Looking Back: Life on Bolton's buses began in class at Shifnall Street depot

There is so much to enjoy about these photographs which were taken after Bolton Corporation opened a new school for bus drivers and conductors at its Shifnall Street depot in 1949.

In one photo, Inspector Hilton instructing some new recruits on how to use their ticket machines.

The other photo shows drivers in training using a model road layout.

If you thought that motivational signs were a product of the ‘yuppie’ generation then just look at the five boards above the heads of the trainee conductors.

Every one carries a message which they no doubt knew off by heart by the end of their training.



It’s interesting to see the blackboard behind the instructor which gives a breakdown of the ticket receipts sold on the Swan Lane - Great Lever route.

If we’ve read it right, it shows that 452 tickets at one penny each were sold and 389 halfpenny tickets, possibly children or OAPs. In total that’s a lot of passengers!

Source

Didn't know there was a bus depot on Shifnall St, only know it as the place the ladies of the night used to ply their trade 

Norpig wrote:Didn't know there was a bus depot on Shifnall St, only know it as the place the ladies of the night used to ply their trade 

They must have been trying to upgrade themselves after being labelled a used bike!

I remember going round there at night for fun when a friend of mine who just passed his test curb crawling tacking the piss out of the prozies.

We used to pull up and wind the window down only for the woman to bend down and see a car full of lads in it.

karlypants wrote:I remember going round there at night for fun when a friend of mine who just passed his test curb crawling tacking the piss out of the prozies.

We used to pull up and wind the window down only for the woman to bend down and see a car full of lads in it.

I remember those girls. Mary was my favourite. No idea why.