for the fares to get there......... goodness...those plastic tokens were quite a memorable thing of those past days....

 

[Lloyd]

goodness...those plastic tokens were quite a memorable thing of those past days....

 

[Astoness]

thanks lloyd..i never needed the bus tokens simply because all of my schools were within walking distance but i knew some school friends who did require them

lyn

 

[Morturn]

So what was the criteria for getting bus tokens?

 

[mw0njm.]

bus tokens ...i remember we had them. to pay for the bus fare to the school clinic,for sunlight treatment or to see the dreaded nurse.

 

[Pedrocut]

bus tokens ...i remember we had them. to pay for the bus fare to the school clinic,for sunlight treatment or to see the dreaded nurse.

Was that the Nit Nurse Pete ?

 

[mw0njm.]

Was that the Nit Nurse Pete ?

na it was to paint us with that blue stuff.

 

[Enel]

I can remember being provided with bus tokens in order to attend metalwork classes. We didn’t have a workshop at Harry Lucas, and so were sent to Gem st, and then later, Warren Farm Road school.

 

[oldMohawk]

When I was a schoolboy the tokens were available if we had to use buses to get to school. I needed to use two buses on the journey to and from Handsworth Tech so received lots of tokens ...

 

[mw0njm.]

When I was a schoolboy the tokens were available if we had to use buses to get to school. I needed to use two buses on the journey to and from Handsworth Tech so received lots of tokens ...

and i did phil i had loads
Plastic Tram & Bus Tokens

 

[johnny082]

I'm now jealous. I was at Handsworth Tech. 1945 - 1946, travelling from Salford Bridge to top of Villa Road on the tram and never had any tokens !! Do you think I can claim my tram fares back and to whom should I apply ???

 

[castalla]

My mom tried to get tokens for me to go from St Wilfreds Hodge Hill to St Wilfred Martineau 3 buses 56 Castle Brom to Fox then the 11 then the 14 , but she could not get them as journey was not long enough as they calculated as the Crow flys, so had to go to Hodge Hill Comp, and to this day never seen or met any of my class mates since i left 52 years ago

 

[mw0njm.]

I'm now jealous. I was at Handsworth Tech. 1945 - 1946, travelling from Salford Bridge to top of Villa Road on the tram and never had any tokens !! Do you think I can claim my tram fares back and to whom should I apply ???

it was not what you knew its who you knew

 

[Vinny]

View attachment 151761

Hi Lloyd

View attachment 151761

Hi Lloyd,
Were all of these still in use in the sixties?

 

[oldMohawk]

I'm now jealous. I was at Handsworth Tech. 1945 - 1946, travelling from Salford Bridge to top of Villa Road on the tram and never had any tokens !! Do you think I can claim my tram fares back and to whom should I apply ???

Thinking back I remember that my Mom used to give me the tokens before I set off to school but I can’t remember where she got them from. I suppose BCT issued them to the schools or maybe directly to families.

 

[Brookfields Lad]

I can remember being provided with bus tokens in order to attend metalwork classes. We didn’t have a workshop at Harry Lucas, and so were sent to Gem st, and then later, Warren Farm Road school.

I too went to Gem st for metalwork (1963). I caught the number eight bus from Icknield st to Congreve st and then walked to Gem st. I seem to remember using plastic tokens a lot.

 

[mw0njm.]

Thinking back I remember that my Mom used to give me the tokens before I set off to school but I can’t remember where she got them from. I suppose BCT issued them to the schools or maybe directly to families.

we got ours from the school secetary

 

[DavidGrain]

I went to George Dixon Grammar School which was split at that time between City Road and Five Ways. I used to collect the red 1d tokens from the school secretary if I needed to go between the two schools.

 

[Richard Dye]

I'm now jealous. I was at Handsworth Tech. 1945 - 1946, travelling from Salford Bridge to top of Villa Road on the tram and never had any tokens !! Do you think I can claim my tram fares back and to whom should I apply ???

