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00:00Britain has had a long love affair with the coach.
00:22In its heyday in the 50s, the coach took us on holiday.
00:25The coach helped us meet people, the coach gave us unforgettable experiences.
00:31The coach was our friend, but round the corner our colourful companion was in for a big shock.
00:38Everything changed in the faster-paced 1960s. The formation of the National Bus Company, later to
00:48become National Express, put an end to the golden age of coaching and there was no time for nostalgia.
00:54The future of coach travel beckoned. It was to be efficient and functional.
01:01When you got all the little companies being gobbled up by the National Bus Company,
01:06all that kind of really eclectic mix of funny people and funny coaches and funny interiors
01:12all became level and predictable.
01:15In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, a new generation discovered alternative uses
01:22for the coach, as the gaps left behind by the National Bus Company were exploited.
01:27You got a load of football fans, drinking a load of beer, going to a football match.
01:35If you were to describe these coaches, clearly they were roadworthy, except for the time when
01:40they broke down, of course. And I think that's probably the best that you could say about them.
01:45Like-minded folk, with a common purpose, used old coaches as their chariots into battle.
01:50Two hundred miners would go from Durham up to Scotland, that's like four coach loads.
01:56They would drive us, drop us off, we'd go and have a push and a shove with the police and then
02:01they'd pick us up at the end and take us back to where we were.
02:04At the other end of the market, luxury coaches emerged, with pile carpets, toilets and beds.
02:13But not everyone was impressed.
02:15For some unknown reason, the American vans didn't mind at all, all being put together in one long tube
02:21after a gig, stinking and smelling, within six inches of the next man.
02:28Others were so taken by the coaches, they decided to make them their dream home.
02:34New race travellers, I've been living in a coach since about 1990, absolutely love it,
02:40beats living in a house. Bedroom, en-suite shower, what more do you want?
02:47All was not lost. In spite of being a little scruffy, these alternative coaches could still
02:51inspire a sense of community and adventure. The freedom to get away from our crowded island.
02:59Dusty roads, the noises, the smells, huge landscapes. I can't imagine anything more different to a National Express trip.
03:10Take the National Express. When your life's in a mess, it'll make you smile.
03:36For nearly 40 years, the National Express network has been offering cheap and convenient travel
03:44to the long-distance traveller in Britain. When it arrived in the 70s, it shook up the transport industry,
03:51ushering in a new era of travel.
03:53Really, it was the start of a new era. Going along at sort of 70 miles an hour southbound,
04:00every two minutes, there'd be a National Express coming the other way.
04:03The old web of coach routes run by scores of operators around the country
04:08had been brought together under one name, the National Bus Company, and one colour, white.
04:15It was perfectly placed to take advantage of the new motorway network.
04:20And the inspiration for all this modernisation was drawn from the United States.
04:30Since the 1940s, America had been running a national network of centrally coordinated coaches
04:39under one banner, Greyhound.
04:45The Greyhound routes offered the ordinary traveller an inexpensive means of crossing America's
04:52huge landscape in stylish, comfortable coaches.
04:56On the way, it captured the hearts of its passengers.
05:03The Greyhounds were a luxurious form of travel without all that stupid executive nonsense.
05:08They were like going in a Cadillac.
05:12I'm going while the sun keeps shining
05:15Through the pouring rain
05:18You had an upper deck, and you would pay a slight premium to go on the upper deck
05:22and watch the Rockies as you strobe down these fantastic interstates.
05:27It was great, and it was convenient,
05:29and you could go from, you know, literally coast to coast.
05:33The USA was peppered with Greyhound coach stations,
05:36and by hopping from one line to another,
05:38the whole country was accessible from anywhere.
05:41East, west, north, south.
05:42It would be up to you which way you went.
05:45You could go off and start a new life,
05:47and nobody would know you'd be free.
05:51I'm going where the sun keeps shining
05:53Through the pouring rain
05:56Going where the weather...
06:00Somewhere, this idea of the romance of the open road
06:04was lost in translation.
06:05Even back at its start,
06:10Britain's National Bus Company
06:11was developing a bit of an image problem.
06:14National's white buses
06:16couldn't match either the allure
06:17of the British golden age that had gone before it
06:20or the gleaming silver of America's Greyhound.
06:24The romance of coach travel
06:26just wasn't there anymore,
06:27and you would go on your coach down to London
06:29on the M1,
06:31and it was just a sterile, bland experience.
06:35Where National sought to standardise
06:38the routes, timetable and livery,
06:40it also unwittingly standardised
06:42the experience of travel.
06:45There was no longer anything to fall in love with.
06:50You get on National Express,
06:51sit on the M25,
06:52go nowhere,
06:53have a rotten packet of crisps,
06:55lousy service,
06:55and then you get off.
06:57I wish I'd never got on that.
07:00While the National Bus Company
07:01remained faithful to its grand plan
07:03of direct intercity travel,
07:05niches in the market opened up
07:07for those who didn't want to conform
07:09to the standard routes.
07:11There were still plenty of passengers
07:12who believed that the original dream
07:14of coach travel
07:14was still worth pursuing.
07:20The coach was opening up
07:21a whole new world of possibilities.
07:23A few years earlier,
07:32the Beatles had released the film
07:33The Magical Mystery Tour.
07:35It played with a version of the Golden Age
07:38where curious characters
07:39embarked on a traditional
07:41British coaching adventure.
07:43If you just looked down the bus
07:45at the characters that were there,
07:48that was very much observing people.
07:50This was the hippie era
07:51and the idea of taking a coach trip
07:54to discover oneself
07:55was hitting the mainstream.
07:58The way that it used the coach
08:00as a sense of escape,
08:03as a sense of taking you
08:05from your own mundane world
08:07to a better world
08:09showed very much the romantic view
08:11of how the coach was seen at the time.
08:14It was somewhere that would take you
08:16to strange, exotic and exciting places.
08:24Taking advantage of a glut of cheap coaches
08:27being sold off by the industry,
08:29unofficial operators sprung up
08:31throughout the 70s,
08:32offering their own take
08:33on the Magical Mystery Tour.
08:35Overland coach travel
08:36to exotic, middle and far eastern destinations.
08:42Everybody was just having fun.
08:43The 70s were a brilliant time to be alive.
08:47The 60s were all a bit sort of fuzzy
08:49and lots of people can't remember them.
08:52But the 70s was a time
08:54when you could do stuff.
08:56You could just up sticks
08:57and go and travel.
08:59The idea of the open road
09:11was particularly attractive
09:13to the hippie generation.
09:15And the use of coaches
09:17was a very important part
09:19of enabling that hippie way of life.
09:23Coaches are ideal vehicles
09:24for people that wanted the privacy
09:26to do drugs.
09:27They can be easily converted
09:29to sleep in them,
09:31to paint the outside,
09:33to make them look psychedelic
09:36and so on.
09:36And they could go anywhere.
09:37You could stop anywhere.
09:38You could sleep anywhere.
09:41We took a few friends
09:42and we got as far as Istanbul
09:44and discovered that there were
09:45a lot of people
09:47who wished to travel
09:48in anything other than
09:50the local transport,
09:51especially in Turkey,
09:53where the drivers had a reputation
09:55for being a bit crazy.
09:58I just started doing
09:59my own little posters,
10:00sticking them in the window,
10:01sit around for a couple of days,
10:03things like $25
10:04to the next capital city.
10:06And it just went on
10:07from there, really.
10:08often in the back of my mind,
10:17I used to think about
10:18the Greyhound bus
10:19across America
10:20because they share
10:21these vast landscapes.
10:24And in fact,
10:24I called my bus
10:26the Silver Express
10:27and I wanted to call it
10:30Der Verkrompte Windhund,
10:32which is
10:32the chromium greyhound.
10:35But there was just
10:36a bit too much
10:37of a mouthful, you know.
10:43There were people
10:44of all nationalities
10:46who wanted to travel out east.
10:47The French
10:48were usually
10:50looking for something to smoke.
10:52The British
10:53never had enough money
10:55to get back home again.
10:56The Americans
10:57could always phone home
10:59if things were bad,
11:01although you'd probably
11:02have to sit around
11:03for a whole day
11:04trying to make
11:04a telephone connection.
11:06Germans were always
11:07very well organised,
11:08as you'd expect them to be.
11:10And the Swedes
11:12and the Danish
11:12were just very pleasant.
11:19I suppose there were
11:21four or five
11:22major organised companies
11:24and the British
11:26two or three dozen
11:27independent operators,
11:29including a girl
11:30called Christine,
11:32a one-eyed,
11:32one-armed French girl
11:34who drove her own bus.
11:37There were several people
11:38like myself
11:38who'd just got a bus
11:39and were interested
11:41in going backwards
11:41and forwards,
11:42or just taking the bus
11:44full of passengers out there,
11:46selling the bus,
11:46flying back,
11:47buying another bus.
11:48travelling off the beaten tracks
11:53had its drawbacks.
11:55The tracks
11:55were often badly maintained
11:57and overland buses
11:58were commonly seen
12:00broken down
12:00on the side of the road
12:01or worse.
12:03No such thing
12:04as health and safety
12:05back in those days.
12:06John remembers stopping
12:10to help out.
12:13I stopped to ask
12:14if I could be of assistance
12:15and he said,
12:17yeah,
12:17would you like
12:17these passengers?
12:18And so I kind of
12:19bought the passengers
12:21off him
12:21for 10%.
