What was the first bus you remember riding on?

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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Bus Suggestions »

Don't remember the number, but it was a Renault PR180.2 on rail replacement WSBS to EQBS, when it was Esp Busport in 2010
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Campbelltown busboy »

The first bus I can remember catching is Busways 189 Mercedes O405 CC MK88 in 1992 on a Campbelltown bound 883
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Penguin »

I think for me was an STA 0305 or 0305G...can't quite remember properly
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by 1whoknows »

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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Alstom 888M »

Don't know what came first but I'll give it a go:
- The Met / Ansair MkI or MkII / MAN SL200
- Sunbury / PMC / Elwood

First Buses Driven:
- US Buslines / Volgren / Volvo B10M
- National / Ansair MET MkII / MAN SL200
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by huppypuppy »

My first bus was as a 6 year old - a rather antiquated UD Nissan Diesel RB30R. My most recent bus was a PTV (Kastoria Bus Lines) Mercedes-Benz O500LE/Volgren (in Melbourne of all places) - that one was a tad scary as the low coolant alert caused an alarm and STOP VEHICLE alert
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Centralian »

My earliest memory is of the same vintage as captainch earlier in this post - either a Reo or GMC of Mrs Warrens - Route 222 Dulwich Hill to Sydneham in Sydney. Probably late '50's or early '60's they were bonnetted and a rich dark red colour - obviously thanks to captainch's scrubbing - little did I know at the time. I was later catching a CAC bodied petrol Bedford OB or SB of either Mrs Warren or Marrickville BL to school on the same route in the early to mid '60's. My dad worked for the DGT in Sydney so school holidays were spent being child minded on the deckers while travelling around Sydney, and filling up their radiators at Tempe depot. No wonder it got into the psyche and has stayed with me !
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by captainch »

centrailian mrs warren had on her route 222/227. whites a couple were left hand drive 2 .maple leafs 3 GMCS 3 reos all with prophets of newtown bodys, 3 SB bedfords WITH CAC BODYS then her last 2 new bus were P.M.C SB5'S ALL WERE PARKED UNDER COVER she NEVER did charters but when newtown played st George at Henson park every bus was used from sydneham station & I COLLECTED THE 3D FARES! :roll: also she did night time trips for Australian woollen mills. E.A.T peanut factory/& shelly soft drinks, pye t.v factory at west marrickvile.flowlers pottery & globe woollen mills & all the drivers had their own bus & wore dust coats!I used to go to school at tempe high scholl on a 31 seater on the 442 Dulwich hill to tempe depot & had a regular driver called auther who let me work the doors & the hand! good old days :roll: :D :lol: MRS WARREN never had o.b bedfords but lowes of newtown had a few from newtown/Erskineville to the old showgrounds & they also did many industrials their show buses were strapp hanging crowds out the doors people used to get off trams at newtown bdge & travel on lowes buses to the easter show/races & football !
"CAPTAIN.C.H "Lives in the home of "SUGAR CANE' not "chickens" :lol: :lol:.........."INGHAM NTH QLD"
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Centralian »

A few memories for me there captainch. I was a regular traveller to Marrickville from Dulwich Hill on the 31 seater 'frogs' on Route 442. My dad slept in for work once and I remember one of the 31 seaters coming to our door to pick him up - we lived down near Arlington Oval and the railway goods line to Darling Harbour, today the station named Arlington for the light rail. Our old house still stands but there's units being built all over the place. The ETA peanut butter factory, knew it well and the PYE television factory. My mum worked at Vicars Woollen Mills - but I think Appleby & Nelson (Tempe BS) provided the bus link there to Sydenham Station. 'Red & Cream' posted some fantastic photos of Mrs Warrens buses quite a few years ago now, but they've been lost on this board now and I don't have any. Whenever I drive into Sydney and am able to I go and drive through Dulwich Hill and Marrickville just to relive some of those early memories I have of the area. Then there were the trams into Dulwich Hill as well and their terminus there, although I can't remember seeing the trams there. My dad drove those as well. Where did you live in those early days ?
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by CCCC »

Well this thread is starting to show some people ages.

For me would have been Seargents of Wyong and good chance it was a Bedford.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Centralian »

CCCC wrote:Well this thread is starting to show some people ages.

