Ride the buses of Yesteryear in Exeter
A rare chance to ride on the old buses of Devon General and Exeter City Transport will be available, for one day only on Sunday 19th March. Owners of around 20 preserved buses will be providing rides around Exeter between 10.00am and 5.00pm.
The event, organised by the Devon General Omnibus Trust was originally planned to commemorate the closure of Exeter’s bus and coach station. However, this closure has been paused, as a result of a delay to the redevelopment plans. But the organisers had already gathered the buses and coaches together on this day and advertised the event to transport enthusiasts, so it was decided to press ahead with the event on Sunday.
Chairman of the Devon General Omnibus Trust, Peter Murnaghan, said “We had planned a terrific day of running the old buses and coaches out on many routes radiating from the bus station, so it would have been a shame to have postponed the event. We know that people love to ride on the old double deck buses and obtain a ticket from the bus conductor, just like the old days. It brings back so many memories of journeys when we were all younger, to school, to work, or out courting”.
The event is being run entirely by volunteers but Peter acknowledges the great support and help provided by Stagecoach, who will be running their normal services on the day, alongside the old vintage buses. Because the preserved buses are mostly owned by private individuals, they will not be able to charge fares. As a result, rides on the old buses and coaches will be free of charge, but a souvenir programme will be on sale, containing details of the routes and timings.
The red and green buses will be running on a variety of routes, including those to Broad Clyst, Crossmead, Topsham and the Airport. Open Top bus tours will run, if the weather is fine, and short trips will be available on coaches which might have been travelling onwards to Cornwall.
The Devon General Omnibus Trust is involved in preserving the memory of the old company (prior to 1982) and restoring some of its old buses. Details of the Trust can be found at www.dgot.co.uk