12:23And he's given me
12:24a wad of cash
12:25and all the people.
12:28They were very happy
12:30actually to be on my bus
12:31because of course
12:31it was so much
12:32more reliable.
12:37It was all pretty free
12:38really.
12:40We found somewhere
12:40that was nice to stop
12:42and just lay around
12:44or picnic.
12:45We'd do that.
12:46If we found a hotel
12:46that we hadn't used
12:47before that was
12:48particularly nice
12:49or in a nice location
12:50we'd stay there
12:52for an extra day or so.
12:54It used to take
12:54about three weeks
12:55from England
12:56to India.
12:59The important thing
13:01is,
13:01in my mind anyway,
13:02that I got
13:03everybody there
13:04and to me
13:05that was,
13:05they paid money
13:07and I was contracted
13:08to take them
13:09to where they wanted
13:09to go.
13:22For those
13:23not so adventurous
13:24there was always
13:25the Nationals
13:26intercity routes
13:27back in the UK.
13:29Expansion of universities
13:30meant more and more
13:31students
13:32needed to study
13:33away from home.
13:34They were becoming
13:34a substantial market
13:36for coach travel
13:36in their own right.
13:38While students
13:39could be catered for
13:40by standard routes
13:41other passengers
13:42had requirements
13:43that were less
13:43predictable
13:44and the national network
13:46and the national network
13:46was predictably
13:47not equipped
13:48to cater for them.
13:49Newbury,
13:50Newbury,
13:51Biddingstock,
13:52Guildford,
13:52Horsham,
13:53Worthing,
13:55Shoreham,
13:55Hope.
13:56To get on the bus
13:57it takes me to you.
14:01We had some national routes
14:03gradually emerging
14:05but beneath that
14:05a very anarchic situation
14:07with lots of small companies
14:09still operating
14:11as private hire coaches
14:12and serving a very diverse
14:15quite interesting market.
14:21So one has small
14:23private family owned
14:25coach companies
14:26some very long established
14:27who hire vehicles out
14:30to whoever wants
14:31to go a trip somewhere
14:32weddings, anniversaries
14:34works outings
14:36you name it.
14:39There was a network
14:40of coach services
14:41serving the Asian community
14:42which followed routes
14:44such as from Leicester
14:45to Southall
14:46which were not mainstream
14:48for the white population.
14:54One of the most common uses
14:55for a privately hired coach
14:57is the school outing
14:58an experience shared
15:00across the generations.
15:02OK, take your seats.
15:05One at a time.
15:06Slow me.
15:08No pushing.
15:09No pushing.
15:10No pushing.
15:11Slow me.
15:13That was just chaos
15:15in a metal tune.
15:18The teacher just couldn't
15:19keep control.
15:20Another could the coach
15:21drive it.
15:23I got coach sick.
15:24Now if I was sitting
15:25across the back
15:26I wasn't sick
15:27so I always got
15:29the back sick.
15:30It was prime position
15:30to muck around
15:31and be extremely naughty
15:32because it also meant
15:33the teacher
15:33who always sat
15:34at the front
15:35of the coach
15:35had to get up
15:36and walk all the way
15:37down the back.
15:37Now look
15:38I've told you
15:39time and time again
15:40if you don't behave yourself
15:42you're going to come up
15:42the front and sit with me.
15:44But if we do
15:45Miss Wakeman
15:46will be sick.
15:48Well you'll all come up
15:49except for Wakeman then.
15:51But he's the one
15:52who's mucking around
15:52the most Miss.
15:53The 1970s saw the coach
16:05confirm its
16:06counter-cultural status
16:07when the music business
16:09embraced it.
16:09independent label
16:21Stiff Records
16:22sent almost their
16:23entire roster of artists
16:24on tour
16:25in a single coach
16:26in order to save money.
16:30It was 1977
16:31when Stiff Artists
16:33Elvis Costello
16:34Nick Lowe
16:35Larry Wallace
16:36Reckless Eric
16:37and Ian Dury
16:38were all sent out
16:39on the road
16:40in a green and white
16:4157-seater
16:42Plaxton Panorama elite.
16:44And what better way
16:45to kickstart
16:46their careers?
16:46bands performed
16:55back-to-back
16:55each night
16:56showcasing
16:57their best few songs
16:58in a review-style
16:59line-up.
17:01The bands
17:01hadn't really
17:02had hit records
17:03at this point
17:04so together
17:05they were more
17:06of a phenomena
17:08than singly.
17:10Taking Stiff's
17:11artists
17:11on a coach
17:12around the country
17:13was clearly
17:13the cheapest option
17:15for the label.
17:16It made economic sense.
17:19It was
17:20consciously
17:20or subconsciously
17:22putting themselves
17:22on the level
17:23of the people
17:24who were going
17:25to see them.
17:25It was seen
17:26as very authentic
17:27as very real
17:28as a kind of
17:28back-to-basics
17:30manoeuvre.
17:32The coach
17:33also had
17:34some practical advantages.
17:36Everyone arrives
17:37at the same time
17:38everyone is on time
17:40if the coach
17:40is on time
17:41etc.
17:42Everyone's together
17:43there's that kind
17:44of togetherness
17:45that makes
17:45the tour work
17:46and a good tour
17:47is where people
17:48integrate.
17:49If the bands
17:50are turning up
17:51in their own
17:51little bubble
17:52then they don't
17:55either musically
17:56or socially
17:57they don't get on
17:58with everybody else
17:59and it doesn't
18:00work as well
18:02as it should.
18:03Nice girl's
18:04not one
18:05with a defect
18:06She'll play
18:07a shrink
18:08rap
18:08so correct
18:10Red Dog's
18:12under illegal
18:13angst
18:15She'll look
18:19so good
18:20that it gets
18:20down in
18:22thanks
18:23She is
18:25quite a detective
18:26There was lots
18:27of little camps
18:28who set up
18:29and lots of people
18:30who felt
18:30they were slightly
18:31different to other people
18:32so you'd have a group
18:33in the back
18:33playing
18:34kind of elbowing out
18:36another group
18:37slightly
18:37then you'd have people
18:38in the front
18:39talking about
18:41drug experiences
18:42or booze
18:43Elvis wrote
18:48at least
18:49four or five songs
18:49a day
18:50so he was
18:51totally intense
18:52about writing
18:53and being professional
18:54Ian Dury
18:55was kind of
18:57pie in the sky
18:58musical
18:59we are musicians
19:00we're more musical
19:01than the other guys
19:02we think music
19:03all the time
19:04all this kind of
19:05competitive stuff
19:06I mean
19:06all humankind
19:08were there
19:08a keyboard player
19:11of one of the bands
19:13very nice girl
19:14but it turned out
19:15that she actually
19:16had three or four
19:17boyfriends
19:17in the ensemble
19:19but nobody had
19:21you know
19:22twigged this
19:23until one day
19:24on the coach
19:24when some expression
19:26that somebody said
19:27about something
19:28and somebody says
19:29what
19:29and she's completely
19:31blushing
19:32and it turned out
19:32she was having it away
19:33with three guys
19:34at the same time
19:35but arranging it
19:36so that they didn't
19:37know about it
19:38obviously
19:38that's what happens
19:40on coaches
19:41the historical context
19:46at the time
19:47was kicking
19:48against
19:49the excesses
19:50metal and a prog rock
19:52and bunging
19:53their artists
19:54on a coach
19:54together
19:55it attracted
19:55an awful lot
19:56of publicity
19:56it was a great tour
19:58it broke
20:00in Durian
20:00Elvis Costello
20:01I think
20:02and the coach
20:03was memorable
20:04Stiff fully exploited
20:07the coach
20:08as a cheap way
20:08of getting its artists
20:09around
20:10but they weren't
20:11the first
20:11ever since the great
20:21swing tours
20:22of Duke Ellington
20:23the coach
20:24had been used
20:24to bus around
20:25large numbers
20:26of musicians
20:26even the mighty
20:34Cliff Richard
20:34employed the coach
20:35as a tour bus
20:36but the coach
20:38seemed to be
20:38especially suited
20:39to the needs
20:40of the Motown
20:41review tour
20:41of the 1960s
20:43as they travelled
20:44down to the deep south
20:45though the experience
20:51changed somewhat
20:51when they repeated
20:53the performance
20:53in the UK
