Stunning Candid Photos of Everyday Life and Buses in the 1970s Devon

The photo series “On the Buses, Devon, 1970” by Norman Craig offers a fascinating glimpse into the past. It shows the daily lives of bus drivers and passengers in a small town in Devon, England.

The shots are candid and unposed – just people going about their business. We see bus drivers taking breaks, chatting and smoking cigarettes. Passengers board and disembark, each with their own story. The images are simple, but they convey a sense of community and camaraderie that’s rare in today’s world.

The series also reveals how different life was in the 1970s. The fashions are unmistakably of that era – bell bottoms, wide-collared shirts, and long hair abound. The buses are old-fashioned, with open platforms at the back and no air conditioning. People read newspapers and books, knit, and chat with each other, instead of staring at their smartphones like we do today.

#1 178 on the way from Stoke Gabriel to Paignton, 1970

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#2 A Western National bus conductor with a fluffy kitten on his shoulder, Totnes, Devon, 1970

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#3 At the staff rest room in Totnes. This woman kept the place clean and wholesome, Totnes bus garage, 1970

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#4 Bus conductor with moustache in the rest room in Paignton bus station, 1970

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#5 Cat on an Austin A35 hood, Totnes, Devon, 1970

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#6 Conductor Trev enters the staff rest room in Paignton bus station, 1970

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#7 Conductor with ice cream, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#8 Conductors catch up on the gossip between trips, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#9 Deilwen and Carol on holiday، 1970

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#10 Deilwen and Carol on holiday. Top deck on the bus in Devon, on holiday from Liverpool, 1970

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#11 Driver about to go on shift at the garage, Totnes bus garage, 1970

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#12 Driver adjusts his tie, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#13 Driver Luscombe takes a break on the top deck, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#14 Driver surveys the stands, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#15 Driver, sandwich and newspaper, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#16 Engine change, Totnes, Devon, 1970

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#17 Engine change, Totnes, Devon, 1970

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#18 Here’s Sue waiting until they manage to get together and get her off home to Collaton, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#19 Here’s the bus, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#20 Here’s the crew, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#21 Icy stare from the ice cream lady in the kiosk in Paignton bus station, 1970

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#22 Mentally preparing for the last trip of the day, in the staff rest room in Paignton bus station, 1970

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#23 Mick the inspector in the pub across the bridge from the Plains, Totnes pub, 1970

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#24 Paignton bus station – the windows on the left belong to the staff rest room, 1970

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#25 Paignton bus station, 1970

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#26 Paignton bus station, 1970

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#27 Paignton bus station, 1970

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#28 Paignton bus station, 1970

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#29 Parkers Close, Totnes, Devon, 1970

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#30 Pete enjoys an after shift pint in the pub across the bridge from the Plains, Totnes pub, 1970

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#31 Seafront and beach at Paignton on a great summer day, 1970

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#32 Secrets by the ice cream stall, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#33 That road to Stoke Gabriel can get very busy at rush hour, 1970

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#34 The best bus conductor that the Western National Omnibus Company ever had. It must be Normko, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#35 The bus station regulators discuss strategy at Paignton bus station, 1970

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#36 The lady from the ice cream stall, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#37 The staff rest room, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#38 Through a window, Parkers Close, Totnes, Devon, 1970

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#39 War trophy – Devon General indicator board in the hands of a Western National conductor, Paignton bus station, 1970

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#40 Weary regulator enjoys a well-deserved pipe in a waiting bus, Paignton bus station, 1970

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