Just been reading the GNE thread re scholars services and noticed a lot of discussion regarding scholars buses back in the day when we were at school. So thought I'd kick off a new section in the Bygone Era.

I went to school in the South Tyneside area from mid to late 80s. Not sure how many members are of same age.

Tyne and Wear PTE operated by South Shields ran my scholars service at the beginning using a variety of vehicles. Including Atlanteans and the sole coach at the time 1804 (LVK 404L)

When deregulation arrived and Busways was introduced nothing much changed at first same vehicles but gradually the Bristol REs got introduced namely 1822-31 GTJ 382N etc. We also got rare occurrences of Daimler 140 LCU 112 and open toppers 1218/1227 KBB 118D and SVK 627G.  Approx 1987 or thereabouts Busways were either rejected or too late for the tender and we ended up with Northumbria Motors (venturing into South Shields very rare) we had then the LHs and those ex Manchester Daimlers (can't remember the fleet numbers) and all of a sudden for a few months there was a scholar's bus war as Busways registered commercially the scholars services 2 mins or so in front of the tendered.  I remember we had "graduated" with the coach LVK 404L to 1872 CMJ 450T by this time.  Then I believe Busways stayed with the scholars for a period of time after I left school in the late 80s.

Those were the days.

(07 Oct 2019, 5:58 pm)ifm001 wrote

Just been reading the GNE thread re scholars services and noticed a lot of discussion regarding scholars buses back in the day when we were at school. So thought I'd kick off a new section in the Bygone Era.

I went to school in the South Tyneside area from mid to late 80s. Not sure how many members are of same age.

Tyne and Wear PTE operated by South Shields ran my scholars service at the beginning using a variety of vehicles. Including Atlanteans and the sole coach at the time 1804 (LVK 404L)

When deregulation arrived and Busways was introduced nothing much changed at first same vehicles but gradually the Bristol REs got introduced namely 1822-31 GTJ 382N etc. We also got rare occurrences of Daimler 140 LCU 112 and open toppers 1218/1227 KBB 118D and SVK 627G.  Approx 1987 or thereabouts Busways were either rejected or too late for the tender and we ended up with Northumbria Motors (venturing into South Shields very rare) we had then the LHs and those ex Manchester Daimlers (can't remember the fleet numbers) and all of a sudden for a few months there was a scholar's bus war as Busways registered commercially the scholars services 2 mins or so in front of the tendered.  I remember we had "graduated" with the coach LVK 404L to 1872 CMJ 450T by this time.  Then I believe Busways stayed with the scholars for a period of time after I left school in the late 80s.

Those were the days.

I've copied over my text from the other thread.

Mk1 Nationals and ECW Olympians for me in the main, when I first started.

Operated by Philly and Washington depots and out on service work afterwards, so usually in good nick internally.

Could always work out the shift patterns too. Whoever drove the Oly on a morning, always ended up on the 194 that passed the school just as we came out on an afternoon.

Never worked what the PM runs worked off, as I tended to get a 'normal bus' home.

In addition to this, there was an OK service. I'm guessing one of the services was contracted and the other a competing service, but we had the choice of an OK Alexander bodied 'something or other' or the Oly on one route.

The 194 and its Lynxes ran parallel with the National Mk1's.

Lucky to get either of them to stop, usually far too full!

On the rare occasion we did get on, it was faces squashed to the front windscreen.

The driver always made sure we paid for the privilege!

I'm the same age. Birthday with a nought in it, this week!

I lived elsewhere in the country. No idea of the fleet but when the weather was too foul for my walk to school and I was feeling flush, I stumped up 10p to catch the Stevenson's town service to school or the PMT (aptly named) service to Stafford, which passed the end of my street, on the way home.

(08 Oct 2019, 3:40 pm)Andreos1 wrote

I've copied over my text from the other thread.

In addition to this, there was an OK service. I'm guessing one of the services was contracted and the other a competing service, but we had the choice of an OK Alexander bodied 'something or other' or the Oly on one route.

The 194 and its Lynxes ran parallel with the National Mk1's.

Lucky to get either of them to stop, usually far too full!

On the rare occasion we did get on, it was faces squashed to the front windscreen.

The driver always made sure we paid for the privilege!

After a bit of digging, I think the OK Alexander 'something or other' was MCL933P - or something of that ilk.

Photos I've found on Flickr of it in OK livery, tie it in with my school days.

It had quite an interesting history 'pre-OK' by the looks of it!