20:54the great Motown
20:58reviews
20:58have traversed
20:59America
21:01in a coach
21:02you know
21:02you hear these tales
21:03of Stevie Wonder
21:04and the Four Tops
21:05being on a coach
21:06together
21:06kind of finger clicking
21:07humming songs
21:08and generally
21:10growing up
21:11through that experience
21:12together
21:13now of course
21:14it's a little bit
21:15less glamorous
21:16if you're going
21:17from Preston
21:18to Cleethorpes
21:19from humble beginnings
21:22the tour bus
21:23has evolved
21:24over the years
21:24used initially
21:25as just a form
21:26of transport
21:27for bands
21:28it started to be seen
21:29as a money-saving
21:30alternative
21:30to expensive hotels
21:32bands often
21:35travel by coach
21:37not always
21:38because at the very
21:38top level
21:39they will fly
21:39the few hundred yards
21:41from hotel
21:41to venue
21:42however
21:43for most bands
21:45coach is still
21:46the way
21:46there's this industry
21:50built around
21:51the luxury coach
21:52these coaches
21:53have developed
21:55beyond
21:55imagination
21:57they're full
21:58they're full of
21:58kitchens
21:59there's places
22:00to record
22:01there's luxury
22:03seating arrangements
22:05and people sleep
22:07on them
22:07and drive
22:07from city
22:08to city
22:09but in the 70s
22:14when Yes
22:15were on tour
22:15some band members
22:17weren't so keen
22:18on the new
22:18sleeper coaches
22:19I can remember
22:22being called in
22:23by the management
22:24the whole band
22:25and they said
22:26right we're doing
22:26a tour
22:26now
22:27we think it would
22:28be a great idea
22:30if it was a bus
22:31tour
22:31and we just sat
22:33there
22:34and they use
22:36all these arguments
22:37well it'd be great
22:37because at the end
22:38of the gig
22:38you just get on
22:38the bus
22:39you just pleasantly
22:40go to sleep
22:41and then you wake
22:42up in the town
22:44where you're playing
22:44the next day
22:45how wonderful
22:46is that
22:47and then you point
22:48out to them
22:48okay first of all
22:49yes we were all tall
22:50with the exception
22:51of John
22:51six foot three
22:52the bunks
22:53are not six foot
22:55three
22:55it's like being
22:56on a submarine
22:56you're still
22:58in a glorified
23:00bunk bed
23:01it's incredibly
23:02claustrophobic
23:03it's incredibly
23:04sweaty
23:06it is
23:07it's difficult
23:08it's not
23:09the luxury
23:10that it appears
23:11there is one loo
23:12and the sort
23:13of things
23:14that bands do
23:14you do not
23:15need one loo
23:16you need
23:17your own
23:17separate coach
23:18with eight loos
23:19on it
23:19following you
23:20there is
23:20of course
23:21the legendary
23:21no number two
23:22rule
23:23and
23:24it's usually
23:26faithfully
23:27adhered to
23:28partially because
23:28it's pretty
23:29obvious
23:30who the culprit
23:31might be
23:31should nature
23:32take its
23:33inevitable course
23:33you cannot
23:36have your own
23:37space
23:37and if there's
23:37one thing
23:38I think
23:39musicians need
23:40it's your own
23:41space
23:41because you
23:41spend your
23:42life with
23:43them
23:43on stage
23:44eating
23:44talking
23:44rehearsing
23:45why the
23:46bloody hell
23:46do you want
23:47to go to bed
23:47with them
23:47so we went
23:49no
23:49and the management
23:50were quite
23:51taken aback
23:51because of course
23:51they can make
23:52a lot more
23:52money if they
23:53stick you on
23:53a bus
23:54because it's
23:54a damn
23:55sight
23:55cheaper than
23:56putting you
23:57in hotels
23:57where a tall
23:59band like
24:00Yes
24:00struggled with
24:01the small
24:01living space
24:02that a coach
24:02offered
24:03other artists
24:04travelling
24:05solo
24:05had a lot
24:06more room
24:07to stretch
24:07out
24:07a long
24:08and restless
24:09journey
24:11living on
24:15a strong
24:17and hungry
24:18dream
24:19somewhere
24:22down the
24:24road
24:25a warm
24:26light
24:27shining
24:28gold
24:29someday
24:31soon
24:32it's bound
24:33to shine
24:34on me
24:35widely regarded
24:39as one of the
24:40most successful
24:41female country
24:42artists ever
24:43Tammy Winnett
24:44sold over 30
24:45million records
24:45during her career
24:46this made her
24:47one of the highest
24:48earners in the
24:49business
24:49and so unsurprisingly
24:50she demanded a
24:52coach to match
24:53and however luxurious
25:04one thing Tammy Winnett's
25:06tour bus missed out
25:07on was the
25:08communal joys
25:09of travelling
25:09with large numbers
25:10of people
25:11crammed together
25:12in common purpose
25:13nowhere was this
25:15more true
25:15than on the
25:16football fan
25:17coaches
25:17as the football
25:19league grew
25:20in the early
25:2070s
25:21so did the
25:22number of
25:22fans willing
25:22to travel
25:23to away
25:23matches
25:24and for those
25:25who couldn't
25:25afford the
25:26train
25:26the coach
25:27was the
25:28only way
25:28a lot of
25:31football travel
25:32was by coach
25:33up and down
25:34the motorways
25:35and in fact
25:35caused a bit
25:36of trouble
25:36for some
25:37of the
25:37motorway
25:37service stations
25:38when drinking
25:39was allowed
25:40on the
25:40coaches
25:41there is
25:58nothing to
25:58be
25:59travelling
26:00with a lot
26:00of the
26:00fans of
26:01the
26:01same
26:01club
26:01on a
26:02coach
26:02going to
26:03a football
26:03match
26:04I loved
26:04doing that
26:05that was
26:06always great
26:07fun
26:07I think
26:08if there's
26:08a group
26:09of you
26:09who in
26:10a strange
26:10way
26:10have a
26:11connection
26:12then there's
26:14no doubt
26:14about it
26:15it works
26:15In the
26:19best part
26:20of my
26:20formative
26:21years
26:21I would
26:22travel
26:22every other
26:23Saturday
26:24to a
26:25football
26:25match
26:25on a
26:26coach
26:26I would
26:27go and
26:27see
26:27Sheffield
26:28Wednesday
26:28and we
26:30would
26:30basically
26:31drink
26:31our way
26:32from
26:32Sheffield
26:33to our
26:33destination
26:34we had
26:35a fantastic
26:36time
26:36these days
26:37of course
26:38if you
26:38travel on
26:39a coach
26:39to football
26:40matches
26:40you're
26:40legally
26:41barred
26:42from taking
26:43alcohol
26:43and the
26:44police
26:44enforced
26:44this
26:45quite
26:45strictly
26:45back
26:46then
26:46beer
26:47was
26:48not only
26:48allowed
26:49it was
26:50compulsory
26:51it meant
26:52a kind
26:52of
26:53stop-start
26:54journey
26:55because
26:55as we know
26:56men's
26:57bladders
26:57do not
26:58operate
26:59in sync
27:00poor
27:00innocent
27:01families
27:01traveling
27:01in their
27:02saloon cars
27:03to their
27:03suburban
27:03destinations
27:04would
27:05invariably
27:05pass
27:06rows
27:07of men
27:08relieving
27:09themselves
27:09on the
27:10side
27:10of the
27:11road
27:11all
27:13we're
27:13going
27:14more
27:14a good
27:15game of
27:16football
27:16a good
27:17punch
27:17and a good
27:17piss
27:18up
27:18the
27:20potent mix
27:21of alcohol
27:21and a
27:22passionate
27:22devotion
27:22to football
27:23saw a
27:24rise in
27:24violence
27:24in and
27:25around
27:25football
27:25matches
27:26the
27:26visiting
27:27coaches
27:27seem to
27:28be a
27:28magnet
27:28for
27:29aggression
27:29from
27:29some
27:30home
27:30fans
27:31in
27:32depending
27:32on
27:32how
27:32many
27:33coaches
27:33came
27:33down
27:33and
27:33you
27:34could
27:34have
27:34anything
27:34up to
27:34up to
27:3520
27:35or 30
27:36coaches
27:36of
27:37away
27:37supporters
27:38you've
27:38got to
27:39park
27:39them
27:39somewhere
27:39then
27:40you've
27:40got to
27:40take
27:40all
27:40the
27:40occupants
27:42obviously
27:4250 to
27:43100
27:43at a
27:43time
27:44to
27:44the
27:44ground
27:44for
27:44their
27:45own
27:45protection
27:45and
27:46then
27:46someone
27:46police
27:46wise
27:47has
27:47got
27:47to
27:47guard
27:47all
27:47those
27:48coaches
27:48in
27:48case
27:48the
27:49home
27:49supporters
27:50wreck
27:50the
27:50things
27:50they've
27:51also
27:51got to
27:51be
27:51escorted
27:52out
27:52of
27:52the
27:52city
