Here is a selection of Bell Punch tickets from the Green Bus Co. Ltd. of Rugeley and Uttoxeter (Staffordshire) – M A & C J Whieldon. The tickets were issued around 1963. Green Bus was an archetypal small independent. It served the Rugeley, Uttoxeter, Lichfied triangle and intervening villages. At the time their fleet included a couple of Daimler CVD6/Brush double deckers, ex-Bradford City Transport, one or two Guy Arabs with post-war (i.e. not Utility) bodies, and a number of half-cab single deck coaches, the identity of which I cannot now remember. In addition to the main interurban services, they also ran a short Lichfield local service jointly with Midland Red, utilising marginal time between trips on the Uttoxeter-Lichfield run.

Ticket Photograph and Copy contributed by Stephen Ford

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When I was doing my eight weeks "squarebashing" (initial recruit training) at RAF Hednesford in October – December 1954 the Green Bus Service was a thriving concern with a most varied and fascinating fleet. Rides could be enjoyed on such wonderful vehicles as ex Birmingham Corporation Daimler COG5s and also two Foden PVDC6s with Salmesbury double deck bodywork – the latter buses very adventurously bought brand new. I still have the one penny time and faretable book published by The Company. Our enormous training camp high in the cruel winter wilds of Cannock Chase was "deflated and put in its place" in Messrs. Whieldon’s excellent booklet by being referred to simply as "RAF Camp." The Green Bus Service was one of those grand legendary companies which made up the fascination of the Industry in those happy days when the Traffic Commissioners really ruled and blatant malpractices were generally stamped upon fairly promptly.

Chris Youhill

Here we have another workers weekly ticket and as can be seen had been used four times. At a cost of 6/6d which would of been quite a lot when this ticket was issued I would of thought that this is a return ticket. I wonder why the ticket was not clipped on both sides the left for inbound and the right for outbound, unless it was a single ticket.

A. J. Long of Glemsford worked services from Clare to Sudbury and to Bury St. Edmunds. He was certainly in business by January 1928 when he bought a new Chevrolet. Significant expansion came in September 1943 with the acquisition of Brown, Glemsford. Post War, the business was run by Edward F. Long trading as A. J. Long which is the ticket above with the fleet painted in blue and white. On August 18th 1958 he sold out to Corona Coaches of Acton near Sudbury. Sadly that business failed after operation on Sunday August 9th 1959 following the sudden death of one of the directors. The ex Long routes passed to Harry Stanhope Theobald of Long Melford whose family retained them until the early 1990s when the main service to Sudbury passed to its current operator Beestons (Constable Coaches) of Hadleigh.

Thanks to Nigel Turner for the information regarding Arthur J Long

As you can see, the layout is "back to front" for the format produced by the Setright Speed machine. The ticket was issued on Sunday 25 April 1965, while I was on a school geography field course in Swanage. I think the 3/4d return journey was from Swanage to Sandbanks. (I have a second ticket, which I think I picked up at the time, showing a fare of 5/6d which could have been the through Swanage to Bournemouth journey via the Sandbanks – Shell Bay vehicular chain ferry.) Cancellation on the return journey was by printing a zero fare on the "inward" end. These insert tickets were used solely for journeys that included the ferry crossing. Everything else was printed from a standard Setright Speed roll. Presumably Hants & Dorset simply counted the number of insert tickets (single or return) issued, and sent a periodical statement to the ferry company, with a cheque representing an agreed amount per ticket. It was Hants & Dorset route 7, and if I remember correctly the the bus was a one man operated Bristol LL6B with replacement front entrance ECW body. It was one of a number with a specially cut away rear to provide clearance during the transition from the steep down gradient of the landing slip to the steep up gradient of the hinged ramp on the ferry. By definition, the LL was "L class (Long)" – i.e. 30 foot – and the rear overhang accounted for much if not all of the extra length.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Stephen Ford