Western SMT Bus Company

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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby Dexter St. Clair » Sat Mar 19, 2011 12:38 am

RDR wrote:I can understand why they applied to the buses.
I presume to protect the then corporation buses from competition, but why for taxis?


You presume wrongly. If one was waiting on a nationalised Scottish Bus Group bus of whatever colour the last thing you wanted was a whole pile of Glaswegians jumping on for two or three stops within the city boundary. And if heading in to town one preferred to avoid having your bus pick up at every stop when Glaswegians had their own bus service.
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby RDR » Sat Mar 19, 2011 1:12 pm

Dexter St. Clair wrote:
RDR wrote:I can understand why they applied to the buses.
I presume to protect the then corporation buses from competition, but why for taxis?


You presume wrongly. If one was waiting on a nationalised Scottish Bus Group bus of whatever colour the last thing you wanted was a whole pile of Glaswegians jumping on for two or three stops within the city boundary. And if heading in to town one preferred to avoid having your bus pick up at every stop when Glaswegians had their own bus service.


In plain English then, to make sure long distance bus travellers could get the bus then, and not be blocked by those going a few stops.
In the deregulated age that doesn't seem to be a problem?
Doesn't explain the whole boundary issue for taxis.
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby InkMan » Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:34 pm

I remember the Western SMT services well as a child living in Halfway, Cambuslang in the late 70's and early 80's. I have always wondered why many vehicles were so filthy that it was difficult to see out of the windows. Furthermore manky water used to accumulate on the trough created by the rubber on the inside of the windows. Was this because the company was in financial trouble by this point as I don't remember the Strathclyde Transport busses having similar issues?

When I see such pictures such as the 'Cambuslang 1978' of the Western SMT bus I get nostalgic too as they evoke early memories where it seems the sun always shone. When I remember becoming filthy after bumping against the side of a bus or having window water splash on you it changes however.

By the way was it Western SMT policy to recruit drivers with heavy right feet to drive their 62 service? The speed that they drove down bridge street was always hairy.

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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby gap74 » Thu Mar 24, 2011 5:25 pm

Was Halfway not Central SMT territory?

The 76 ran from Halfway via Westburn into Anderston, whilst Newton was served by the 21, dropped when the 76 started taking a hurl up there.

These Leopards are the buses I associate most with the routes in the 70s and 80s:

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XGM450L (1972) Leyland Leopard with Alexander AY Body by gpainter, on Flickr
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby Ally W » Mon Apr 11, 2011 7:25 pm

RDR wrote:
Dexter St. Clair wrote:
RDR wrote:I can understand why they applied to the buses.
I presume to protect the then corporation buses from competition, but why for taxis?


You presume wrongly. If one was waiting on a nationalised Scottish Bus Group bus of whatever colour the last thing you wanted was a whole pile of Glaswegians jumping on for two or three stops within the city boundary. And if heading in to town one preferred to avoid having your bus pick up at every stop when Glaswegians had their own bus service.


In plain English then, to make sure long distance bus travellers could get the bus then, and not be blocked by those going a few stops.
In the deregulated age that doesn't seem to be a problem?
Doesn't explain the whole boundary issue for taxis.


RDR, The reason taxi's charge a boundrary is that after dropping off, they cannot pick up until they are back within the city boundary.
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby RDR » Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:39 pm

Thanks.
In effect then a way to compensate them for any business they loose whilst outside the boundary.
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby Vintagebuff » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:35 pm

here's a link to a short video with several western buses at various locations of the one way system in Kilmarnock. This is part 4, the other 3 parts should be easily traceable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRkIfxfdkzo

All 4 are well worth watching for the vehicles and seing just how much has changed in the last 21 years.

Edit. Ok I tried every combination of the address in between the brackets but can't get it to work. :roll: :oops:
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby excoriate » Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:43 pm

My god how the Leopards used to scare me as a young 5 year old boy.
Trying to climb the 2 or 3 stairs while my mum struggled with a buggy and a new baby.

Even worse was when you had to stand up for your stop. Being a mere nipper, the driver wouldn't always see me until the last minute. This often resulted in emergency breaking and me swinging round the pole/handrail and hanging over the earlier mentioned 2 or 3 steps.

Their big rectangular shaped replacement buses were even worse!
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby BrigitDoon » Tue Apr 26, 2011 4:30 pm

Hark at'n; 'tis luxury, I tell 'ee. :roll:

I grew up where the buses don't run an' Old Man Doon had to push the family everywhere in a wheelbarrow. :)
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby RDR » Tue Apr 26, 2011 4:49 pm

BrigitDoon wrote:Hark at'n; 'tis luxury, I tell 'ee. :roll:

I grew up where the buses don't run an' Old Man Doon had to push the family everywhere in a wheelbarrow. :)

Did you live in a hole in the road as well and drink out a drippin tap?
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby BrigitDoon » Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:19 pm

No, we just tipped the wheelbarrow upside down for a roof and hid under it when it rained. :P
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby Doorstop » Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:38 pm

You had a roof? Such decadence.
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby RDR » Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:15 pm

BrigitDoon wrote:No, we just tipped the wheelbarrow upside down for a roof and hid under it when it rained. :P


OMG I'm sure ur dad would have whipped you with a broken bottle as well
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby armagh1000 » Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:54 pm

Yes, there were two Western SMT services to Mearnskirk in the 60s:
A) From Waterloo Street -- Mearnskirk via Giffnock
B) From Clyde Street -- Mearnskirk via Clarkston

They were both run from Newton Mearns Depot.
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Re: Western SMT Bus Company

Postby armagh1000 » Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:06 pm

For Jenny Geddes.

Yes, there used to be a Western SMT service in the 60s from Clarkston to Paisley. I used to live in Newton Mearns and used to catch it at Eastwood Toll to go and visit a sick aunt at Paisley Alexandria Infirmary. It saved me going all the way into Glasgow.
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