27:53on
27:53the
27:53way
27:53out
27:53in
27:54extreme
27:54situations
27:55and
27:56you've
27:56got to
27:56stress
27:56that
27:57this
27:57didn't
27:57happen
27:57all
27:57the
27:58time
27:58they
27:58would
27:58throw
27:58bricks
27:59at
27:59the
27:59coaches
27:59they
27:59would
27:59throw
28:00stones
28:00they
28:00would
28:00throw
28:01pint
28:01pots
28:02if
28:02you're
28:02passing
28:03a pub
28:03the
28:04more
28:04experienced
28:05travellers
28:05amongst
28:05us
28:06were
28:06very
28:06much
28:06able
28:07to
28:07recognise
28:08the
28:09three
28:09sounds
28:10of
28:10brick
28:11on
28:11coach
28:12sound
28:13number
28:13one
28:13was
28:13brick
28:14hitting
28:14the
28:15metalwork
28:15beneath
28:16the
28:16windows
28:16that
28:17was
28:17a
28:18good
28:18sound
28:18you're
28:18kind
28:19of
28:19reassured
28:19the
28:20second
28:20sound
28:20was
28:20brick
28:21hitting
28:21the
28:21window
28:22and
28:22window
28:22not
28:23shattering
28:23and
28:24that
28:24was
28:24sort
28:25of
28:25reassuring
28:26and
28:26sort
28:26of
28:26a
28:26little
28:27bit
28:27scary
28:27and
28:30then
28:30there
28:30was
28:30the
28:30third
28:30sound
28:31of
28:31brick
28:31shattering
28:32window
28:33and
28:34that
28:34was
28:35quite
28:35scary
28:35it
28:36was
28:37an
28:37occupational
28:37hazard
28:39the
28:40worst
28:40thing
28:40would
28:40be
28:40of
28:40course
28:41travelling
28:41back
28:41with
28:42a
28:42broken
28:42window
28:43on
28:43the
28:43coach
28:43that
28:44was
28:45cold
28:45that
28:45was
28:45horrible
28:46and
28:47the
28:47fact
28:47that
28:47the
28:48retreat
28:48had
28:48been
28:48caused
28:49by
28:50the
28:50locals
28:50meant
28:51there
28:52was
28:52a
28:52certain
28:52dampening
28:53of
28:53morale
28:53During
28:58the 70s
28:58football
28:59had become
28:59one of
29:00the largest
29:00areas
29:01of the
29:01private
29:01hire
29:02market
29:02National
29:03recognised
29:04this
29:04and started
29:05to poach
29:05some
29:06of this
29:06business
29:06National's
29:13army
29:14of
29:14buses
29:14were
29:15gaining
29:15territory
29:15all the
29:16time
29:16and
29:17the
29:17shiny
29:17new
29:17white
29:18coach
29:18company
29:18seemed
29:19unstoppable
29:19but
29:21the name
29:21National
29:22didn't quite
29:22capture the
29:23essence of
29:24speedy
29:24intercity
29:25travel
29:25so it
29:26was
29:26rebranded
29:27as
29:28National
29:29Express
29:29and jobs
29:30there
29:31were much
29:31sought
29:32after
29:32I
29:32was
29:33a
29:33bus
29:33driver
29:34at
29:34Nottingham
29:34on local
29:35services
29:36and a
29:37vacancy
29:37came up
29:38on the
29:38notice
29:38board
29:39they
29:39wanted
29:39a
29:40driver
29:41to
29:41operate
29:42their
29:43contract
29:43with
29:44National
29:44Express
29:44this
29:45was a
29:46very
29:46special
29:46opportunity
29:47for me
29:48it
29:48was a
29:49prestige
29:49job
29:50it
29:51was
29:51suggested
29:51that
29:52if
29:52I
29:53was
29:53snapped
29:53in
29:53half
29:54like
29:54a
29:54stick
29:54of
29:54rock
29:55it
29:55would
29:55say
29:55National
29:56Express
29:56all
29:57the
29:57way
29:57through
29:57me
29:57these
30:03services
30:04were
30:04faster
30:04drivers
30:05were
30:06driving
30:06more
30:07to
30:07the
30:07speed
30:07limits
30:08than
30:09they
30:09had
30:09done
30:09in
30:09the
30:10past
30:10this
30:11particular
30:12vehicle
30:12in
30:12fact
30:13was
30:13re-engined
30:14with a
30:14more
30:14powerful
30:15engine
30:15to cope
30:16with
30:16the
30:17additional
30:17speeds
30:18and
30:18tight
30:18timings
30:19needed
30:19the
30:23ease
30:23with
30:24which
30:24the
30:24national
30:24express
30:25network
30:25grew
30:26showed
30:26how
30:26badly
30:27the
30:27country
30:27needed
30:28the
30:28network
30:28it
30:29even
30:29started
30:29to
30:30take
30:30away
30:30passengers
30:30from
30:31the
30:31railways
30:31train
30:34train
30:34fares
30:35were
30:36skyrocketing
30:37the
30:38car
30:38was
30:39unreliable
30:40there
30:40wasn't
30:40mass
30:40car
30:41ownership
30:41it
30:41was
30:42seen
30:42as
30:43not
30:43something
30:43to
30:43take
30:44long
30:44journeys
30:45in
30:45so
30:46the
30:46coach
30:46which
30:46was
30:47affordable
30:47mildly
30:49pleasant
30:49and
30:50very
30:50reliable
30:51was
30:52seen
30:52as
30:52the
30:52way
30:53for
30:53ordinary
30:54people
30:54to
30:54get
30:54from
30:55city
30:55to
30:56city
30:56by
30:58the
30:58end
30:58of
30:58the
30:58seventies
30:59national
30:59express
31:00dominated
31:00the
31:01coach
31:01market
31:01but
31:03had
31:03it
31:03got
31:03too
31:03big
31:04for
31:04its
31:04own
31:04good
31:04there
31:05wasn't
31:06a lot
31:06of
31:06space
31:07for
31:08a
31:08smaller
31:08company
31:09to
31:09come
31:09in
31:09because
31:10the
31:10nationalized
31:11bus
31:11companies
31:11had
31:12really
31:12got
31:12it
31:12sewn
31:12up
31:13they
31:13knew
31:13what
31:13the
31:13customer
31:14wanted
31:14and
31:15they
31:15provided
31:15it
31:16that
31:20spelled
31:21trouble
31:21monopolies
31:22were
31:22not
31:22popular
31:23with
31:23the
31:23new
31:23conservative
31:24government
31:24their
31:25mission
31:25was
31:25to
31:26create
31:26more
31:26competitive
31:27markets
31:27and
31:28national
31:28express
31:29was
31:29about
31:29to
31:30be
31:30put
31:30in
31:30the
31:30firing
31:31line
31:31the
31:32tories
31:32would
31:32start
31:32a
31:32long
31:33process
31:33of
31:34deregulating
31:34Britain's
31:35nationalized
31:36industries
31:36first for the
31:38treatment
31:38was the
31:39bus and
31:39coach
31:40network
31:40in the
31:411980
31:41transport
31:42act
31:42transport
31:45minister
31:45Norman
31:45Fowler
31:46opened the
31:46way to
31:47what he
31:47sees
31:47as a
31:48better
31:48deal
31:48for
31:49the
31:49traveling
31:49public
31:49he
31:50says
31:51the
31:51new
31:51transport
31:51act
31:52is
31:52the
31:52first
31:52major
31:53reform
31:53of
31:53bus
31:54licensing
31:54for
31:54half a
31:55century
31:55ten
31:56major
31:57private
31:57operators
31:58have
31:58banded
31:58together
31:59to
31:59form
31:59British
31:59coach
32:00ways
32:00offering
32:01a
32:01nationwide
32:02network
32:02of
32:02cheap
32:03services
32:03with the
32:04government's
32:05blessing
32:05independent
32:06bus
32:06companies
32:07are set
32:07to
32:07challenge
32:08the
32:08near
32:08monopoly
32:08of
32:09national
32:09express
32:10and
32:11there'll
32:11be
32:11few
32:11complaints
32:12from
32:12passengers
32:12with
32:13an
32:13immediate
32:13cut
32:14price
32:14war
32:14on
32:15many
32:15routes
32:15the
32:16fares
32:17were
32:17dropped
32:17and
32:18there's
32:18an
32:18instance
32:19between
32:20Exeter
32:21and
32:21London
32:22the
32:22fares
32:22overnight
32:23went
32:23down
32:23from
32:23£8.50
32:25there were
32:27pluses
32:28and
32:28minuses
32:28to
32:29this
32:29yes
32:30it
32:30opened
32:30up
32:31transport
32:31to
32:32people
32:32who
32:32before
32:34would
32:34probably
32:34have
32:35hitchhiked
32:35but
32:38I think
32:38we
32:39lost
32:39the
32:40very
32:41respectable
32:41well-dressed
32:42clientele
32:43in spite of
32:46the fanfare
32:46that British
32:47coachways
32:48received
32:48they lasted
32:49a year
32:50before
32:50national
32:50express
32:51saw
32:51them
32:51off
32:52but
32:54other
32:54private
32:54companies
32:55with
32:55cut
32:55prices
32:55were
32:56catching
32:56on
32:56one of
32:58the most
32:58successful
32:59of these
32:59was
33:00stagecoach
33:01which was
33:01started
33:02by
33:02Brian
33:02Souter
33:02and his
33:03sister
33:03Anne
33:04Glowag
33:04on their
33:05early
33:05routes
33:05he
33:06would
33:06drive
33:06while
33:07she
33:07would
33:07make
33:07the
33:07sandwiches
33:08today
33:08it's
33:09the
33:09second
33:10largest
33:10transport
33:11company
33:11in the
33:12country
33:12while
33:23the
33:23deregulation
33:24of the
33:24coach
33:24networks
33:25was seen
33:25as a
33:26success
33:26the
33:27government's
33:27approach
33:27to the
33:28coal
33:28industry
33:28was not
33:29looked upon
