Bus conductors were a common feature in UK until the late 1970s. In those times, double-deckers buses were used as main urban transit services. The special bus design determined the need of a two-person crew (driver and conductor) to run a bus-running service. The entrance door was at the rear end of the bus, thus driver was not able to see passengers’ boarding activity. The conductor worked on collecting money and selling the tickets, and supervised passengers board and get off safely.
In the late-1950s, the bus design changed, the ticketing machine appeared, and entrance door moved to the front of the bus by the driver. The driver could be able to see boarding and see passengers turning in money by themselves.
During my childhood, there was a bus conductor in every bus I took. I quietly enjoying having a conductor in the bus, it makes it easier for you to commute. Today, every time before I get into subway, I Google-d the direction but still get confused by changing schedules or delayed lines. What makes it worse is you have nobody to ask in the station. Back then, I could ask conductor which stop is closest to my destination. I remembered if I luckily met a warmhearted conductor, she (all I talked to are “she”) would tell me, “No worry, go take a sit. I will remind you when you are there!”
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Photo courtesy: By Photo by KF, February 13, 2005., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39834662
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