Blue Buses
How I Started
By Keith Banner
After leaving Halfords of King Street in June 1966 , I started working for Yarmouth Corporation Transport. I could not do the job I wanted as you had to be 18 to go on the road as a conductor so I was placed in the garage under the late great Cyril Tooke, garage boss. It was in the garage where I spent the next 6 months doing various jobs (i.e. paint shop, pre inspection cleaning).
It was here i met many good people including Billy Dougal, Charlie McDonald and his son, all very good mechanics in their own right and the late Blue Jersey a legend within the confines of the depot.
In December a vacancy arose on the road so I started my training as a conductor. Once I had my badge I started on the road. I spent a lot of time on the Magdalen and Newtown routes, but they were happy times. In 1969 after reaching my 21st birthday I started driving tuition under Kenny Rice and in Dec of that year I passed my test. I was now a bus driver. It was a job that I thoroughly enjoyed, but in 1971 with a wife and daughter I decided, as much as I loved the job, I had to venture to pastures new thus I started on a career that lasted some 32 years with Her Majestys Prison Service. But that's another story, but I will never forget my times and the people i met whilst working on the BLUE BUSES.