33:30so
33:30favourably
33:31the
33:33closing
33:33of pits
33:34threatened
33:34the
33:34livelihoods
33:35of many
33:36in the
33:36mining
33:36communities
33:37the
33:38reactions
33:38of the
33:38miners
33:39is well
33:39documented
33:40but less
33:40well known
33:41is the
33:42role of
33:42the
33:42humble
33:43coach
33:43I
33:48worked at
33:49West Oak
33:49Coloury
33:49in South
33:50Shields
33:51in the
33:51Durham
33:51coal
33:51field
33:52I was a
33:53flying
33:53picket
33:53and if
33:54you don't
33:55know
33:55what a
33:55flying
33:55picket
33:55is
33:56it's
33:57someone
33:57who's
33:58fighting
33:58for
33:58their
33:58job
33:59who
33:59goes
34:00to
34:01try
34:01and
34:01spread
34:01a
34:02strike
34:02around
34:03places
34:04which
34:04should
34:05be
34:05joining
34:05the
34:05strike
34:06but
34:06aren't
34:07and
34:07tries
34:07to
34:07peacefully
34:07persuade
34:08those
34:08people
34:09the
34:09error
34:09of
34:09their
34:10ways
34:10people
34:17don't
34:17realise
34:18but
34:18it
34:18was
34:18a
34:18massive
34:19exercise
34:19actually
34:20moving
34:20all
34:20these
34:21miners
34:21around
34:21the
34:21country
34:22we
34:23turned
34:23up
34:23at
34:23the
34:23union
34:24hall
34:24in
34:24the
34:24morning
34:25and
34:25then
34:26some
34:26knackered
34:27banged
34:28up
34:28old
34:29banger
34:29of a
34:30coach
34:30would
34:30come
34:31spluttering
34:31up
34:31to
34:32the
34:32door
34:32to
34:32take
34:32us
34:33there
34:33weren't
34:33luxury
34:34luxury
34:34didn't
34:35come
34:35into
34:35it
34:35and
34:37the
34:37smell
34:38I
34:38mean
34:38if
34:38you
34:39can
34:39imagine
34:3950
34:39blokes
34:40on
34:40a
34:41bus
34:41they've
34:42all
34:42been
34:42in
34:42the
34:42pub
34:43because
34:43they
34:43wanted
34:43to
34:43get
34:43to
34:43sleep
34:44on
34:44the
34:44bus
34:44so
34:45I
34:45had
34:45a
34:45bucket
34:45in
34:47the
34:47middle
34:47of
34:47the
34:48bus
34:48oh
34:50but
34:50some
34:50idiot
34:50would
34:51kick
34:51it
34:51over
34:51and
34:52the
34:52smell
34:53in
34:53people's
34:53feet
34:54lifting
34:54up
34:54you
34:55know
34:55but
34:56there
34:57was
34:57still
34:57a
34:57great
34:58sense
34:58of
34:58humour
34:58about
34:59the
34:59whole
34:59thing
34:59as
35:06the
35:07conflict
35:07escalated
35:08the
35:08government
35:08took
35:09a
35:09hard
35:09line
35:09to clamp
35:10down
35:10on
35:10the
35:10pickets
35:11who
35:11were
35:11now
35:11turning
35:12up
35:12in
35:12their
35:12hundreds
35:13even
35:20the
35:20police
35:20started
35:21using
35:21coaches
35:22they
35:23were
35:23coordinated
35:23by an
35:24emergency
35:24centre
35:25set up
35:25on the
35:2613th
35:26floor
35:27of
35:27Scotland
35:27Yard
35:28and could
35:28be
35:29deployed
35:29around
35:29the
35:30country
35:30at a
35:30moment's
35:31notice
35:31next
35:32Leicestershire
35:33certainly
35:33in
35:33the
35:33same
35:34position
35:34Derbyshire
35:35have
35:36got
35:36the
35:36same
35:36result
35:37and
35:37it
35:37would
35:37appear
35:37from
35:38what
35:38I
35:38see
35:38that
35:38most
35:39of
35:39you
35:39are
35:39going
35:39to be
35:40in
35:40the
35:40same
35:40position
35:40on
35:40Monday
35:41morning
35:41just about
35:47every force
35:48in the
35:48country
35:48I think
35:48took part
35:49somewhere
35:49along
35:50the
35:50line
35:50one
35:51of
35:51the
35:51pits
35:51would
35:51be
35:52hit
35:52by
35:52on
35:53mass
35:53by
35:53flying
35:53pickets
35:54pack
35:55a bag
35:55you're
35:56going to
35:56Nottingham
35:56pack
35:56a bag
35:57you're
35:57going to
36:01we
36:04would
36:04get
36:04bussed
36:05up
36:05and
36:06have
36:07to
36:07go
36:07hot
36:07foot
36:07across
36:08the
36:08county
36:08to
36:09wherever
36:09that
36:09particular
36:10trouble
36:10spot
36:10was
36:11there
36:12was
36:12lots
36:12of
36:12competition
36:13with
36:13the
36:13police
36:13and
36:14trying
36:14to
36:14outwit
36:14them
36:15and
36:15then
36:15you
36:16know
36:16especially
36:16going
36:17into
36:17Nottingham
36:17they
36:18didn't
36:18want
36:18us
36:18to
36:18go
36:19to
36:19Nottingham
36:19and
36:19we
36:19wanted
36:20to
36:20go
36:20a
36:20new
36:20concept
36:21was
36:21devised
36:22called
36:22intercept
36:22duty
36:23devised
36:24purely
36:24and simply
36:25to
36:25disrupt
36:25their
36:26activities
36:26before
36:27they
36:27got
36:27to
36:27whichever
36:27pit
36:28they
36:28were
36:28going
36:28to
36:28hit
36:28There'll
36:31be
36:31police
36:32checkpoints
36:32at
36:32motorway
36:33exits
36:33searches
36:34for
36:34offensive
36:35weapons
36:35and
36:36flying
36:36pickets
36:36will
36:36be
36:37turned
36:37back
36:37coach
36:38drivers
36:39bringing
36:39in
36:39any
36:40pickets
36:40have
36:40been
36:40warned
36:41they're
36:41liable
36:41to
36:42arrest
36:42and
36:42prosecution
36:43We start
36:43to see
36:44all these
36:44motorway
36:45bridges
36:45with
36:45police
36:45vehicles
36:46covering
36:47them
36:47and
36:48every
36:49single
36:49one
36:49police
36:50vehicles
36:50there was
36:50police
36:51cars
36:51going
36:51up
36:52the
36:52side
36:52roads
36:53going
36:53with
36:56themselves
36:57into
36:57They
36:58were
36:59easy
36:59to
36:59spot
36:59to
36:59be
36:59fair
37:00because
37:00they'd
37:01all
37:01be
37:01wearing
37:01donkey
37:01jackets
37:02Lots
37:02of
37:02flat
37:03caps
37:03with
37:03coal
37:04nut
37:04doll
37:04stickers
37:04all
37:05over
37:05the
37:05place
37:05None
37:06of
37:07them
37:07could
37:07give
37:07us
37:07an
37:07address
37:08in
37:08Nottingham
37:08where
37:09they
37:09supposedly
37:09lived
37:10The cop
37:10said
37:10where
37:11do
37:11you
37:11think
37:11you
37:11lot
37:12are
37:12going
37:12We
37:12said
37:12we're
37:13going
37:13to
37:13a
37:13wedding
37:14officer
37:14Oh yeah
37:15it's
37:16a Tuesday
37:17Yeah
37:17well
37:18he's
37:18got
37:18strange
37:19tests
37:26and
37:30they were
37:30ordered
37:31with
37:31police
37:32escort
37:32to
37:33drive
37:33back
37:33the
37:33way
37:34we
37:34bloody
37:34well
37:34came
37:35and
37:35never
37:36be
37:36seen
37:37in
37:37Nottingham
37:37again
37:38for the
37:39duration
37:39of
37:39the
37:39strike
37:40and
37:40we
37:40headed
37:40off
37:41up
37:41the
37:41motorway
37:41back
37:42to
37:42where
37:42we
37:42came
37:43from
37:43except
37:44we
37:44didn't
37:45we
37:45turned
37:45off
37:45at
37:45Barnsley
37:46and
37:46went
37:46back
37:46to
37:46strike
37:46headquarters
37:47and
37:47say
37:47right
37:47we
37:48couldn't
37:48get
37:48in
37:48that
37:49way
37:49how
37:49can
37:49we
37:49get
37:49in
37:49They
37:50started
37:50splitting
37:56into
37:57and
37:57out
37:57of
37:57Nottinghamshire
37:57The
38:00whole
38:00basis
38:00of
38:01the
38:01police
38:01operation
38:02was
38:02to
38:02facilitate
38:02those
38:03that
38:04wanted
38:04to
38:04work
38:04to
38:05work
38:05so
38:06that
38:07actually
38:07meant
38:07escorting
38:08them
38:08into
38:08the
38:08pit
38:08sometimes
38:10in
38:11some
38:11pits
38:11it
38:11was
38:11just
38:11one
38:12or
38:12two
38:12they
38:13literally
38:13walked
38:14in
38:14with
38:14a
38:15police
38:15escort
38:15very
38:16brave
38:16of
38:16them
38:16Divisions
38:24among
38:24minors
38:24meant
38:25that
38:25the
38:25protests
38:26became
38:26more
38:26intense
38:27and
38:28the
38:28police
38:28responded
38:29in
38:29larger
38:29numbers
38:30but
38:31there
38:31were
38:31still
38:32those
38:32who
38:32wanted
38:33to
38:33go
38:33back
38:33to
38:34work
38:34Anybody
38:36that
38:36assisted
38:36the
38:37working
38:38minors
38:38without
38:40doubt
38:40the
38:40local
38:41coach
38:41companies
38:42were
38:42attacked
38:43graffiti
38:44on
38:45the
38:46walls
38:46and
38:46some
38:46of
38:47their
38:47vehicles
38:47were
38:47damaged
38:48As
38:49the
38:49violence
38:50mounted
38:50normal
38:51buses
38:51and
38:51coaches
38:52were
38:52no
38:52longer
38:53deemed
38:53safe
38:53to
38:53carry
38:54workers
38:54across
38:54the
38:55picket
38:55line
38:55coaches
38:56started
38:56to be
38:57specially
38:57adapted
38:57to
38:58withstand
