Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust

In the south east of Glasgow stored within a large ex Glasgow Corporation bus garage, are a collection of over 150 vintage vehicles, mostly public transport buses that are stored under the auspices of the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust (GVVT).

Location

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Bridgeton Bus Garage, Glasgow Nearly everyone with a camera is likely to have taken this shot on their visit to the garage.

Close To Home

I spent my childhood in the area, my house was just up the road from Fordneuk Street. At that time, the Bridgeton Garage was owned and operated by the then Glasgow Corporation. As a boy, I had no interest in buses at all, although even at a very early age I recognised that buses were more versatile than tramcars and trolleybuses. So in 1962, when an estimated 250,000 people lined the streets to bid farewell to the last tramcar - I wasn’t one of them.

It is strange that nearly 60 years later, I was standing next to the entrance to the demolished tenement I used to live in. Only the remnants of the stone close entrance is left of any evidence there once a tenement here. I walked down Brook Street towards the Bridgeton Bus Garage Open Day. I say ‘downhill’, for indeed Brook Street did have a steep slope and we used to race down it as kids on rickety old karts and skates. Nowadays, there is hardly any incline on Brook Street because it has been redeveloped many times over the years.

The Bridgeton Bus Garage

The Bridgeton Bus Garage is a large depot, housing over 150 vintage vehicles. Most of these vehicles are privately owned and they are stored and maintained there for a modest monthly fee.

Some of the vintage buses that are utilised for tranporting passengers from the city to the bus garage may have up to date MOT’s, although because of their vintage status (over 40 years old), MOTs are not a requirement. However These buses are maintained to a very high standard and you can be assured as a passenger that you will be transported safely in one of these magnificent buses with a fully qualified PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle) licenced driver.

Bridgeton Bus Garage, Glasgow Buses in various stages of restoration

Bridgeton Bus Garage, Glasgow The familiar livery of Glasgow Corporation. This double decker is being restored.

Some interesting facts about this garage:

The garage was opened in 1965 for Glasgow Corporation Transport
it was closed in 1976 by the Greater Glasgow PTE
From 1976 the garage was used as an internal transport depot
From 2003 the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust started operating from this garage
Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust purchased the garage in 2020

GVVT

The Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust (GVVT) is a registered charity based in Glasgow, Scotland, dedicated to the preservation and restoration of historic passenger-carrying and commercial vehicles.

Bridgeton Bus Garage, Glasgow A fine collection of vintage buses, lovingly restored.

This is a post image In my long life, I wonder how many of these buses I have been a passenger on.

It’s almost as if we’re back in the 1980s and this is a fully functional Glasgow Corporation Transport garage, just waiting for some of the early shift drivers and conductors to finish their tea and and set off. If the timeline had these buses in service together, I can imagine that the conductors were looking with foreboding at the row of new one-person buses lined up next to their older buses. Indeed there was a Glasgow bus strike of April 1964, employees were expressing concerns over job security and working conditions.

Back on the Road Project

In conjunction with local addiction agencies, the GVVT started this initiative to assist individuals with drug or alcohol addiction, by providing work experience to prepare them for a return to work. What an excellent way to get back on your feet and to participate in the restoration of these fine vehicles, at the end of which could be the possiblity of making a fresh start.

GVVT Open Days

These are very popular, usually held on a Sunday and you can get a free on the vintage buses that start from Glasgow city centre and take you to the Bridgeton bus garage. There is a timetable published on GVVT’s website, so you can plan your today. On some Open Days, the vintage buses stop at the Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel, another excellent venue with free entry. Check the Events link on the GVVT’s website.