Hold Tight! - Shirley routes
 
Chapter 7
 
Page 61
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Hold Tight!
Chapter 7
City Transport
57 A different world
58 Portswood
59 Decisions
60 Home and away
61 Shirley routes
62 Football
63 Emergencies
64 Centenary
65 Driving school
66 End of the road
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Chapters
1 Beginnings
2 Learning
3 Getting Away
4 Winchester
5 Freedom
6 Southampton
7 City Transport
 
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The march towards driver only buses increased as operators struggled to keep costs and fares down. All the Portswood routes were converted and the Shirley depot was closed. The Shirley routes now operated from the Portswood depot which meant travelling to and from the city centre to start and finish.
Initially the routes included the 17 and 17A to Millbrook. The 17 was the only direct link between Shirley and Portswood. The service ran from the Town Junction via Bevois Valley and Portswood to Highfield while the 17A ran via the city centre and Royal Pier to the Docks.
When the 17 and 17A route was converted we were left with the just the 7, 7A, 9 and 9A operating between Weston, Woolston, Docks, City Centre, Shirley and Lordshill or Aldermoor.
In 1981 these routes were also converted but a number of crews were kept on to run weekday, daytime journeys. All our double-deck buses were now Leyland Atlanteans and ready for driver only operation.

The last rear platform bus was withdrawn from service at the end of August 1981 but these duties were still crew operated when I left in 1983.

Seen here in Portswood depot are 162 (EOW 395L), 194 (HTR 558P), 265 (DBK 265W), 177 (PCR 300M), 153 (WOW 543J) and 179 (PCR 302M).
Portswood depot 26/05/1986.
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