I went to school in Sunderland in the 90s and used to get the Busways number 6. In the first few years it was generally decker operated IIRC with the AL Fleetlines or the EJR Atlanteans. The deckers got les and less common with Darts taking over for a good while - making for horrendously crammed journeys and must have been awful for the 'normal' full fare paying adults who used the service! It was always a relief when a Lynx turned up, or on a rare occasion a decker emerged over the hill! Deckers got ever less common once the Atlanteans went to Newcastle and Sunderland got a load more Darts in exchange.

They started running dupes using a TWOC minibus on the morning peak which helped a bit and was generally quieter - though was always a gamble as to whether to wait and see if that turned up! In 1994, Sunderland Busways got the three evaluation models (954, 1203 and 1901) which became the regulars on the service, and although they were still too small for the loadings, were infinitely better than the loathed Darts! I remember the journey home on 1901 one evening when the driver somehow took the wrong route and ended up in a random housing estate being directed by a schoolkid!

I attended school in Blaydon and lived 5 minutes away in Winlaton so I didn't use school buses unless I was going to a friends' house after school or something like that.

Blue Bus Services, Thirwell Coaches, Derwent Coaches and Northumbria operated our school routes using Bristol LH's, Plaxtons (I think) and Bristol VRs. Other types may have been used but those were the ones I remember from the top of my head.

I grew up in Hartlepool during the 90s. Never got the bus to primary school but even though it was only a 10 minute walk down the road always used to on go a Hartlepool Transport bus to the local learner pool for swimming lessons. It seemed to be whatever was spare as it was a Bristol RE one week leyland National the next Dennis Falcon another Tiger coach another even a fleetline double Decker one time when Stagecoach took over.

Secondary school always used to get a Volvo B10 there and Back for the first few years. Although every so often an Alexander dart or lynx would be the bus home even a Leyland Titan one time. Final year at school was always a step entrance dart there and either a Volvo B10 or Leyland lynx back. Those were the days when Hartlepool had a variety of different bus types all long gone now to be replaced by the rubbish enviros.

Obviously I'm a bit younger considering I started secondary school in 2008! 

I only lived about 3 miles away and had the choice of getting the scholars or the regular service which would just drop me off at the top of the bank. In the mornings I would always try and get the public service, but it left earlier, and I'm lazy! On the way back, I would always stay back and hour and get the later bus home just to avoid the people! 

I always hated getting the scholars, mostly due to the kind of people who lived in my area, it wasn't uncommon to have people smoking on the bus, and not just tobacco! I also have vivid memories of a friend getting their hair set on fire, someone getting pushed down the stairs, and even someone ripping down the light and walking off with the fluorescent tube! No idea what type of buses they were, but they were step entrance and branded as 'Yellow Bus', I would look it up but frankly I have too many bad memories of them!

Our school merged with another half way through my time there and our year got transferred over to the other site, but luckily there was a public service that stopped directly outside so there was no more walking down the bank! So from that point, I never got the scholars service again! It was around that time I remember waiting at the bus stop to go home and seeing the then new B9s on the TEN and thinking 'ooh, they look fancy!', going to the stop at the other side and catching it!

I then moved away and started getting a lift in to school instead and didn't start getting the bus again until I went to college

(18 Apr 2020, 10:45 pm)streetdeckfan wrote Obviously I'm a bit younger considering I started secondary school in 2008! 

I only lived about 3 miles away and had the choice of getting the scholars or the regular service which would just drop me off at the top of the bank. In the mornings I would always try and get the public service, but it left earlier, and I'm lazy! On the way back, I would always stay back and hour and get the later bus home just to avoid the people! 

I always hated getting the scholars, mostly due to the kind of people who lived in my area, it wasn't uncommon to have people smoking on the bus, and not just tobacco! I also have vivid memories of a friend getting their hair set on fire, someone getting pushed down the stairs, and even someone ripping down the light and walking off with the fluorescent tube! No idea what type of buses they were, but they were step entrance and branded as 'Yellow Bus', I would look it up but frankly I have too many bad memories of them!

Our school merged with another half way through my time there and our year got transferred over to the other site, but luckily there was a public service that stopped directly outside so there was no more walking down the bank! So from that point, I never got the scholars service again! It was around that time I remember waiting at the bus stop to go home and seeing the then new B9s on the TEN and thinking 'ooh, they look fancy!', going to the stop at the other side and catching it!

I then moved away and started getting a lift in to school instead and didn't start getting the bus again until I went to college

The double Decker branded as yellow bus where Volvo Olympians.  Yeah that sounds bad am surprised go north east didn't try to do anything stop all that vandalism you mention.

(19 Apr 2020, 4:58 pm)col87 wrote The double Decker branded as yellow bus where Volvo Olympians.  Yeah that sounds bad am surprised go north east didn't try to do anything stop all that vandalism you mention.

IIRC, the school started giving some sixth formers free travel on the scholars in return for 'monitoring'