As a semi-retired coach driver, I was interested to read Victor Pilka’s article ‘The Shuttle Craze’ in February Buses, as I was involved in these shuttle services from 1978. He mentions travelling from Scotland to London, with duplicates provided using ‘Leyland Leopard Duple Dominants which probably had no reclining seats and probably very uncomfortable’. In the early days, that is what we were running to the south of France.
I started my career with Ementons Coaches of Cranfield, Bedfordshire and in 1978 we ran 57- seat Leopards (one with a Dominant body and one with a Plaxton Supreme) and these were joined a few weeks later by a 57-seat Volvo B58/ Plaxton Supreme, my first experience of Volvo, and wow, what a difference.
We operated for Sunsavers Holidays, picking up at Kings Cross coach station and packing the luggage was a work of art.
