FARES, PLEASE!

My car has been running on petrol fumes for the last couple of days.  I haven’t been able to get near a petrol station because of the queues of people panic buying, so I’ve put the old girl on the drive and I’m reverting to public transport!

It occurred to me that I don’t know very much about our British transport system.  How long has it been in place?  When did it start?  What was it like?  I decided to have a look at a book we published by Stan Yorke a couple of years back called FARES, PLEASE!

It really is a fascinating read; looking at the history of public transport and explaining how services developed into the system we are familiar with today.  Starting with horse drawn open buses and cabs; through the age of trams, steam trains and trolley buses; to the much loved red Routemaster buses.  There are stops on the way to take in the genius of Victorian invention, the chicanery of politicians, and the turbulence of social upheaval. 

I enjoyed Stan's book very much and I think it is well worth £5.99 (with 20% discount when ordered direct from our website).

http://www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/book-catalogue-book-details.php?book=1721

Today, sitting in the comfort of a high-speed train, the journey from London to Glasgow takes a scant few hours.  It is astounding to realise that the same journey, undertaken in the 1800s, would have taken nearly a fortnight to accomplish.

In the 1600s the rich had their own private coaches, but anyone else who wanted to travel any distance had to buy a place on a stage wagon; an uncomfortable mode of transport which, as well as carrying passengers, also transported goods and livestock.  This primitive and uncomfortable conveyance gradually developed into the stage coach.  The drivers of these vehicles were the heroes of the day; famed for their prowess in manoeuvring the heavy coaches. 

By the 1890s it is estimated that London alone had some 40,000 working horses plus probably as many again in private use.

The Mail Coach, travelling overnight when roads were virtually empty, also took passengers.  Each coach had, as well as the driver, a heavily armed Post Office guard who stood at the rear of the coach with the box containing the post.  The guard stayed on the coach for the entire journey, even when it stopped to exchange mail or change horses, and in hard winters it was not unknown for these men to die from hypothermia!

With the arrival of steam, public transport developed in leaps and bounds as the railways spread across the country, providing efficient, affordable travel for all.  By the 1920s trains carried hundreds of thousands into the cities and back every day.  Trams, both steam and electric, had also become popular in cities and towns across the land.

The development of petrol and diesel fuels and the improvement of roads were destined to deliver a fatal blow to trams and inflict lasting damage to rail services.  After the Second World War the country’s transport system was worn out and needed vast amounts of investment.  The motor bus was modern, comfortable and versatile and appeared the obvious way to go.

Stan Yorke’s lively history will take you on a journey of discovery.  The book is filled with colour photographs that show a glorious cavalcade of public transport vehicles of every kind.  There is also a list of places to visit where many examples, lovingly restored to working order by the hard work and enthusiasm of dedicated devotees, can be seen today.

‘The journey from the time when there was no public transport at all, to today is a ride through invention, politics and social upheaval’ says author Stan Yorke. 

It certainly puts having to queue for petrol or wait for a bus into proper perspective!

Happy travelling!

Deb

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