38:58the
38:59attacks
38:59This
39:00thing
39:00turns up
39:00I've never
39:02seen anything
39:02like it
39:02apart from
39:03in Northern
39:03Ireland
39:04during the
39:04Troubles
39:04great big
39:06coach
39:06with steel
39:07mesh
39:08all the way
39:09up the
39:09sides
39:10bullhorn
39:11things on
39:11the front
39:12mirrored
39:13windows
39:13so you
39:14couldn't see
39:15anybody
39:15inside
39:16at all
39:16At the
39:17same time
39:17as the
39:18coaches
39:18became
39:18safer
39:19more and
39:19more
39:19miners
39:20went back
39:20to work
39:21there
39:22would be
39:22one
39:23coach
39:23and
39:24then
39:24a
39:24couple
39:24of
39:24days
39:25later
39:25there
39:25would be
39:25two
39:25coaches
39:26but
39:26you
39:26couldn't
39:26have
39:26seen
39:27who
39:28was
39:28on
39:28the
39:28coach
39:28so
39:29they
39:29would
39:29just
39:30put
39:30figures
39:30out
39:30and say
39:30100
39:31men
39:31have
39:31gone
39:31back
39:31today
39:32trying
39:32to
39:33panic
39:34everybody
39:34by
39:37by
39:38March
39:381985
39:39the
39:39strike
39:40was
39:40over
39:40but
39:41even
39:41though
39:41miners
39:42were
39:42returning
39:42to
39:43work
39:43by
39:43the
39:43coach
39:43load
39:44the
39:44pit
39:44closures
39:45left
39:45many
39:46communities
39:46struggling
39:47with
39:47unemployment
39:48and
39:48debt
39:48the
39:50coaches
39:50role
39:50however
39:51was
39:51not
39:52forgotten
39:52after
39:53the
39:54strike
39:54the
39:55coach
39:55companies
39:56who
39:56hadn't
39:56supported
39:57us
39:57who
39:57had
39:57refused
39:58to
39:58come
39:58and
39:58pick
39:58us
39:58up
39:59who
39:59had
40:00taken
40:00police
40:00or
40:00had
40:01taken
40:01scabs
40:01into
40:02the
40:02pit
40:02were
40:04boycotted
40:05them
40:05now
40:05you
40:05may
40:06think
40:06what
40:06what
40:07a
40:07few
40:07miners
40:07but
40:07miners
40:08you know
40:09they go
40:09to galas
40:10they go
40:11to clubs
40:12and in
40:12the clubs
40:13they go
40:13on trips
40:13away to
40:14blackpool
40:14and so
40:15on
40:15but
40:16those
40:16companies
40:16miners
40:17and their
40:18supporters
40:19would never
40:19use
40:20again
40:20and
40:21probably
40:22still
40:22if
40:22they're
40:22still
40:23in existence
40:23they probably
40:24still won't
40:24now
40:24if they're
40:25anything
40:25like me
40:26I do
40:27bear a
40:28grudge
40:28back on
40:31the
40:31motorways
40:32of
40:32commercial
40:33coach
40:33travel
40:33national
40:34express
40:35was under
40:36growing
40:36pressure
40:36from
40:37competitors
40:37some
40:38of the
40:38new
40:38private
40:39operators
40:39were
40:40offering
40:40cheaper
40:41fares
40:41and
40:41others
40:42a
40:42higher
40:43standard
40:43of
40:43service
40:44in
40:511985
40:51they
40:52responded
40:53by
40:53launching
40:54the
40:54upmarket
40:54sounding
40:55rapid
40:56service
40:57the
41:09rapide
41:10a new
41:11dawn
41:11of
41:12luxurious
41:13coach
41:13travel
41:13beckoned
41:14the
41:15repeat
41:16commanded
41:17a
41:17slightly
41:17higher
41:17fare
41:18the
41:19ordinary
41:20services
41:20would
41:21cater
41:21for
41:21the
41:22day
41:22to
41:22day
41:22passenger
41:23the
41:23repeat
41:24services
41:24they
41:25would
41:25cater
41:25for
41:26a
41:26slightly
41:26more
41:27upmarket
41:27passenger
41:28we've got
41:30coffee
41:30we've got
41:31tea
41:31we've got
41:31toilets
41:32if need
41:32be
41:33we've got
41:33phones
41:33on video
41:34so there's
41:35lots for
41:35you to
41:36see
41:36we've got
41:36seats
41:36so you
41:37can lay
41:37back
41:38just like
41:38we do
41:38at
41:39planes
41:39and
41:39best
41:40of all
41:41rapide's
41:41got
41:42elaine
41:42you've
41:43just
41:43got
41:43to
41:43be
41:44delaine
41:44she's
41:46a
41:46real
41:46swell
41:47girl
41:48you
41:49would
41:49have
41:49to
41:50be
41:50insane
41:51to
41:51choose
41:52anyone
41:52but
41:52rapide's
41:53elaine
41:54rapide's
41:54got
41:54elaine
41:55and
41:56jane
41:56and
41:56kate
41:56another
41:58thing
41:58that was
41:58introduced
41:59at the
41:59time
42:00was
42:00the
42:01video
42:02film
42:02not
42:03liked
42:04by
42:04everybody
42:04and
42:05very
42:06often
42:06the
42:07hostess
42:07or
42:08the
42:08driver
42:08would
42:09in fact
42:09be
42:09asked
42:10by
42:10an
42:10intending
42:11passenger
42:11and
42:12are
42:12they
42:12repeating
42:13the
42:14film
42:14that
42:14I
42:14saw
42:14last
42:15time
42:15refreshments
42:23were
42:24provided
42:24on
42:24board
42:25so
42:25hence
42:25toilet
42:26facilities
42:26were
42:27needed
42:27as
42:27well
42:27quite
42:29basic
42:29but
42:30adequate
42:30for
42:30the
42:31use
42:32that
42:32it
42:32had
42:32however
42:34basic
42:35the
42:35facilities
42:35the
42:36toilet
42:36had a
42:37key role
42:38in helping
42:38the
42:38rapide
42:39be
42:39well
42:40rapide
42:41the
42:42service
42:42could run
42:42for much
42:43longer
42:43distances
42:44without
42:44having to
42:45stop
42:45for
42:45convenience
42:46breaks
42:46for
42:50those
42:50who
42:51weren't
42:51in
42:51quite
42:51such
42:52a
42:52rush
42:52coaches
42:53proved
42:53adaptable
42:54in
42:54other
42:54ways
42:54too
42:55some
42:55even
42:56said
42:56about
42:56converting
42:57coaches
42:57into
42:57travelling
42:58homes
42:59and with
43:00this
43:00transformation
43:01came a
43:02new way
43:02of life
43:02for what
43:03became
43:03known
43:04as
43:04new
43:05age
43:05travellers
43:06you
43:09can
43:09pay
43:10upwards
43:11of
43:11a
43:11couple
43:11of
43:11hundred
43:12pound
43:12to
43:12a
43:12few
43:12thousand
43:13of
43:13course
43:13and
43:14still
43:14be
43:14able
43:15to
43:15get
43:15a
43:16reasonable
43:17service
43:18out
43:19the
43:19vehicle
43:19before
43:19it
43:19finally
43:20gives
43:20up
43:20the
43:20ghost
43:21you
43:21don't
43:21have
43:22to
43:22do
43:22much
43:23to
43:23one
43:23you
43:24can
43:24just
43:24put
43:25down
43:25a
43:25bed
43:26base
43:26or
43:26a
43:26mattress
43:27and
43:28you
43:29can
43:29put
43:29a
43:29couple
43:29of
43:30shelves
43:30below
43:30the
43:31windows
43:31and
43:32that's
43:32fitted
43:33isn't
43:33it
43:33but
43:33that's
43:34probably
43:34not
43:35going
43:35to
43:35be
43:35very
43:35comfortable
43:36it
43:37seems
43:38the
43:38freedom
43:38of
43:38the
43:39hippie
43:39buses
43:39of
43:39the
43:40sixties
43:40was
43:40alive
43:41and
43:41well
43:41but
43:42there
43:42were
43:42still
43:42the
43:42regulations
43:43of
43:43the
43:43road
43:43to
43:44contend
43:44with
43:44and
43:45the
43:45police
43:45were
43:46not
43:46always
43:46sympathetic
43:47to
43:47their
43:47ways
43:48the
43:51vehicles
43:52that
43:52they
43:52used
43:52without
43:53putting
43:53too
43:53fine
43:54a
43:54point
43:54on
43:54it
43:54most
43:55of
43:55them
43:55were
43:56complete
43:56wrecks
43:56and
43:58were
43:58completely
43:58unroadworthy
43:59police
44:02concerns
44:03would come
44:03to a
44:04head
44:04as the
44:04travelers
44:05planned
44:05to meet
44:06for the
44:06summer
44:06solstice
44:07at
44:07Stonehenge
44:08in
44:081985
44:09a court
44:10injunction
44:11was issued
44:11and roadblocks
44:12set up
44:12to prevent
44:13the festival
44:13going ahead
44:14and as
44:15during the
44:16miners'
44:16strikes
44:16coachloads
44:17of extra
44:18police
44:18were drafted
44:19in
44:19the
44:20steps
44:21that
44:21had
44:21to
44:21be
44:21taken
44:22to
44:22prevent
44:22it
44:22were
44:23really
44:23a
44:24response
44:24to
44:25the
44:25declaration
44:26by
44:26the
44:28spokesman
44:28of those
44:29who come
44:29to the
44:30festival
44:30that they
44:30were
44:30determined
44:31to
44:31ignore
44:31the
44:31injunctions
44:32I
44:33must
44:33stress
44:33that
44:33the
44:34National
44:34Trust
44:34will
44:35continue
44:35to
44:36say
44:36that
44:36we
44:36can't
44:37have
44:37the
44:37festival
44:37on
44:38this
44:38land
44:38The
44:41policing
44:41of
44:41Stonehenge
44:42which
44:42was
44:43originally
44:43Wiltshire
44:44Constavory's
44:44responsibility
44:45again
44:46they
44:46called
44:47on
44:47neighbouring
44:48forces
