Jeff Mitchell has retired as engineering manager at Keighley & District Travel's Suresnes Road bus garage, where he had worked continuously for 37 years.

He had daily responsibility for the servicing and maintenance of over 100 buses.

Sutton-born Jeff, 63, served his apprenticeship with motor engineers Grace & Sutcliffe and was taken on as a fitter by Keighley-West Yorkshire Serv-ices Ltd, at Suresnes Road, in June 1966.

He is proud of the fact the Keighley garage has always held an excellent reputation for the quality of its skills and standards in bodyshop repairs, engineering and paintwork, all carried out under the same roof. He said: "I've always worked on the basis of tackle the little jobs immediately so that they don't become big jobs.

"In the old West Yorkshire Road Car Company days, if a Leeds or Bradford depot bus broke down in Keighley, we had to provide a replacement bus from Keighley garage.

"It then took us ages to get that bus back from Leeds or Bradford. They would always hang on to it for weeks because it was so much better maintained than theirs were."

Jeff said engineering work had changed dramatically over the years.

"With the older buses such as Albions, Perkins, Bristols and Leylands we had to completely strip down the engines, but with today's modern Volvos it's mainly servicing and there's much more electrical work to fix rather than mechanical," he said.

Senior bus cleaner Elaine Hagyard, on behalf of her colleagues at the garage, paid tribute to Jeff.

She said: "He is a real gentleman, the best boss I have ever had. He never told us what to do, but always asked.

"He is a very much respected as a friend and colleague, liked by maintenance staff and bus drivers alike. He will be greatly missed for his patience and good humour."

Jeff now hopes to devote more time to improving his golfing skills at Fardew, East Morton, and caravanning.