There’s no stopping Terry, 78 ...Britain’s oldest bus driver
AFTER notching up a million miles and nearly 50 years at the wheel, the man believed to be Britain’s oldest bus driver is still going strong aged 78.
Avtar Lachhar – better known as Terry – started as a conductor with Barton Transport in July 1967. He gained his bus driver’s licence in 1972 and has since memorised all the company’s 53 routes.
He continues to drive folk between Nottingham and Derby for what is now Trent Barton bus company.
And he has no plans to retire, saying he still loves meeting new customers.
Terry, who was born in India and lives in Beeston, Nottingham, said: “I still love my job. The time has gone really quickly.
“The thing I most enjoy is meeting the customers. That is the best bit.”
Reflecting on how the job has altered over the years, he added: “Traffic has really changed. When I started sometimes you would only see a few cars all day.
“Now everything’s bumper to bumper. We used to do a regular service to Skegness and I did a run to Glasgow.”
The first bus Terry drove was a Leyland PD1, a front-engined doubledecker made between 1945 and 1969.
He said: “I have driven many different buses since then. It’s amazing how things have changed.
“We used to have to stand in the seat sometimes to turn the bus and the old-style crash gearboxes were really tough. Now the new buses are like driving a car.”
Terry received a certificate marking his 50 years with Trent Barton, which also paid tribute to eight colleagues who have each been employees for up to 45 years.
Managing director Jeff Counsell said: “He loves his work, he loves helping our customers. Congratulations and our thanks go to him and all his colleagues who have contributed so much during a combined 300-plus years.”