The Stevenage SuperBus, which first arrived on the town's streets in 1971, recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary - and is due to make a comeback.
The original SuperBus, run by London Country, was painted canary yellow, with Oxford blue on one side and Lincoln green in the other. The bus was one-man operated, and ran at regular intervals throughout the day, initially to Chells and then to St Nicholas.
Passengers at the time had to make do without tickets - instead putting their money (6p for adults and 3p for children) into a farebox.
Last month Bus Users Group Stevenage (BUGS) celebrated the bus's golden anniversary with a display of memorabilia, preserved London Country buses, and Arriva-branded goodies.
The event received support from Junction 7 Creatives, Stevenage Writers, Broadwater Day Group, Venues Possible, Age Concern and Stevenage Indoor Market, alongside the town centre's outdoor cinema.
Former Stevenage Mayor Jim Brown has said of the SuperBus: "It was a brave experiment that showed a good quality, frequent bus service with affordable fares, fares cheaper than the perceived cost of driving, would attract passengers and reduce the need for road building.
"While it was a success it did not survive into the 1980s and subsequent legislation made it difficult to repeat. However, it hints at what might have been.”
In the coming weeks, the SuperBus is due to make a return to Stevenage's streets. Two local bus operators have shared plans to put vehicles from their current fleet into SuperBus livery - and the bus users' group will be helping to match the original colours.
The group has been helped by The Bus Archive in Droitwich and the Workington Transport Heritage Trust, which led them to Dorset, where Robert Forster, a descendent of Stevenage's E. M. Forster and retired livery paint specialist, has a panel from one of the Workington-built National Leyland SuperBuses which will help recreate the colours.
In the coming weeks the buses will be resprayed, and anyone who remembers the original Stevenage SuperBus can look forward to seeing it riding along the streets of the town once more.
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