The Paddy Bus home - when all the others had left the bus station.

[poshnarg 2]

Thank goodness for the 'Paddy Bus' home, after falling out of the The Palais de Danse, only to find all the buses had long gone - my goodness that revolving floor had a lot to answer too (not to mention the Babychams).......................

[Michael Booth 7,364]

Welcome to Nottstalgia, poshnarg. I look forward to reading your posts and sharing your memories. I always used to use the 'Paddy Bus' when I was a teenager. My dad worked on the buses so I knew a few of the conductors. I often used to get away without paying. One in particular (no name, no pack drill) used to take my money, bang his hand down on the ticket machine as though he'd ripped off a ticket, and then give me change back which was the equivalent to the amount I'd given him. I saw some sights on the 'Paddy Bus' as I went from Town up to Valley Road, Sherwood. People being sick all over the backs of the person just in front of them was one. When I got on the bus I always used to look at the person sitting behind me and if they looked well p*ssed, I'd change my seat...lol.

[Braddy 160]

Why was it called the Paddy bus?. Was it run by Irish for the Irish 'haha'.

[SeanF 12]

"Paddy Bus"?????? Was it ran by Silverdale Coaches????? As they were owned by an Irishman.

[Braddy 160]

It was run by the Nottm City Transport buses so the staff could get to work but why paddy?

[bamber 128]

Probably derived from the paddy trains that used to carry workmen which were originally named after the temporary rail systems installed on construction sites where a lot of Irish labourers worked.

[Beefsteak 305]

It used to run at or around midnight to get the drivers home and again at around 4 to bring the morning shift in, it was double the normal fare.

We know a funny story about missing the Paddy bus don't we Mick ?

[carni 10,094]

I used to catch the paddy bus in the 1960s if my train was late getting in ,and i used to have to run for it some times,i don't know what i would have done if i missed it,never had any money left for a taxi,and along way to walk to Gedling in Stilettos.Ouch

[mick2me 3,033]

We know a funny story about missing the Paddy bus don't we Mick ?

Yes indeed, We were Drinking in the Pemberton club as I recall.

[LizzieM 9,510]

I can honestly say that I never had to catch the Paddy Bus. I was always on the last bus from the Square to bottom of my road in Arnold, it left town at 10.50pm. Except one time when I had to get on a later one and walk about a mile home and got harrassed by a dodgy bloke on the walk from the bus stop. Luckily I was pretty fit and ran away from him. Another time I met a lad at the Palais who lived right near me and he offered me a lift home, I gratefully accepted but then found out he had to take his girlfriend home to Clifton before going home to Arnold. Well ........ my Dad was pacing the streets looking for me by the time we arrived home!

[BulwellBrian 107]

I used to catch the Paddy Bus trolly from the Old Market Square to Bulwell on a Sunday Night coming back from seeing my girl (now my wife) in London. I used to be on the 9:15pm train from St Pancras which went to Edinburgh with some sleeping cars. If the train was on time I had to move quickly to get the bus if the train was late I had to get a taxi which was hard on the pocket when money was short. This would be in 1965/1966.

[mick2me 3,033]

I remember there was a regular night service at weekends that ran out Southwell way?

Via Carlton which was excellent for me.

'Pathfinder' What happened to them?

[poshnarg 2]

I have no idea as to why it was called the Paddy Bus, all I know, is it got me from Nottingham all the way to the Barton Bus Terminal in Chilwell.... This then left me another few miles to walk into Long Eaton. Winkle Picker shoes / several Babychams / on a chilly evening, with the dreaded 'Daddy at the gate' senario .................. I was not suppose to go the the Palais De Danse as my parents did not approve of such places (*O*) but I did ...............! Thumbing a lift, was always an option, one did not have the fears in those days, and we were pretty safe I suppose.

I like another lady on this forum, always positioned myself well away from anyone with the 'hiccups' as they were always the pre-determined before someone eventually was poorly..................... :-(

Oh and the smell of those darn Park Drive Cigs or even worse the Woodbines - yuk ...................

Was it not always such an effort to get up those winding stairs onto the double decker - top deck........ whilst wearing all those layers of starched net, or indeed the hoola hoop underskirt - BOYS you should not know anything about these things................... :-o))))))

[Michael Booth 7,364]

I know nothing about those things, poshnarg. I was a good boy...honest.

[bamber 128]

When did the Paddy buses stop running?

[denshaw 2,872]

They still run now, think they call it night service now. Got to be politically correct.

[catfan 14,793]

Pathfinder,taken over by NCT.

[mick2me 3,033]

Paddy and Mick are walking home after a night on the beer. They've got no money to get a taxi and are staggering all over the place when they find themselves outside the bus depot. Paddy has a brainwave and says to Mick "Get in there and steal a bus so we can drive home and I'll stay out here and look out for the police". Mick duly breaks into the garage and is gone for twenty minutes while Paddy is wondering what the hell he's doing. Eventually Paddy sticks his head around the door and sees Mick running from bus to bus and looking very worried.

"What the hell are you doing Mick, get a move on!" to which Mick replies "I can't find a number 7 anywhere Paddy" whereupon Paddy, holding his hands to his head in disbelief, shouts "You f***ing idiot Mick, steal a number 9 and we'll get off at the roundabout and walk the rest of the way!".

[StephenFord 866]

Going back to the previous comments (2 years ago!) Why the name "Paddy" - I haven't a clue. But what was it? Not just the last bus on the route, but the staff bus, that took the other bus crews (those who had no personal transport) to somewhere not too far from their home. It (or they) didn't necessarily follow the normal routes. Typically they started about midnight after all the rest of the buses had been safely tucked up in Parliament Street (or the other) depots.

[mick2me 3,033]

Was there one to pick them up in the morning as well?

[catfan 14,793]

Bulwell had two trips, same bus. First left around half past eleven the second about half past midnight, around the houses in Bulwell then to Parliament Street Depot.

Also provided for postmen & railwaymen in the monings.

NO, I don't know why they were called "Paddy" buses !

[FLY2 10,108]

I'd invariably had to much to drink and dossed at my mates in The Park.

My mother once said after being woken up at some ungodly hour that I was obviously up to no good after missing the last E8, F5 or 63, so don't bother coming home at all . That did it.

[catfan 14,793]

You got your mum's blessing to stay out all night FLY !

[FLY2 10,108]

Sure did !!!!!

[Michael Booth 7,364]

Sometimes, when I'd catch the paddy bus to Valley Road in Sherwood, the conductor would be a chap called Ray who was a friend of my Dad, 'Mighty Fine' The fare was double on the paddy bus but I never paid if Ray was on. He'd take my money and quickly slap the ticket machine before rummaging around in his money bag. He'd then give me my money back, minus the ticket but he'd do it so quick that nobody would know what he'd done..lol. I also remember that the bus would slow down at the stops and the men would jump off while the bus was still moving. It would always stop for the ladies.

It was always noisy on the paddy bus, mainly because most of the passengers had been drinking. I can remember one night sitting on the opposite side to this chap who was obviously drunk. His eyes were closed and his head was rolling all over the place as the bus sped along Mansfield Road. All of a sudden he spewed vomit all down the back of the chap in front of him who was wearing a big works overcoat and a hat. Everybody thought it was hilarious but the chap never reacted or showed any emotion. There were certainly eventful times on the paddy bus.