Not many people had a car when I was a lad. We used public transport which as I remember was far cheaper & more reliable than it is now. I often travelled on Southdown buses similar to this although they might not have been exactly the same type. The open-top buses were used in the summer, mainly on the tourist routes. Some are still in use today for private trips. The adverts are all authentic & I remember them well.
We had 2 Dennis 'fire engines' just like this at the local Lancing fire station. I'm not sure there's been a local fire station since the fire service was "centralised". The bell was much less intrusive than the sirens in use today but it served its purpose well.
I travelled to & from school every schoolday for 6 years on a steam train we called the "Steyning Stinker". The railway line was torn up many years ago & no longer exists. These locos are much smaller & the rolling stock quite different but this was a familiar sight.
This bus was in service in the early 1920s - long before I was born despite any rumours to the contrary.
Never been on an open-topped bus before so I had a trip on it to see what it was like. I'll try anything once. It has solid rubber tyres & wooden seats. Not built for comfort. I wouldn't want to travel far on it.
I took this from "upstairs" on the old bus. Just like the Worthing bus depot I remember from my youth.
Happy days.