44:48to
44:49supply
44:49mutual
44:49aid
44:50because
44:50the
44:51new age
44:52travellers
44:53were
44:53becoming
44:53so
44:53large
44:54in
44:55numbers
44:55that
44:56Wiltshire
44:57couldn't
44:57cope
44:57so
44:58they
44:58called
44:58on
44:58forces
44:59from
44:59Hampshire
45:00Dorset
45:00Surrey
45:01Sussex
45:01the
45:03Met
45:03and one
45:04or two
45:04other
45:04forces
45:05to
45:06come
45:06and
45:06assist
45:06them
45:06in
45:07policing
45:08the
45:08hippies
45:09attending
45:09Stonehenge
45:10for the
45:10summer
45:10solstice
45:10when
45:11these
45:12people
45:12decided
45:12to
45:13move
45:13and
45:14they
45:14moved
45:14en masse
45:15it's
45:15very
45:15difficult
45:16to
45:16just
45:16put
45:17your
45:17hand
45:17up
45:17and
45:18say
45:18you
45:18can
45:18go
45:18no
45:19further
45:19because
45:19they're
45:20not
45:20going
45:21to
45:21take
45:21any
45:21notice
45:21of
45:21you
45:21full
45:23scale
45:23plan
45:23probably
45:24something
45:24almost
45:24as
45:24big
45:25as
45:25the
45:25miners
45:25strike
45:25policing
45:26wise
45:26was
45:28put
45:28into
45:29operation
45:29to
45:31exercise
45:31some
45:32kind
45:32of
45:32control
45:32over
45:33Stonehenge
45:36and
45:36the
45:36policing
45:37of
45:37the
45:37whole
45:38hippie
45:38convoy
45:38because
45:41of
45:42police
45:42opposition
45:42to
45:43such
45:43things
45:43in
45:43the
45:43past
45:44we
45:44were
45:44aware
45:45that
45:45there
45:45might
45:45be
45:46legal
45:47consequences
45:48there
45:48might
45:48be
45:49a
45:49court
45:49case
45:50where
45:50you
45:50would
45:50be
45:50asked
45:50to
45:51move
45:51when
45:51you
45:51arrived
45:52but
45:53none
45:53of
45:53us
45:54had
45:54any
45:54idea
45:54of
45:55the
45:55kind
45:55of
45:55military
45:55intervention
45:56that
45:56was
45:57about
45:58to
45:58take
45:58place
45:59they
46:01were
46:02pushed
46:03into
46:03a
46:03field
46:04to
46:04basically
46:04corral
46:05them
46:05to
46:05start
46:06off
46:06so
46:06we
46:06could
46:06exercise
46:07some
46:07kind
46:07of
46:07control
46:08because
46:08prior
46:09to
46:09that
46:09they
46:09had
46:09been
46:09driving
46:10through
46:10farmyards
46:11through
46:11people's
46:11gardens
46:12this
46:14was
46:14just
46:14another
46:14occasion
46:15where
46:15I
46:15thought
46:15the
46:16vehicle
46:16up
46:16ahead
46:16had
46:16just
46:17broken
46:17down
46:17so
46:17I
46:18got
46:18out
46:18of
46:18my
46:18vehicle
46:19taking
46:20the
46:20opportunity
46:21to
46:21photograph
46:21the
46:22convoy
46:22when
46:24I
46:24heard
46:24screams
46:25and
46:25glass
46:26breaking
46:26and
46:26people
46:28running
46:28about
46:28and
46:29with
46:30some
46:30alarm
46:30I
46:31saw
46:31a
46:31phalanx
46:32of
46:32something
46:32like
46:3340
46:33or 50
46:33policemen
46:34with
46:34shields
46:34and
46:35sticks
46:35running
46:37down
46:37the
46:37vehicles
46:37ahead
46:38of
46:38me
46:38breaking
46:39the
46:39wind
46:39screens
46:39and
46:40side
46:41windows
46:41and
46:42generally
46:43assaulting
46:43people
46:44a
46:46bus
46:47ahead
46:47of
46:47me
46:47drove
46:48through
46:48a
46:49hole
46:49in
46:49the
46:49hedge
46:50making
46:50that
46:50hole
46:51bigger
46:51I
46:52saw
46:52my
46:52opportunity
46:53and
46:53took
46:53my
46:54vehicle
46:54and
46:54my
46:54family
46:55into
46:55the
46:55field
46:56to
46:56get
46:57away
46:57from
46:57the
46:57initial
46:58assault
46:58the
47:04peace
47:04convoy
47:04was
47:05prevented
47:05from
47:05moving
47:06and
47:06it
47:06was
47:07only
47:07a
47:07matter
47:07of
47:07time
47:08before
47:08violence
47:08erupted
47:17one
47:22one
47:22of
47:22the
47:22police
47:22carriers
47:23was
47:23t-boned
47:23by
47:23a
47:24single
47:24decker
47:24coach
47:25virtually
47:25broken
47:26in
47:26half
47:26and
47:27the
47:27two
47:27officers
47:27inside
47:28it
47:28were
47:28quite
47:28badly
47:28injured
47:29and
47:30it
47:30was
47:30as a
47:31direct
47:32result
47:32of
47:32that
47:32that
47:34what
47:34has
47:35now
47:35become
47:35known
47:35as
47:36the
47:36battle
47:36of
47:36the
47:36bean
47:36field
47:36then
47:37kicked
47:37off
47:37it
47:51wasn't
47:51just
47:52the
47:52coaches
47:52that
47:52were
47:53attacked
47:53by
47:53the
47:53police
47:54there
47:54were
47:54many
47:55casualties
47:55I
48:02was
48:02really
48:02very
48:02frightened
48:03both
48:03for
48:03myself
48:03my
48:04family
48:04and
48:04those
48:05that
48:05I
48:05care
48:05about
48:05around
48:06me
48:06only
48:08when
48:08the
48:09initial
48:09conflict
48:10died
48:10down
48:10was
48:11the
48:11full
48:11scale
48:12of
48:12the
48:12damage
48:12clear
48:13it
48:14was
48:14simply
48:14to
48:15damage
48:16the
48:16vehicle
48:17beyond
48:17economic
48:17repair
48:18such
48:18that
48:19when
48:19it
48:19got
48:19rained
48:20on
48:20after
48:20that
48:21day
48:21people
48:22wouldn't
48:22be
48:22able
48:22to
48:23maintain
48:23the
48:23vehicle
48:24decommissioning
48:25the
48:25convoy
48:26those
48:29who
48:30were
48:30arrested
48:30had
48:31their
48:31coaches
48:31impounded
48:32by
48:32the
48:32police
48:33once
48:37released
48:37they
48:38were
48:38allowed
48:38to
48:39recover
48:39their
48:39vehicles
48:40few
48:41were
48:41left
48:41roadworthy
48:42this
48:47is my
48:48baby's
48:48bed
48:48that
48:49was
48:49he
48:50was
48:50asleep
48:50in
48:50when
48:50the
48:51police
48:51broke
48:51the
48:51window
48:52and
48:53the
48:53front
48:53of
48:53the
48:53bus
48:54mine
48:54was
48:54probably
48:55the
48:55best
48:55bus
48:55on
48:55the
48:55circuit
48:56and
48:57it's
48:57just
48:57been
48:57totally
48:57wrecked
48:58such a
49:00violent
49:01encounter
49:01left
49:02many
49:02of
49:02the
49:02travellers
49:02homes
49:03in
49:03pieces
49:03things
49:04would
49:05never
49:05be
49:05the
49:05same
49:05again
49:06for
49:06the
49:06peace
49:06convoy
49:07it
49:09did
49:09have
49:09a
49:09huge
49:10impact
49:10although
49:11it
49:11didn't
49:11cure
49:11the
49:11problem
49:12completely
49:12the
49:13year
49:13after
49:13every
49:14vehicle
49:15that
49:15came
49:15into
49:15the
49:16county
49:16was
49:18literally
49:18taken
49:18to
49:18one
49:18side
49:19and
49:20inspected
49:21by
49:22the
49:22traffic
49:23department
49:23and
49:23if
49:24it
49:24was
49:24deemed
49:24to
49:24be
49:24unroadworthy
49:25then
49:26the
49:26driver
49:27the
49:27owner
49:27would
49:27be
49:27given
49:28a
49:28notice
49:29to
49:29get
49:29it
49:29fixed
49:30within
49:30three
49:31days
49:31or
49:32we
49:32lost
49:33it
49:33the
49:36battle
49:36of
49:36beanfield
49:37all but
49:37wiped
49:38out
49:38the
49:38old
49:38coaches
49:39that
49:39were
49:39used
49:40as
49:40travelling
49:40homes
49:41but
49:45today
49:45a few
49:46of the
49:46hardcore
49:46travellers
49:47have
49:47managed
49:47to
49:48cling
49:48onto
49:48the
49:48coach
49:48as
49:49home
49:49and
49:50reinvented
49:50the
49:51traveller's
49:51way
49:51of
49:51life
49:52hello
49:55my name's
49:56Buzz
49:56this is
49:56my lovely
49:57volve bus
49:57it's a
49:58right old
49:59clanger
49:59I absolutely
50:00love it
50:00show you
50:01inside
50:01it might be
50:04a clanger
50:04but Buzz
50:05has converted
50:06this old
50:06holiday touring
50:07coach
50:07entirely
50:08himself
50:08seats
50:09in for
50:09the crew
50:10this is
50:11kitchen
50:12office
50:13area
50:14tv
50:15seating
50:18area
50:18bedroom
50:25on
50:26suite
50:26shower
50:26what more
50:27do you
50:28want
50:28luxury
50:29absolutely
50:31love it
50:31well I've
50:35been living in
50:36coaches and
50:36trucks for
50:3720 years
50:38it was
50:391990
50:39and my mum
50:40she just wanted
50:41us to
50:41she just wanted
50:42to take us
50:42and show us
50:43new things
50:43and take us
50:44travelling
50:44and just wanted
50:45us to be free
50:45and not be
50:47cooped up in a
50:48shoebox in town
50:49basically
50:49the first coach
50:51we moved into
50:52was a Bedford
50:55Chinese 6
50:56we moved from a
50:57bender
50:57and a teepee
50:59into that
50:59and it was just
51:00packed
