Larkfield Bus Depot

Annoyingly, sadly and irritatingly unlike Eleanor when I lost a pre-​paid ten week STUDENT bus card or as it’s more attractively namely — transcard on a bus, a couple of years ago.
While still, for some unknown and illogical reason still in contact with the ‘tree house builder’ a.k.a ex who works/​ed (?) on First Buses. There was no help at all and I was given the number of a local charity shop to call — because that was apparently their closest, and only, lost property ‘department’.
Asides from this insistent, that was apparently very personal, the staff are always taking their time when changing buses. If they turn up.
As a regular Sunday worker, this is not particularly helpful. Never mind late buses, unhelpful drivers and transported transcards.

Larkfield Bus Depot is where the First Buses of the South Side go to take a nap after a hard days work. It’s not easy being a bus, you know, especially not on some of the routes I’ve been on where the dubious lines of water are more than probably urine.
I once left my handbag on a 44 bus and only realised the next day, I was so mad that I’d been so absent minded as my drivers license, bank card, much loved key rings and my new Paul Smith purse my friend had bought me for my birthday a few months before were all inside. As soon as I realised I called up the First Bus Depot to ask if perhaps a good Samaritan had handed it in. Turns out there are some good people out there and my bag had been handed in, I was so happy and very thankful to whoever handed it in, I still am thankful so thank you kind unknown stranger.
I urgently nipped along to the Bus Depot and went to the gate where there was a guy sitting in a little watch office, I explained that I was picking up my purse and he gave me an orange jacket to wear and told me to follow the path round. Due to all the buses driving in and out if you find yourself in the Depot you have to follow the designated paths for pedestrians. I got along to the Lost Property Office and I was pleased as punch to be re-​united with my bag. I followed the path back round and grudgingly gave back my bright orange jacket, it was definitely growing on me.
If you’ve lost something on a First Bus give the Depot a call as they may well have it, you can also nip here if you need to speak to a staff member about any bus related queries — just remember to pick up a fetching orange jacket on the way in.

I must say that Eleanor’s orange vest experience here actually sounds quite interesting, and when gawping out the windows at the depot I’ve always found something oddly impressive about all those shiny white /​blue behemoths tucked up in the hangar. That said, my memories of this place tend to be those of frustration.
This stems from the fact that drivers start and end their shifts from the stop just outside the depot, and they’re not known for their urgency when it comes to the changeover. As the drivers swap over, the sharp efficiency I like to see amongst my blue-​collar workers is sadly lacking, as they stand around exchanging pirate DVDs and racist jokes, before smoking 3 fags.
All this while the unfortunate occupants of the bus, now late for work, quietly seethe, building up the rage before another soul-​crushing 9 – 5 slog.