A GRAPHIC illustration of the spartan early days of public transport, this was the bleak bus terminus at Thwaites Brow while the service was being operated by the Premier Transport Company Ltd, of Chapel Lane, Keighley.
This firm originally specialised in charabanc outings, but by the summer of 1924 was also running bus services from Keighley to Ilkley and to Laycock and Braithwaite. It also plied between Bingley railway station and Eldwick and Harden.
Its timetables appeared in the Keighley News in the form of advertisements which intending passengers were advised to cut out and keep for reference.
Competition was keen. In 1925 Keighley Corporation Tramways – which had retained its title despite discontinuing its trams – started a Thwaites Brow bus service, invoking a bye-law requiring private operators duplicating a corporation route to charge a penny extra per fare. Not surprisingly, the Premier Transport Company promptly withdrew. Within a few years, however, both Premier and Keighley Corporation enterprises were absorbed by the expanding West Yorkshire Road Car Company Ltd.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here