DECATUR — No one gets a free ride in life.
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Danny Butler receives bus fare from James Bond for the Suprise A Rider program at the Maryland Street bus stop in Decatur.
James Bond pulls a trailer to bring supplies to the Suprise A Rider program as well as raise money with advertising.
James Bond pulls a trailer to bring supplies to the Suprise A Rider program as well as raise money with advertising.
Danny Butler receives bus fare from James Bond for the Suprise A Rider program at the Maryland Street bus stop in Decatur.
Remember Decatur's Union Bus Depot? A look back at our transportation history
1962: Yellow Cab has a new vehicle for its bus service in the Lakeview area. The old bus, called the Brush College bus, has been replaced by an eight-passenger carry-all which will be known as the Lakeview bus. That name conforms with the more familiar description of the area, Ralph Beaman of Yellow Cab said.
1975: Mrs. Betty Huff, cab driver, in her cab with a friend.
1969: Radio-equipped 23-passenger buses similar to the above may soon be providing door-to-downtown bus service in Decatur, according to plans announced recently by Yellow Cab. The $13,000 vehicles are manufactured by Flexible Co. in Ohio.
1940: The Herald & Review is publishing another pictorial history book, this time covering the 1940s to the 1960s. It will have more than 200 black and white photos contributed by Macon County families and local organizations. In this photo provided by Decatur Public Library, students wait near a Wilson Bus on its way to Illinois Wesleyan University in 1940. You can order the book now at MaconCo2.PictorialBook.com or watch for advertisements in the newspaper featuring the mail-in order option.
1971: Children enter a school bus on 34th Street near Spencer School at 3420 E. Garfield Ave. A request to make 34th Street one way will be considered by the Traffic and Parking Commission. School officials are concerned about what they consider a potential traffic safety hazard near the school.
1966: Decatur City Lines manager Bernard Murray, left, and bus driver Ray Burns test a device in a specially fitted bus to demonstrate to bus drivers the 'human factor' involved in traffic accident prevention. Machines test the driver's response to various road hazards.
1972: James Shepherd is a mechanic at the bus barn. He helps keep nine buses on the road with seven buses on standby for repair and cleanup for the city.
1963: Reporter Rex Spires, left, talks with Mrs. Byron Cheever, 1421 W. Main St., center, and Teresa Moore, 1042 W. Decatur St., right, as they prepare to board the W. Main Street bus last night on its final night run. The two women had the distinction of being the last two passengers to board the last bus to pull out of its Transfer House station.
1972: Prior to a change in management, the policy of operation for the bus barn was to keep the buses running at the least possible expense. Now the policy is not only to keep them running, but running properly and clean.
1980: The Union Bus Depot has been at 214 W. Main St. in Decatur since the 1930s.
1982: Virginia, Betty and David Lemanczyk leave the Union Bus Depot.
1988: Mike Sommer and Justine Erlenbusch relax Friday while Bob King Excavation does the work leveling the old Union Bus Depot on the corner of West Main and South Church streets. The corner will be converted into a parking lot for he YMCA.
1987: Assistant manager Matt Rickey stands in the Union Bus Depot ticket cage, with a sign telling of the move.
1962: Without audience or fanfare, the last bus left the Transfer House. There was one passenger aboard. Buses will start loading and unloading passengers on North Water and E. William Streets.
1972: James Shepherd, Decatur City Lines Bus Barn mechanic.
1937: Decatur City lines eight of the bus drivers include Leonard Doolittle, W.O. McCrum, W.M. Hopper, W. H. Whitesides, F.A. Robinson, J.H. Fairbanks, M.H. Hoggins and W.H. Hidden
1944: Decatur City Lines new bus by the Transfer House. The new buses were painted before being put into service.
Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR
Donnette Beckett
"Together Decatur" Columnist and Food/Drink Reporter
