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Wigan Album

Ribble Buses

18 Comments

30-10-1965-Homeward Bound to Wigan & NW.
30-10-1965-Homeward Bound to Wigan & NW.
Photo: Barrie
Views: 3,207
Item #: 31277
Fleet of "Gay Hostess's" plus Standerwick/Scout coaches at the Watford Gap Services M1. I was on my way back from London to Wigan on one of the Gay Hostess fleet.Left Victoria coach Station 11.00 am & into Wigan 17.45. The previous week went overnight on one leaving Wigan at 00-05 getting into London 07-15.Total cost of return journey=£1-19-00.(£1.90 in today's money)

Comment by: Carolaen on 17th June 2019 at 19:06

Barrie. Only one thing wrong. £1-19/- is roughly equivalent to 40 in today's money terms.

I also remember the midnight bus to London very well. In 1969 I was invited for interview at the University of Sussex near Brighton at 10am. Like many at WGS if you had enough O levels you could skip the 5th Form and as my Birthday was in late June it meant that at the time of the interview I was only 16. As we were not loaded with money and I could not afford to stay the night in Brighton, I (on my own as Mum and Dad worked) caught the midnight bus to Victoria Bus station, walked over to Victoria Railway station and caight the train to Brighton arriving in plenty of time. My interviewer asked me where I had stayed in Brighton the night before and was gobsmacked when I told him how I had got there.

Incidentally my experience was nothing special amongst my class mates,. I think all of us went on our own by public transport. How different form todays generation of students who are chauffeured by parents to interviews, or have their own cars etc.

Comment by: Alan on 17th June 2019 at 20:32

The best vehicle in this shot is the Ford Corsair.

Comment by: Carolaen on 17th June 2019 at 22:05

Alan, quite right it was a very underrated car, even better was the convertible version built by Crayford.

Comment by: Ray on 18th June 2019 at 08:40

Great picture from Barrie. I think Barrie was indicating
how £1-19-0 would be written today, not what it would be in
todays value.

Comment by: A.W. on 18th June 2019 at 10:27

Carolean, £1/19 in pre decimal currency is equivalent to £1.90 in modern money.

Comment by: Carolaen on 18th June 2019 at 12:38

Ray. £1.95. Damn those 5ps

Comment by: John on 18th June 2019 at 14:29

To be pedantic £1/19/- converts to £1.95 not £1.90. (One shilling = 5p)

Comment by: Albert.S. on 18th June 2019 at 15:39

In the mid to late sixties, I would travel up to London, from Folkestone by train, nip across to Victoria bus station, and get the bus to take me to Wigan. I was always surprised. On reaching Birmingham. We stopped in a mediocre street, not the bus station. I forget where the bus went to, after it left Wigan’s Market Square. Caught the bus back to London, from the Market Square.

Comment by: Philip G. on 18th June 2019 at 16:59

Whups would have got it by another route: Treble nineteen, Double.

Comment by: Barrie on 18th June 2019 at 17:09

Oops!! everyone, missed the 5p off. Out of interest what is the fare now from Wigan to London return? In the early 60's I always used the coach/bus to go on holiday in Cornwall.Had to change around Cheltenham to a different company.

Comment by: AH on 18th June 2019 at 17:45

Barrie;two companys spring to mind.changing at Cheltenham in the late 50s early 60s yelloway ; black & white

Comment by: Mr X on 18th June 2019 at 19:10

Watford Gap services is nowhere near Watford,it is about 50 miles north between Rugby and Northampton. Note the railway line that is now with overhead electrification, that is the main line from Glasgow, Carlisle, Penrith Lancaster, Preston and of course Wigan North Western to London Euston that runs next to the M1 motorway services.

Comment by: English Electric on 18th June 2019 at 23:16

Barrie - out of interest, I looked up the coach fare on National Express.
Travelling next Wednesday with a return ticket it's £54.70 - so slightly up on the "£40 in today's money" fare from 1969.
Still have one bus per day leaving Wigan at 10.15, arriving in London 15.50 (give or take quite a bit, I'd imagine)

Virgin Trains is £89.60 for an off-peak return (same day, similar time). Two trains an hour to London to choose from though, and can get you there in a minute or two under two hours.

If you wanted to splash out on a fully-flexible ticket in First Class on Virgin Trains to London, it would set you back a whopping £495 (but you do get a bacon butty and cup of tea thrown in for that price!)

Comment by: Albert.S. on 19th June 2019 at 15:24

Mr X. The railway between Blackpool to Preston is now electrification. The diesels are still used on the northern line, to York.

Comment by: priscus on 19th June 2019 at 16:03

£495? Cathay Pacific will fly you RETURN to Aus for less than that.

Link:

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/australia-cheap-flights-how-to-holiday-sydney-melbourne-perth-a8708286.html

Comment by: JMW on 19th June 2019 at 20:50

In 1966 the Wigan Grammar School trip to Arles in southern France (Messrs. Gapes and Eccles in charge I think) started with one of these buses from Wigan bus station to London. And we stopped at Watford Gap. I don't remember how we then got to Paris, but the train from Paris to Arles was the quickest thing I'd ever been on at the time.

Comment by: Barrie on 20th June 2019 at 08:27

Looking back in my 60's diaries, the trips to Cornwall were from Liverpool, so it was 320 bus from Wigan (with suitcase) to Liverpool and then coach to Exeter changing onto Royal Blue to Newquay or further on. I can always remember our 1st stop from Wigan/Liverpool was Prees Heath cafe on the A49/A41 junction. I think due to drivers hours.
In this crazy world of "PC" these long distance buses would not now be called "Gay Hostess" but I think the name came from the fact that they were the 1st long distance buses (as the motorways were being built) to have snacks and a toilet on board with a female attendant. Anyone remember the "White Ladies" in the North West region from Ribble.?

Comment by: Ray on 21st June 2019 at 08:42

Barrie, I will post a couple of pictures of the original and later "White Ladies" on this thread in the next few days. Cheers, Ray.

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