My professional career, from the age of 17, started as a Parcel boy with Crosville Motor Services in Conwy, North Wales. When I was old enough to become a conductor, I thought I had reached my ambition. It was a great summer on the North Wales coast; I didn’t want it to end. 

 

Initially Crosville turned down my application to train with them but I must have done something to impress them as they changed their mind and I stayed for 8 years. My initiation came at Llandudno Junction but I learnt quickly when spending my first summer at the Edge Lane depot in Liverpool. At least I met my wonderful wife, Barbara, now of over 50 years, there. Managing depots at Dolgellau, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Johnstown and Runcorn, I started to climb the managerial ladder. 

 

My promotion to the great empire of Midland Red, my area management eventually stretched across 8 depots in Leicestershire and Warwickshire but, in 1981, a huge financial incentive tempted me to cross the divide into local authority transport and 8 years with Leicester City Transport (later Leicester CityBus) proved to be a challenging experience.

 

Deregulation in 1986 radically changed the industry and, in 1989, I was rescued by the employee buy-out of Derby City Transport. Its sale to British Bus in 1994 resulted in a move back north – to Liverpool. The group sold out to Cowie’s, they re-branded into Arriva but over the next 13 years the once ailing North Western company, for which I was now responsible, gradually grew through acquisition of smaller operators until 2000, when the takeover of Merseybus meant Arriva was the largest bus operator in Merseyside and Cheshire. 

 

Arriva management then thought the Liverpool team was capable of further expansion and by 2002, the empire of Arriva North West and Wales stretched from Skelmersdale to Crewe to Aberystwyth – more than 20 garages. In the process, we had re-constituted the Crosville Motor Services that I knew as a 17year old. And, if that wasn’t enough, for 2 years until the end of its franchise, we also had Merseyrail in the enlarged portfolio.

 

After an exhausting but fulfilling time in Liverpool I asked to prepare for retirement with a more subdued move back to Leicester, where I spent my final 5 years.

 

On retirement, I wrote my autobiography ‘With the Benefit of Hindsight’ while the exhilaration was still relatively fresh in my mind then a conversation with the Editor of ‘Buses’ magazine led me into further adventures. 

 

My exploits, travelling around by bus, have now resulted in over 30 articles that have appeared in ‘Buses’ over the past decade and I am grateful to Key Publishing, the publishers of ‘Buses’, for allowing me to re-produce those articles here on this website.

 

I will continue to travel as long as I am able and buses will always be my preferred mode of transport.

 

I hope any new readers will enjoy my chronicles and I will always welcome comments or criticism of the content.

 

Bob Hind