After 30 years of service, Barry Nichol (pictured) is retiring from The Keighley Bus Company. An early riser for most of his time at the company, Barry has been responsible for ensuring that the first buses of the day set out on time.
Barry started his career as a conductor in October 1977 with the former West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE) bus division. Later, he became a driver at the newly opened Bradford Interchange. One of his early memories was getting to grips with the WYPTE’s SaverStrips, card multi-journey tickets, which customers slotted into an electronic validator when boarding the bus.
Bus deregulation in October 1986 brought changes for Barry and the PTE staff, who transferred to a new arms-length company, Yorkshire Rider.
By 1991, Barry bought a local courier business. However, the tough business climate of the early 1990s led him to reconsider his future. In 1993, he joined The Keighley Bus Company as a driver and worked his way up to become duty manager.
For seven years, he supervised the early departures from the depot before moving to become duty manager at Keighley Bus Station. With the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020, Barry became the permanent duty manager on the early shift, six days a week. He reveals that he enjoyed working with the “brilliant set of people” on the early shift, and loved his job.
“I’ve always been fine with early starts – I like to get in and start the day, and no two days are ever the same,” he adds. “I was prepared to go on for a bit longer, but I’ve had a few health mishaps in the last 12 months, and so I know this is the right time to bow out.”
As retirement beckons, Barry looks forward to spending more time with his family, including his two grandchildren, and a lie-in. He will be missed by his Keighley colleagues.
