Any ex postbus drivers here?

[WriterPat]

Hello
I'm a newbie. I write fiction for women's magazines and want to write a story, set in 1970s in a fictional Yorkshire Dale, where the main character is a postbus driver. Please can anyone give me a brief breakdown of a driver's day? I know about delivering parcels, letters etc and picking up passengers and emptying collection boxes. Really, the story will concentrate more on the postbus driver herself and her passengers and the odd amusing incident but I'd like to know things like: Does the driver collect the deliveries for her round from the sorting office? Has the mail already been sorted for her round by someone else? If she was on an early shift, would another driver drive the same postbus on the next shift? And which driver (if there was more than one driving the same postbus) would be responsible for cleaning the postbus? I'm guessing it would be the one who'd done the last shift of the day?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone might be able to give.

WriterPat (I write mainly for People's Friend magazine under the name Pat Posner).

[POSTMAN]

Welome,will move this to blue shirts forum.

[DGP1]

Just remember to include breakfast

[clashcityrocker]

His line manager is a fat obnoxious failed postie who bullies and harasses him.
He gets bitten by a dog.......and then gets conducted for it.
He slips and falls while trying to deliver in icy conditions ......and gets conducted for it.
(Shame there was no Facebook in those days or you could do a story line where he complains about his line manager being a fat obnoxious twat and one of his "colleagues" passing the information on to management)

All his customers tip him at Xmas.
And a nice young lady invites him in for breakfast.

[fishtank]

The character of postbus driver is female Clash.
It's the 70's so you might want to add sexual harassment to the line manager's modus operandi although that might be a bit strong for the People's Friend.

[clashcityrocker]

It is a good job one of us pays attention to detail.

SHE gets bitten by a dog and gets conducted.
SHE slips in icy conditions and gets conducted.
HER line manager is a fat obnoxious twat.

All her customers tip her at xmas.
And a nice lady invites her in for breakfast (or don't they have LGBT in People's Friend)

[WriterPat]

LOL, thanks, guys.
It isn't ideas I need, though sexual harrassment is good - maybe from her passengers rather than the staff - and only a gentle more teasing kind for People's Friend.
What I really want to know is what happens before the postbus driver sets off from - would it be the sorting office? Is the mail for her delivery round ready for her, or does she have to sort it herself? What hours would she work? Would she be on shift work or have a set round for a set time that she does every day? I want to portray that part of the story correctly, other happenings on the round will be fiction.

[dvbuk55]

LOL, thanks, guys.
It isn't ideas I need, though sexual harrassment is good - maybe from her passengers rather than the staff - and only a gentle more teasing kind for People's Friend.
What I really want to know is what happens before the postbus driver sets off from - would it be the sorting office? Is the mail for her delivery round ready for her, or does she have to sort it herself? What hours would she work? Would she be on shift work or have a set round for a set time that she does every day? I want to portray that part of the story correctly, other happenings on the round will be fiction.

Why not just make it up? It's so long ago hardly anyone would remember what the protocol was in any case. I haven't seen Peoples Friend for donkeys years. I remember it as one of those paper magazines like Womans Own gathering dust in the Drs waiting room when I was a little lad.

[dounome]

I was a post bus driver, what happened with us is there was 2 routes per day from the local delivery office to the outlying villages, in the morning at about 5.00 the driver would start at the office and prep mail in the office in the inward primary prior to prepping it into his frame, then once ready to go he would load up and leave the office at a set time due to the postbus timetable, he would deliver to Farms and cottages and wee villages etc on route to his final destination, this would normally take a few hours, on the way he is picking up passengers from the country to bring them back into the town.
Then in the afternoon the same bus would leave the office again at around 13.00, this has given anyone who came into the town a few hours to do their shopping before returning to their houses, farms etc, at the time there was also a second delivery of mail too.
The whole driving route in the afternoon could take a few hours.
Hope this is a wee help

[WriterPat]

That's brilliant, Dounome
Just what I wanted. Thanks very much!
Was this in Scotland? The 'wee' villages made me think you're Scottish. My editor is, and she often uses the word - along with some other lovely descriptive ones.

Thanks again
Pat

[dounome]

Yes scottish, your welcome

[WriterPat]

Dvbuk 55. Love the dog. We've got two rough collies - their best friend is a long-haired b/w border.

I do make up the happenings and events in stories, and (mostly) set them in fictional villages or towns. But if I give my character a certain job or career, I like to be as right as possible with those details. There's always 'someone out there' who'll spot a mistake!
Yes, you proably see People's Friend in a dusty pile with other magazines in the doctor's surgery. Though most surgeries have done away with the magazine pile for hygienic reasons.
Thankfully, the 'Friend' is still very popular and loved by those who like gentler, more traditional stories.

