FAMILIES flocked to the Stagecoach depot in Cheney Manor to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of buses in Swindon. 

The event featured a variety of activities including a selection of vintage buses, stalls, and hot food. 

Stagecoach ran buses through the wash for children as well as giving the opportunity for parents and youngsters to have their names on the front of a bus. 

Mark Stallard travelled from Portsmouth to visit the centenary open day. 

He said: “I’ve been into those most of my life. It’s not just the models, it is also the engines.

“My dad used to work for Bristol Omnibus, my dad and uncle were into buses, and I’ve been into buses ever since.”
There were 14 vintage buses displayed on Saturday as well as six modern ones. 

“I like old buses because they’ve got character," Mark added. "The old ones were built by people that cared." 

John Young attended the event with his 18-month-old son.

He said: “We just heard about the open day from a family member. My son likes buses – he likes the big one.”

Naomi Arthur, 10, said: “We wanted to do something, and we saw the buses – the different fabrics and the different styles.”

Her mum Becci Arthur, who lives near Coate Water, said: ““We came to see old buses and new buses and see the difference. We’ve had our names in front of the bus.”

Stagecoach marketing manager Natasha Hall said: “We always want to celebrate when it’s a big anniversary, but I think it’s probably more important because we know people haven’t been out and about. We just need to get families back together, and I think we’ve done that because we’ve seen a lot of families today.

“I think it makes families realise how excited their kids are to go get the bus, and they think ‘you know if we could just do this on the way to school or work, it’s a nice little thing to add to your day.” 

She added: “We basically put the message out to all the people we know that own vintage buses and asked them to bring them along to our event.”

Stagecoach asked for donations to Great Western Air Ambulance as part of its continued commitment to support local charities.

Bristol Tramways set up a Swindon branch on November 7, 1921, which later became part of Stagecoach West.

Over the years, the company transitioned from Bristol Tramways to Bristol Omnibus, Cheltenham and Gloucester Omnibus, and Western Travel before becoming known as Stagecoach in Swindon in 1993.