For me would have been Seargents of Wyong and good chance it was a Bedford.
Hey, I can remember them too, so I haven't lost it yet either. :D
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by captainch »

centrailian I came from INGHAM NTH QLD was one of 9 kids,So ONE of us would stay at mrs warrens place or my grandmothers house cnr sydnenham rd & garners ave. So Had to go to school went to Marrickville public which was the old Marrickville town hall. Rode the trams as a boy to tempe./earlwood/Canterbury/Dulwich hill plus sold newspapers on them they finished in sept 58 & tempe became a bus depot then went home .Got a job on the Brisbane trams in 64 then was called up for national service in 65 & went to viet-nam came back driving tram till the last night in apri 69.Was married moved to Sydney got a job on the govt buses lasted 46 years as a conductor/driver/inspector...............then was 2nd in charge at the Olympic village for 6 months. then became sick from ANGET ORANGE lived in kurri for 30 years then woy woy bay was flooded out twice travel every day to Sydney.................worked every depot in Sydney & did my last 3 years in Newcastle,Made many friends in the bus industry govt & private worked for 14 diferent private companys part time plus looked after show buses for 12 years,Tony & I have done 3 bus books & have 2 more to go! Both of us have had strokes & me 2 heart attacks............now came home to nth qld to finish my final months in a nursing home!...............The only thing that hasn't gone on me is my memories & parts of my mind can remember buses number plates from years ago! but can't remember 3 days ago! :roll:
"CAPTAIN.C.H "Lives in the home of "SUGAR CANE' not "chickens" :lol: :lol:.........."INGHAM NTH QLD"
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by captainch »

centrailian you will have to send me your phone number & have a talk about marrickvilles early days p/m :shock:
"CAPTAIN.C.H "Lives in the home of "SUGAR CANE' not "chickens" :lol: :lol:.........."INGHAM NTH QLD"
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by punchbowl525 »

saint AEC
m/o . 058 the black face bus on 113
AEC deca from eddy ave to dover hights 360
in the early 1950s
happy days riding on AEC buses .


1st bus i ever drove was punchbowl leyland 4518 in 1973 .
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by howlerbus »

First bus I went on would have been on the Murray Bridge Eastside school bus which was then operated by Riverside Bus Service (the compan y then merged into Murray Bridge Passenger Service, now LinkSA), it would have been a Freighter bodied Bedford.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by sunnyyan »

Probably not the first, but the first I remember would either be a O405NH or some sort of O405. Used some sort of TravelTen ticket.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by stu69 »

My first was a Leyland tiger Half cab, with a wooden framed body as a school bus in NZ.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Vitalstatistix »

The first bus I have a clear memory of riding on was an Auckland Regional Authority Mercedes Benz 0303 peanut bus. I remember it clearly as the O303 had rear exit doors as opposed to them being in the centre. That was cool in my mind so naturally as a 5 something year old I pointed to it and said "Mum, I want to go on that bus". Kind of lucky as by that time 1995 they had only a few left and were probably gone a year later.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by MaxHeadway »

Probably a Bedford SB. Definitely a route bus in dark blue livery, run by New Zealand Railways, between Waiuku and Papakura (the latter being the southernmost part of Auckland), in the early '80s. The equivalent route nowadays (at least geographically) would be the 395.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by TA3001 »

Is that an articulated coach in your avatar? I don't think I've seen many of these!
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by busrider »

It appears to be a "Fuji" Volvo B10ML. There used to be a few of them in Adelaide with various operators...
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by TA3001 »

I initially didn't recognise it as a suburban vehicle, but you may be correct about this. I'm not sure why they didn't have bells retrofitted though when they were in use with Torrens.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by Perth Jaywalker »

First memory of bus ride: 2003 (6 years old), route 60 to Perth, rigid inaccessible bus, Mercedes Benz or Renault.

Back in the days of manually wound route displays, nice sounding bells, openable windows and not having to cross the road to get into Perth train station.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by MaxHeadway »

busrider wrote:It appears to be a "Fuji" Volvo B10ML. There used to be a few of them in Adelaide with various operators...
Yes, a Fuji artic—in its original context, namely Expo '85 in Tsukuba, Japan. Several of them were used by Brisbane City Council from 1986 onwards, mainly on Cityxpress services. I rode a fair few of them on the Southside in 1989 and the early '90s.
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Re: What was the first bus you remember riding on?

Post by J_Busworth »

The first bus I remember remember riding on was a STA Mercedes-Benz 0405NHCNG with Custom Coaches Citaro bodywork from Leichhardt depot, it was been the 3:05pm service leaving from Coogee on a Thursday back in '06. That would service would become my regular up to UNSW for 8 years, almost always on the same model.
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