BusTalk

[Dieseljim]

Out of the various bus lines that once served Buffalo, Lockport Bus Lines has to stand out as one of the friendliest with a rather strange way of operating. With virtually all of its equipment being second hand, except for one PD4104, No.34, bought new, one would be amazed as to how they could even get any charter business using such old equipment while everyone else was using the latest and greatest in terms of motorcoach equipment. Unlike other lines, when operating out of 672 Main Street, if you happened to miss the Lockport Bus you wanted to take to Lockport in the terminal you had a second opportunity to catch it going up Main Street by flagging the driver, usually at an NFT Bus Stop and he would let you on at that stop and you would just give him your ticket if you had one else else the appropriate cash far. Some of Lockport's drivers were real characters, but professional in their jobs. One guy I often rode with was something of a wisecracking jokester, which made him fun to ride with. Most of the time, I drew any of the 4104s they had in service on that 5:00 pm trip to Lockport, but once in awhile would get the 4106 they got from Greyhound, NO.49. For their city r oute, they had a TGH bus they converted to diesel. If they tried to operate under today's rules and standards with the equipment they had, I am almost certain that every bus Lockport Bus Lines had would be DOT red-flagged at one time or another. Every last one of them, since so many of them got to be so ratty looking, but safe to travel on. Those 4104s were a time machine and given the company's growing financial difficulties, that those buses lasted as long as they did, even under NFTA Metro for a time, is amazing, especially after just about everyone else had gotten rid of their 4104s by 1975.As to that wisecracking jokester I often rode with, Bud Johnston was his name and he sure knew how to liven up the trip to Lockport. I doubt if we will see the likes of Lockport Bus Lines again, unless there is another small bus line like it running frequent service that I don't know about.