The first man to drive an MTT bus in regular passenger service was Mr Bill Bigmore. He drove the first Mack bus out of Hackney Depot on the Trusts first bus service to Firle.
On the morning of 25th March 1925 Mr Bigmore departed Hackney Depot at 6.00am with Traffic Manager 'Jacky' Frewin on board. When they arrived at the terminal which was on Shelley Street just west of Glynde Rd (now Glynburn Rd) there was an elderly man sitting there waiting.
As it was a one-man bus Bill sold the gentleman a three-penny ticket which was duly certified by Mr Frewin as the first ticket sold on an MTT bus service.
The bus then set off for Adelaide via Shelley St, Gage St, Coorara Ave, Wellington Rd (Portrush Rd), Janet St, Frederick St, Edward St, Beulah Rd, Rundle St, Stephens Pl, North Tce & King William St to the terminus roughly at the current Stop B1, outside the former Tourist Bureau.
For Bill and the 7 other men who were awarded an MTT Bus Operators Badge on that day for the commencement of the service to Firle, this was the culmination of several months of extensive training.
Prior to this service commencing the Trust only operated trams and there was a huge amount of training required for Operators, Workshops and also the numerous traffic personnel.
When the first of the 20 Mack chassis arrived from America, they were accompanied by a mechanic who not only advised on servicing and maintenance, but also as a driving instructor. Mr Goodman the Chief Engineer and General Manager decided that driver training would begin immediately, although Holden's had not yet completed any of the bus bodies. A wooden seat was placed above a 44 gallon temporary fuel tank on the open chassis and training was under way.
Early instruction was given around the parklands training circuit, adjacent Hackney Depot (I believe this is now part of Plane Tree Drive). Operators were taken over to Brougham Place / Sir Edwin Smith Avenue to practice hill starts and hill descending.
Prior to the service to Firle opening for regular passenger service, the Trust showed the public their luxurious buses by taking Politicians, Board Members and Trust officials to a Tramways Band concert at Henley Beach. Mr Goodman drove one bus and his deputy Mr Moyes drove the other.
The Advertiser reported that Mr Goodman treated his guests to a comfortable ride and that, at one stage, a speed of 42 mph had been achieved.
The opening of the Firle bus service was another shot in the war that the mighty MTT was waging with private bus owners who were competing vigourously with it for passengers. There was already a minor service operating to Firle that was operated by a Mr Hill who operated a bus named 'Silver Dawn'. When the trust began it's service, other private operators who were outraged sent some of their buses to augment Mr Hill's service. As a result of this, the trust gave Mr Bigmore a 'special assignment' to operate a 'Nark' bus.
He had no timetable. His only instructions were to head off any private bus he saw on the route. His luxurious Mack bus was preferred by passengers and it was not long before the private operators ceased their services.
I hope you found this interesting.
