The return of the conductor to certain bus routes in Bradford is A Good Thing, according to your memories of travel in years gone by.

Having a crew of two certainly made for added protection on late night journeys.

Former driver Mr K Robinson, of Bramley, remembers getting the wind up one late Friday night on the West Yorkshire bus from Bradford to Leeds via Yeadon (one of the great all-round-the-houses routes of our time).

"We were making our way through Yeadon, thinking it had been a quiet night for a Friday. It was about 11.30pm.

"Suddenly, just as I was about to pull away from the stop, a car screeched to a halt across the front of the bus, which was trapped in the bus stop pull-in.

"The bus being one of the front-door types, I was able to talk with the conductor. "Bill," I said, "this looks like trouble", as a six-foot-three man got out of the passenger side of the car and another big man got out of the driver's side and stood watching.

"The tall man, built like a gladiator, walked menacingly towards the bus holding something behind his back. My conductor turned to me. 'Have you cut them up at a junction or something?' he asked, looking very worried.

"I said: 'No. Have you upset any passengers, and are this lot looking for revenge?'

"The big man was dangerously close now and I wondered if I should open the doors or not, but before I could make a decision, the Hulk had pressed the emergency door button on the outside. Bill and I looked at each other, wondering if we could defend ourselves from these he-men. As the doors slammed open, the big man took hold of the handrail as if he could stop the bus from driving away with one hand.

"Then, with a dark look, he spoke (in a high, 'camp' voice). 'Does this bus go to Leeds?' "We both replied 'yes'. 'Good' said the big guy, adjusting his shoulder bag across his back. 'We thought I was going to miss it'.

"As we drove off, the relief was enormous".

l During the war, the blackout added a hazard to bus journeys. It wasn't just that the driver had only the faintest glimmer from the headlights; the passengers had often no glimmer at all of where they were.

Mrs Florence Dunn, of Clayton, recalls the long haul up Thornton Road with a busload of soldiers heading for Thornton Grammar School. "At Leaventhorpe, the conductor would get off the bus and shout 'Right, lads!' - and what a commotion of Army regulation boots as the bus practically emptied, leaving only three or four civvies on board.

"Or there were the comments as the bus to Wibsey climbed St Enoch's Road.

"On the way up there was a staircase and the conductor would shout: 'Halfway to Heaven', or 'Stairway to Paradise' and - up at the top of St Enoch's - 'Golden Gates!'

"Time was when everyone had a happy ride home. We used to sing along and one lad from Thornton did a good Al Jolson, down on one knee, singing 'Mammy'. Happy days - happy memories."

Actually, that Thornton route has a good musical track record. I remember one driver, a mere quarter of a century ago, who would sing hymns in a glorious, deep, Caribbean voice, all the way from Thornton Cemetery to the city centre.

He was particularly fond of All Things Bright and Beautiful, and when he got to the line 'The Lord God made them all' he sang it with such emphasis that the most dedicated Darwinian would have been hesitant to contradict him.

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