Pat

[Lounge Lizard]

The British Postal Museum and Archive should be a good source of information. I believe their researchers will generally spend up to quarter of an hour seeking the information requested. On their website http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/page/i ... ty-postbus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it states that The first Post Bus service was introduced on 20 February 1967. This ran between Llanidloes and Llangurig, North Wales. The Post Bus driver at the inauguration was Mr J. S. Owen and the first passenger Mrs Gladys Stevens,
Post Buses covered 300 routes at their peak, where they ran mostly in Scotland and the South East of England. They provided a lifeline for isolated communities that may have lost their local bus service. Combining mail delivery and collection with passenger transport was a simple solution, and also forged stronger ties between the Post Office and its customers.
More recent changes in Royal Mail business policy, such as single day delivery, have seen the number of services decline drastically and there are now less than twenty Post Buses remaining.


Royal Mail claims that there are still "numerous Postbus routes carrying more than 50,000 passengers a year in the UK, so hopefully we'll have a service near you."
There are still two Royal Mail postbus routes in Yorkshire,

Wensleydale
Route 364
Available Seats: 14
Fares typically average between £2 - £5 for a single journey, depending on the route and distance travelled. Concessions can apply for under 16's and senior citizens. Your driver will advise of the correct fare as you board.
1st Run
Morning Mon - Friday
Leyburn Mkt. Place dep 0652
Wensley 0656
West Witton 0700
Aysgarth 0709
Thornton Rust 0715
Worton 0719
Askrigg 0724
Bainbridge 0728
Hawes Post Office arr 0735
Hawes Post Office dep 0745
Bainbridge 0754
Askrigg 0759
Worton 0804
Thornton Rust 0808
Aysgarth 0814
West Witton 0823
Wensley 0827
Leyburn arr 0830
Leyburn dep 0845
Harmby 0849
Spennithorne 0851
Constable Burton 0857
Patrick Brompton 0905
Crakehall 0908
Bedale 0910
Morton on Swale 0920
Northallerton Post Office arr 0930
2nd Run
Morning Mon - Friday
Northallerton Nags Head dep 0950
Morton on Swale 1000
Bedale 1010
Crakehall 1014
Patrick Brompton 1017
Constable Burton 1025
Spennithorne 1031
Harmby 1034
Leyburn Mkt. Place arr 1038
Leyburn Mkt. Place dep 1043
Wensley 1045
West Witton 1049
Aysgarth 1058
Thornton Rust 1105
Worton 1109
Askrigg 1114
Bainbridge 1118
Hawes Post Office arr 1125
Hawes Post Office dep 1132
Bainbridge 1140
Askrigg 1144
Worton 1148
Thornton Rust 1152
Aysgarth 1159
West Witton 1208
Wensley 1212
Leyburn arr 1215
Leyburn dep 1220
Harmby 1224
Spennithorne 1226
Constable Burton 1232
Patrick Brompton 1240
Crakehall 1243
Bedale 1245
Morton on Swale 1255
Northallerton Post Office arr 1305
3rd Run
Afternoon Mon - Friday
Northallerton Nags Head dep 1425
Morton on Swale 1435
Bedale 1445
Crakehall 1449
Patrick Brompton 1452
Constable Burton 1500
Spennithorne 1506
Harmby 1509
Leyburn Mkt. Place arr 1513
Leyburn Mkt. Place dep 1520
Wensley 1524
West Witton 1529
Swinithwaite 1533
West Burton 1541
Thoralby 1550
Aysgarth 1603
Thornton Rust 1611
Worton 1618
Askrigg 1621
Bainbridge 1628
Hawes Post Office arr 1636
Hawes Post Office dep 1645
Bainbridge 1654
N.P. Centre 1656
Bow Bridge 1658
Weatheralds 1700
Askrigg 1706
Woodhall 1711
Carperby 1717
Castle Bolton 1725
Redmire 1731
Preston under Scar 1736
Wensley 1741
Leyburn Mkt. Place arr 1745
Leyburn Mkt. Place dep 1755
Harmby 1759
Spennithorne 1801
Constable Burton 1807
Patrick Brompton 1815
Crakehall 1818
Bedale 1820
Morton on Swale 1830
Northallerton Post Office arr 1840