51:00it was like a
51:00palace
51:01it was lovely
51:02it was a hole in my
51:03family
51:03my mum
51:04me
51:04my little brother
51:05Louis
51:06Thorne and Hannah
51:07my younger sister
51:08it was like Noah's Ark
51:10with the chickens
51:11and goats
51:12and when we moved
51:14we had to put all
51:14the chickens in cages
51:15and get the goat
51:16on there
51:16and off we went
51:17it was literally
51:19like Noah's Ark
51:20I learnt loads of
51:24things that have
51:24helped me a lot
51:25through my life
51:25that you wouldn't
51:26ever learn in school
51:27learnt a lot
51:29about mechanics
51:29people treated me
51:30with a lot of respect
51:31when I was younger
51:32the same as any
51:33kids got treated
51:34you don't get
51:35talked down to
51:35it's just people
51:36people teach you
51:37things and treat
51:38you like their own
51:39kid
51:39and yeah
51:41it really gives you
51:42that confidence
51:43when you're older
51:43to do things
51:44travelled all around
51:48England
51:49all over Ireland
51:50been all over Europe
51:51everybody looks
51:52after each other
51:53it's just like
51:53a massive family
51:54and that's why
51:55everyone does it
51:55that's the attraction
51:56it's like a massive
51:57family
51:58everyone trusts each
51:59other
51:59everyone knows
52:00each other for years
52:01it's just the way
52:02it is
52:02and you just
52:03can't beat it
52:03several times
52:07tried thinking
52:08about a house
52:08and I only have
52:10to go and visit
52:10my friend who lives
52:11in a house
52:11and it just reminds
52:13me why
52:13I just can't do it
52:13you've got your
52:15neighbours that hate you
52:16you just can't
52:16you can't park
52:17anywhere
52:17you just can't do it
52:20you're crammed in there
52:21it's just like prison
52:22as far as I'm concerned
52:22I can see myself
52:24living in a coach
52:24the rest of my life
52:26yeah definitely
52:26you can move
52:27you can choose
52:28your neighbours
52:28yeah it's your own home
52:31you own your own home
52:32it's just freedom
52:33in my opinion
52:34and yeah
52:35it's just the only way
52:36I know really
52:37and I love it
52:38in the mainstream world
52:45of coach travel
52:46National Express
52:47was privatised
52:48in 1991
52:49and the Rapide
52:51its last initiative
52:52as a nationalised bus company
52:54became the first casualty
52:56of the EasyJet
52:57generation of businesses
52:58offering no frills travel
53:00it wasn't that there was
53:02a diminishing appetite
53:02for the coach
53:03far from it
53:05coaches were diversifying
53:07appealing to an even
53:08wider market
53:09now we've already heard
53:14about no frills airlines
53:16how about no frills buses
53:18in 2003
53:27stagecoach came up
53:28with a £1 fare
53:30aimed specifically
53:31at students
53:32and young people
53:33using only online booking
53:35they branded it
53:36Megabus
53:36and reconditioned
53:38old double-decker buses
53:39for motorway travel
53:40journey times
53:41may have been longer
53:42and the seats
53:43a little less comfortable
53:44but who could argue
53:45with the price
53:46I think it's good
53:47if it's cheap
53:48you know
53:48you get more people
53:49obviously using it
53:50then wouldn't you
53:51sounds cheap
53:52sounds very cheap
53:53I do think that perhaps
53:54this is underlining
53:56that downmarket image
53:58of coach travel
53:59by emphasising
54:01the pound trip
54:03when in fact
54:04I think people
54:05are more interested
54:06in better quality service
54:09but that's the beauty
54:12of the coach
54:13it never has to
54:14make up its mind
54:15it's the most adaptable
54:16of all forms of travel
54:18the coach
54:19can be all things
54:20to all people
54:21at one end of the market
54:22it can be about value
54:23for money
54:23and at the other
54:24about aspiring
54:25to sophistication
54:27as you can see
54:48very posh people
54:49with their big hats
54:50arriving at ascot
54:51and very happily
54:53moving around
54:54using the coaches
54:55being seen
54:56getting in and out
54:57of a coach
54:58even though
55:00it's you know
55:01a very upmarket day
55:02and they're probably
55:03paying hundreds of pounds
55:04to be there
55:04events like these
55:07have always been catered to
55:08by smaller specialist firms
55:10but now
55:17the idea
55:18of appealing
55:18to an upmarket
55:19class of passenger
55:20is once again
55:21filtering through
55:22to the mass market
55:24it comes to us
55:25as a familiar name
55:26one that originally
55:27inspired our first
55:29unified coach network
55:3140 years ago
55:32the first group
55:33are actually now
55:34beginning to roll out
55:36the greyhound identity
55:37in Britain
55:38because they think
55:39presumably
55:39that it'll sell well
55:41in the British market
55:42because of its
55:43American associations
55:44with the open road
55:46and romanticism
55:47and with a tradition
55:48for safety
55:49and high quality
55:50so in that sense
55:52things have come
55:53full circle
55:54yet in other ways
55:59the coach industry
56:00may be at a new beginning
56:01concerns over spending
56:03and pollution
56:04show a massive demand
56:05for a cheap
56:06and green form
56:07of transport
56:08one that doesn't need
56:09an expensive infrastructure
56:10to support it
56:11might that be
56:12our old friend
56:14the coach
56:14you know in theory
56:17there are no barriers
56:18to entry
56:19for the coach revolution
56:21they're here
56:22they're fast
56:23they're plush
56:23they're reasonably convenient
56:25the coach is
56:27a hugely green
56:28alternative
56:29what do you get
56:30on a coach
56:30of 50 people
56:31or whatever
56:32you stack them all
56:32in there
56:33that takes probably
56:3450 cars off the road
56:35the emissions
56:35aren't going to be
56:36anything like that
56:37there's a lot of talk
56:39at the moment
56:40about building
56:41new high speed
56:42rail links
56:43and some people
56:45think that
56:46this is too expensive
56:48for a small country
56:49such as Britain
56:50that we would actually
56:51be much better off
56:53using the motorway
56:54network
56:55to develop a really
56:56fast high speed
56:58coach network
56:59perhaps by
57:00allowing dedicated
57:02lanes
57:02for the coach
57:03services
57:04and instigating
57:06shuttle services
57:07at the motorway
57:07service stations
57:09so that journey times
57:10could be really
57:11fast and predictable
57:12the golden age
57:16of the coach
57:16might be long gone
57:17but perhaps we're
57:18entering a new
57:19green age
57:20for coaching
57:21a moment for yet
57:23another reinvention
57:24of the coach industry
57:25can everyone make
57:34sure they've got
57:35their belts on
57:35for me please
57:36is a legal requirement
57:37and it is for your
57:38own safety
57:38whatever the future
57:43of coach travel
57:44we will always
57:44remember our journeys
57:45on a coach
57:46for better or for worse
57:48whether we be
57:50musicians
57:51students
57:52hippies
57:53miners
57:54football fans
57:55or businessmen
57:56on some level
57:57we've all got a
57:58soft spot
57:59for the coach
58:00even if it's
58:02sometimes
58:02for complicated reasons
58:04the coach is the way
58:17young people can make
58:18their first
58:19travelling adventures
58:21it's a refuge
58:22for people whose
58:23financial situation
58:25is not all they might
58:26have hoped it could be
58:27and it's a refuge for
58:28people who are getting
58:29away from things
58:30who are escaping to things
58:31that bit of sweetness
58:33it reminds people of
58:35less stable times
58:36I think in their own lives
58:38but which they can now
58:39look back and think
58:40god that was alright
58:41actually travelling down the M1
58:42on a national coach
58:43it was really quite good
58:45journey along the canals
58:52of Wales
58:53with Gareth Edwards
58:54Great Welsh Adventure
58:55watch now on BBC iPlay
58:57we're going
58:59where the air is
59:06free
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