1998: New buses for Gelterkinden

At PTT Gelterkinden Garage they resisted the arrival of the more sophisticated imports and doggedly clung on to traditional no frills solid Swiss engineering and it's allocation remained totally Saurer RH till 1996. Even following the inevitable arrival of the new Mercedes Citaro a couple of Saurers remained as the new buses proved troublesome at first and this example was seen at Liestal as there was also an outstation at Buren.

My girl's a bus called Erin Louise

I've been loosely following Saint Valentine's themes this week and with the exception of photographing them as they go by, what better way could there be to celebrate them than name your favourite bus after one. Well maybe not but naming buses after children was one of the nice quirks to be found on the vehicles belonging to GTL in Liverpool. This company was formed when Arriva was told to sell it's Gillmoss Garage and buses to a competitor because it now had close to a monopoly in the city. Arriva had dramatically pruned it's double-deck fleet and as being fine old buses a fleet of mainly former London Transport Leyland Titan's added some much needed interest to streets that once echoed to the sounds of the Atlantean.

Rush Hour Traffic: Lisbon

Some photographs are obviously flawed and it's so easy to just throw them away but sometimes that can be a big mistake. Take this image for instance taken in Lisbon when I was there in July 1984 for when it is enlarged it captures both the feeling of heat and that evening's frantic activity. As for the car moving across the shot it doesn't really spoil the view and acts as a counterpoint to the rest of the traffic trailing off in to the distance. The photography manual tells us there is a right and wrong way to do things, read it by all means, but don't be afraid to experiment as without it there would be no progress.

Love is Everywhere: Berlin Wannsee

Sexy images are everywhere as we wait for our bus home reminding us that we need to be loved.

Don't forget to send your message!

Well it is St.Valentine's Day. A pair of Dennis's Dennis Darts in Manchester taken about five years ago.

Locano: Girls going home at lunchtime.

When I was at school in Switzerland in the Sixties the little Setra Coaches that we sometimes hired from Aigle were always a bit chintzy and had an overstuffed feel about their interior with all those twee little holders of plastic flowers and I still remember the netting on the back of the seats that vibrated and that groaning from the high revving engine at the back. It's strange how the things we overlooked or looked down on in childhood become what we come to remember with a certain fondness. For me it has all become a part of my love for Switzerland. They had all gone by the time I took this photo in 1990 but I think this similar shaped bus outside Locano Station is a Magrus Deutz.

It's great when I get a smile

A sunny view from Stafford my home town, and most of the Arriva buses in the town are now Dennis Darts but they carry with a good variety of bodywork including Marshall of Cambridge.

MCW Metrobus

Of course there are no end of women to photograph in London but it's not always that easy to get the right picture and sometimes we have to make compromises. When I take buses and girls together at least one of them has to be the main subject and in this instance even though I hurried my shot here in Charing Cross Road at least you can see what the bus is and where it is going.

Tall Blond in Berlin

It's getting close to Saint Valentine's Day so I think it's time to give you a few buses and girls to put you in a romantic frame of mind. Berlin is quite an ugly city in many respects so when one spots a really beautiful woman in the crowd they really stand out.

Bristol Lodekka

Bristol Omnibus operated many FLF Bristol Lodekka's including 7127 seen nearing the end of it's days in the city centre.

Hino

One thing that has surprised me is how little impact the Japanese and Koreans have had on the European bus and truck market. This pleasant looking Hino was photographed on the Greek Island of Ios in the Eighties.

Saurer DAB in Geneva

During the Seventies several small bus manufactures and bodybuilders got together to help each other sell their products in local markets and to be able to offer a wider range of sophisticated products and called it United Bus. Sadly they still could not withstand the clout of the big boys like Daimler Benz and Volvo, and most of it's members have since ceased trading or absorbed. But it did create some interesting buses like Geneva 214 which was something of a European Hybrid as although it was obviously a Danish DAB using Leyland compenents from the U.K it was badged as a Swiss Saurer because of it's engine and Swiss customer.