Ryedale Wolds
Route 367
Available Seats: 14
Fares typically average between £2 - £5 for a single journey, depending on the route and distance travelled. Concessions can apply for under 16's and senior citizens. Your driver will advise of the correct fare as you board.
1st Run
Monday - Saturday
Newgate Market Place Bus Stop - dep 0800
Settrington PB 0815
North Grimston PB 0820
Wharram Le Street 0825
Duggleby PO 0830
Kirby Grindalythe PB 0835
West Lutton PB 0840
East Lutton PB 0842
Weaverthorpe PO 0845
Foxhills - Eastfield - arr arr 0852
Foxholes - Eastfield - dep dep 0854
Butterwick PB 0857
Weaverthorpe PO 0903
Helperthorpe PB 0905
East Lutton PB 0907
West Lutton PB 0909
Kirby Grindalythe PB 0914
Duggleby PB 0918
Wharram PB 0920
Nth Grimston `Middleton Arms` 0925
Settrington School 0932
Malton Rail Station 0945
Newgate Market Place Bus Stop - arr arr 0950
Newgate Market Place Bus Stop - dep dep 1120
Malton Rail Station 1125
Settrington School 1135
North Grimston,Middleton Arms 1140
Wharram PB 1145
Duggleby PO 1150
Kirby Grindalythe PB 1153
West Luton PB 1200
East Lutton PB 1202
Helperthorpe PB 1203
Weaverthorpe PO 1204
Butterwick PB 1205
Foxhills - Eastfield - arr arr 1210
Foxholes - Eastfield - dep dep 1213
Butterwick PB 1215
Weaverthorpe PO 1220
Helperthorpe PB 1223
East Luton PB 1225
West Luton PB 1227
Kirby Grindalythe PB 1231
Duggleby PO 1235
Wharram PB 1238
North Grimston, Middleton Arms 1240
Settrington PB 1245
Malton Rail Station 1300
Newgate Market Place Bus Stop - arr 1305
2nd Run
Monday - Friday
Newgate Market Place Bus Stop - dep 1550
Malton Rail Station 1555
Settrington PO 1605
North Grimston `Middleton Arms` 1620
Wharram PB 1623
Duggleby PO 1625
Kirby Grindalythe PB 1627
West Lutton PB 1630
East Lutton PB 1633
Helperthorpe PB 1634
Weaverthorpe PO 1635
Butterwick PB 1640
Foxhills - Eastfield - arr 1645
Foxholes - Eastfield - dep 1647
Butterwick PB 1650
Weaverthorpe PO 1655
Helperthorpe PB 1700
East Lutton PB 1705
West Lutton PB 1707
Kirby Grindalythe PB 1712
Duggleby PO 1716
Wharram PB 1718
North Grimston `Middleton Arms` 1720
Settrington PB 1725
Newstead PB 1735
Malton Rail Station 1745
Newgate Market Place Bus Stop - arr 1748

In the United Kingdom postbus services by Royal Mail began in 1967 to replace rapidly declining local bus and rail services in rural areas and provide a community service. As of 2006 more than 200 services were operated by Royal Mail, often only once or twice a day but in some areas are the only form of public transport available. Key areas include the Yorkshire Dales and South West Scotland.
In April 2009 the Royal Mail chose to end their post-bus services in much of the Scottish Highlands and Islands region. Five "unprofitable" routes were cancelled. The move proved very unpopular with campaigners. Discussions between the Highland Council and Royal Mail broke down after the Royal Mail refused to respond to the Highland Council's emails. The services have currently been replaced by a service operated by Stagecoach.

[WriterPat]

Thanks for all that, Lounge Lizard. But...
The Wensleydale postbus stopped operating October 2011 and the Rydale Wolds in April this year! I don't think there are any left anywhere now. It was seeing in the newspapers about people fighting to keep their postbuses - but failing - that made me think of writing a story where the main character is a postbus driver. I'm setting the story in the 1970s because there were a lot of country areas with postbuses back then. Plus it will be nice to keep the memories alive.

Thanks again
Pat

[Lounge Lizard]

Thanks for all that, Lounge Lizard. But...
The Wensleydale postbus stopped operating October 2011 and the Rydale Wolds in April this year! I don't think there are any left anywhere now. It was seeing in the newspapers about people fighting to keep their postbuses - but failing - that made me think of writing a story where the main character is a postbus driver. I'm setting the story in the 1970s because there were a lot of country areas with postbuses back then. Plus it will be nice to keep the memories alive.

Thanks again
Pat

So the Royal Mail website out of date yet again.
You go to a doctor's waiting room, appointments inevitably running late, always having passed the time flicking through the People's Friends in a pile with other magazines, you're surrounded by more unhealthy people than you see all month and yet most surgeries have done away with the magazine pile 'for hygienic reasons'. Madness.