| ..... and a
packet of extra strong mints. |
 |
| Drinking on duty was,
of course, not permitted. Indeed we were not
even allowed on licenced premises. Even so
.... |
|
| There
were two pubs at the bus station in Southampton
and crews on standby often had to be fetched
to do a journey. Most of the termini on Hants
& Dorset routes had pubs too. Sometimes
inspectors would be sent out to catch crews
drinking, often we were tipped off. I had
a narrow escape one evening at Fair Oak, a
place where I and the driver I was with that
night had stopped for a pint on more than
one occasion. For some reason we had decided
not to go to the pub and were sitting on the
bus when the inspector's car pulled up. |
|
| Bus companies like Hants
& Dorset carried parcels as well as passengers.
We collected and delivered parcels at bus
stations and at parcels agents along the major
routes. A conductor, with many years service,
was caught in The Shoe at Plaitford but before
he had time to buy a drink. When he was summoned
to the office, the depot superintendent asked
him why he was in the public bar. His reply
that the pub was too busy for anyone to come
to the side door was readily accepted, not
least because he had been caught by a Wilts
& Dorset inspector and not one of ours.
|
|
| But you have to obey
orders. Another conductor, told by his driver
that there was something wrong with the brakes,
found the nearest phone was out of order.
The phone in the pub was working and when
he asked what he should do was told to stay
exactly where he was. He did not argue. |
|
| One of the breweries
held a beer tasting in the rooms above the
Co-op Travel Agency across the road from the
bus station. The idea was that people would
take a sip of several different beers and
then score them. Unfortunately the event had
not been publicised so the people running
it came over to the bus station for volunteers.
But as there was a lot of beer and a limited
number of drivers and conductors, we had to
drink a pint of each. |
|
| There was one time I
was particularly glad when the pubs opened
in the morning. And not because I wanted a
drink, just a smooth ride. At Winchester we
had a driver who at six thirty in the morning
could not drive to save his life, let alone
mine. With erratic steering, wild gear changes
and sharp braking he threw me round the bus.
Until he managed to get a couple of drinks
inside him. Then all was peace and calm for
the rest of the day. |
|