A History of Transport

By 1819 three stagecoaches a day were leaving Glasgow for Paisley, probably passing through Thornliebank and in the 1860’s a regular horse-bus connected Clarkston station with Eaglesham. This was replaced by the Caledonian Motor Car service around 1910.

At the end of the 19th century the first motor vehicles began to appear on the roads and in 1910 a speed limit of 10 miles per hour was imposed between Orchard Drive and Park Road, Giffnock. The first car in Barrhead appeared about 1905, built by Walter Creber, Water Engineer of Gorbals Waterworks.

The 1920’s was the era of the small private bus company. One of the first was a Neilston man David Danks who, just after World War I, bought an old army ambulance van and fitted it out as a bus. Almost all the operators - the most important being J. O’Hara, Barrhead; W .J. Wright, Barrhead; Hughes, Neilston; Carmichael Bros., Neilston; Wardrop, Barrhead; Robertson &Lennox, Barrhead - were members of the N.B. Bus Operators Assoc. before the Southern Midland &Transport buses took over in the late 1920’s, themselves being bought out by the S.M.T. Group during 1931-32.

28th February 1932, Glasgow Corporation buses started their Clarkston service.

During World War II, from 8th June 1941, experimental gas balloon holder and gas producer buses were used on the routes to save fuel.

In 2001 the buses of Strathclyde Passenger Transport have given way to the national First Buses, specially adapted buses for disabled and buses with just a driver and no conductor.