Return of vintage MacBraynes buses just the ticket
There was a trip down memory lane in Fort William as a fleet of vintage buses returned to familiar routes from the 1960s.
The nostalgia of Sunday school trips and heading off on holiday were brought flooding back as five original MacBraynes vehicles arrived in Fort William to take passengers on trips to neighbouring towns.
Organised by members of the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, the buses returned to the roads on which they were once much-loved sights, providing vital transport links to the Highlands.
Linking up with ferry services and delivering post and parcels, MacBraynes played a key role in the lives of the thousands of people who depended on them every day. Their distinctive pale green and brick red colour scheme was instantly recognisable as they plied routes across the Highlands, serving remote communities as part of an early integrated transport network.
Based at the Ben Nevis Hotel in Fort William, the vintage vehicles will now once again set off on regular journeys to Oban and Mallaig packed with delighted commuters, some of whom had travelled on the buses when they were still in use.
Isobel MacPhee, from Caol, said the nostalgic service was just the ticket as she took her seat on a Mallaig excursion.
She added: “It is wonderful to see this. The buses are just as I remember them when they were serving Fort William back in the day. They were always to be seen around the old bus depot beside the town pier.
“I am delighted people are preserving the fleet so that those in the present day can experience how we got about the Highlands decades ago. MacBraynes buses played a really important part in the lives of so many and it is lovely to see them in action once more.”