TRIVIA: The first and last operators to ban smoking

[TheGrandWazoo]

Nobody would have lasted long smoking whilst driving at Darlington Borough Transport!

I'm sure that quite a few would've been caught at some desolate terminus, waiting time and not leaving the cab of their Seddon RU or Fleetline.

 

[RT4038]

I'm sure that quite a few would've been caught at some desolate terminus, waiting time and not leaving the cab of their Seddon RU or Fleetline.

Or a Duple Dominant bus bodied Leopard, or an 'exotic' Ward Dalesman? However, that wouldn't have been 'driving'. Faverdale maybe? Not much else that desolate!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Or a Duple Dominant bus bodied Leopard, or an 'exotic' Ward Dalesman? However, that wouldn't have been 'driving'. Faverdale maybe? Not much else that desolate!

Faverdale but Red Hall and Harrowgate Hill were also ones that sprang to mind!

ps for the uninitiated, that is how they spell Harrowgate in Darlington

 

[Darandio]

Not that many seats on an LH!

As for Martindales, they weren’t a byword for quality. My dad was a United driver and got booked a few times for smoking!

A very good point! Even if you were smoking at the back you were near the front.

Indeed they weren't a byword for quality. What they did provide was a lifeline that nobody else wanted to offer though, even if it defied reality that they could keep it going for so long. Even as late as 1998 it was 14p full and 7p half for any trip with no ticket machine around Ferryhill.

 

[quarella]

SWT had banned smoking around the time of privatisation but in the mid 1990s permitted it again for a while on one route. The Big Red Bus ran on an established route from Swansea City Centre to Blaenymaes.

 

[Busaholic]

Drivers were not generally allowed to smoke - I think in case they had some form of coughing fit, or if it distracted them.

When London buses became non-smoking, large notices were displayed on upper deck front bulkheads announcing £1,000 fines for contravention (no 'up to' preceding that figure iirc). For years afterwards, I never saw a passenger smoking, but saw plenty of drivers on Routemasters doing so, but never on an opo bus. Some drivers resisted becoming opo for reasons including the smoking habit, until the early 2000s when even the major Central London routes had the inevitable conversion.

 

[Roger1973]

I first travelled on single deck London buses in the very early 1950s and I'm convinced smoking was never allowed on them at that time.

I've seen preserved London single deckers of RF era and before with interior signs along the lines of 'smokers are asked to occupy rear seats' but can't vouch for how authentic they are to any particular era.

Did L.T still allow smoking on the lower decks of routemasters seeing as it had the open rear, I remember seeing the conductors smoking on the rear deck for sure in the early 90's and would the driver get away with it seeing as his space was enclosed?

don't think passengers were ever allowed to smoke downstairs on London buses. Conductors weren't supposed to smoke on duty but a few would smoke on the platform / upstairs (in the days when smoking was allowed upstairs)

Drivers were not generally allowed to smoke - I think in case they had some form of coughing fit, or if it distracted them.

again, fairly sure it was against LT rules for drivers to smoke in the cab, but quite a few would in 'half cab' buses. I remember being quite impressed when quite young when observing an 'old hand' driver construct and light a 'roll up' while driving a bus...

 

[bobslack1982]

I remember travelling on a Pennine National in about 2003 and it still had the smoking section at the back of the bus. Can’t remember if smoking was allowed though.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

SWT had banned smoking around the time of privatisation but in the mid 1990s permitted it again for a while on one route. The Big Red Bus ran on an established route from Swansea City Centre to Blaenymaes.

Which is odd considering they banned smoking on their services yet the associated Brewers operation permitted it. This photo (credit to photographer) shows a Dart delivered new in 1995 and the No Smoking window stickers stopping to allow smoking in the rear seats

BREWERS 615 N615MHB

N615MHB was a Dennis Dart 9.8SDL / Plaxton Pointer DP40F new as Brewers number 615 in September 1995. In February 1990, Brewers Motor Services and United Welsh Coaches, and South Wales Transport were sold to Badgerline. All initially retained their trading names but following Badgerline merging...

www.flickr.com

It looks like they were non smoking during 1996.