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Dragon on the Web interdum
Back again!
Well as I have said I left in 1973 to get a better job. I had a few jobs in the time between then and 1977, one of them driving funeral cars! I ended up driving for a firm delivering wholesale fresh fish for three years. After smelling of fish for that amount of time even bus driving began to seem pleasant.
So in 1977 I applied to come back as a driver. I still had my licence as I had done some coach work in the time that I was away. But, I had a lousy record due to my late time keeping and at first was refused a job. But in those days the ‘old boy network’ still worked and I had my father have a word with the manager. He brought me into his office and said that the only reason he would give me a chance was because of my father and if I messed up again that would be it.
But in the four years that I had been away I had grown up a lot. The job driving the fish lorries involved a lot of early shifts and I had learned how to cope with that time of day. Mark was in school and I was a lot more settled in my home life.
So I got straight back into it and it was as if I had not been away. The one-man buses had more or less taken over then and I started to enjoy the job. The hours were still long and you still had to work overtime for a good wage but I was young and fit and could do the hours.
And I had always enjoyed my driving as well so I started to take part in the ‘Bus driver of the Year’ competitions that had started at that time. I won the South Glamorgan driver of the year twice and was runner up once. I took part in the national competition but came nowhere due to making a stupid error.
I was still enjoying the driving and had moved on to the ‘out of town routes’. These were only given then to drivers with a good record and involved as the title says driving in different areas such as Tredegar and Caerphilly and Penarth. There was more in this than the normal Cardiff routes and made a real change.
But then in 1981 I decided that I was ready for the next move and than was to become an inspector. I applied but rarely did anyone get it on the first application. That was really just to show that you were interested and I was turned down at that time.
In 1982 the chance came up again and I had another go at it. This time I was successful and I was taken on as a ticket inspector. Move to the next page for that part.