Johnny, we could not get them either and I took two buses. When my mom did not have the money I walked, when I got older I rode my bike and chained it up when I got to school!

 

[raz ullah]

Busses

I Used To Go To Icknield Stret Hockley Brook On The Bus,s
Around On The No,8 From Aston Cross In Rocky Lane
We Was So Poor Mom Got A Load Of Plastic Tokens From The Education Dept , Some Was Grren And Some Was Red Ones
And They Was Thevalue Of 1 Penny Other Wise We Couldnt Get To School And Also Old Man Kitchener Wouldappearat The Front Door
Asking Why Ain,t We Are In School
Blimy They Was The Days
Diid Any Body Else Get These Tokens ,? .
Best Wishes Astonian ,;;

Hi Astonian i used those tokens on the buses when i was an apprentice travelling to Brooklyn Tech in Great Barr from Clifton Road Aston that was between 1968 to 1972 they wouldn't need them nowadays because they have cars . x

 

[Astoness]

hi raz if you see gone but not forgotten under a members user name its means they are now deceased so sadly astonian wont be replying to you

lyn

 

[Nigel Edwards]

Yes ..My Grandfather delayed his retirement by 3 months to do the last run..I didnt know about the enthusiasts runs .or the newspaper article I will try to find it. My grandfather retired at 63..and died aged 91 a nice long retirement...again many thanks . Roy

Hi Roy,
I was doing some Trolleybus research recently (what else in 'lockdown) and came across the 'Mail' article you referred to. Hope this helps

 

[juneflo]

Thought this photo might interest some people. My mom and dad, Eileen and Bob Gazey worked on the buses - 3rd row from the bottom. I think many relationships came out of this male/female working. I think this was late 40's

 

[brummy-lad]

Lovely picture and good quality, the ladies 2nd and 3rd from the top could be sisters too.

 

[Lloyd]

Thought this photo might interest some people. My mom and dad, Eileen and Bob Gazey worked on the buses - 3rd row from the bottom. I think many relationships came out of this male/female working. I think this was late 40's

View attachment 152818

Nice photo - any idea of which Midland Red garage it was?

 

[juneflo]

Nice photo - any idea of which Midland Red garage it was?

Sorry, no idea which garage it was. Probably nearest to Nechells or Aston as they were probably living in one of those areas then.

 

[Astoness]

Thought this photo might interest some people. My mom and dad, Eileen and Bob Gazey worked on the buses - 3rd row from the bottom. I think many relationships came out of this male/female working. I think this was late 40'sView attachment 152818 View attachment 152818

what a splendid photo...thanks for sharing it with us all...one to treasure

lyn

 

[Bill Groove]

WOW ........... So many buses..... ragga. View attachment 10729

I hope the contributors here don't mind me adding my pennyworth! Probably nothing to do with any focus currently being discussed. I lived on Pheasey Estate b1947 As a kid we had the great bus luxury of having the Warwicks, Staffordshire border on the Queslett Rd. Pheasey in the '50s was in Aldridge. It later became Brownhills then, as now Walsall.
Of course we had Bham Corp bus 29a terminating at Collingwood Drive and possibly one of the longest routes across city in BHam and a connection to everywhere with the no11, no8 crossing its town route and the same south of the Bull Ring. West Brom Corp and Walsall Corp buses used Beacon Road for routes to Aldridge and Walsall and back to West Brom. The bus fares were only to Barr Beacon we then had to pay again a new fare for onward transmission to Aldridge/Walsall. My Mum and me used to chose our BIG shop venue with the choice of 3 "capitals" West Brom, (cream and purplish,) Walsall ( blue) Brum, all with easy access on these routes. We aslo had a choice from Kingstanding Circle of catching the Cannock bus (pea green). The nearest Midland Red was BHam - Walsall along the Bham/Walsall Road Gt Barr.

So many buses - so little time