I use to take North Star & Honey Bee bus to school in Portland 😅 Good old days ❤💯💯 Mr. Busta Clarke was cool, he was my father's best friend. Thanks for bringing back those glorious memories.
Wow this video bring back so much memories,I am from friendship St Mary that's the place you wanna be to hear story on these buses. i will tell you a little early morning between 4am and 6am you have either a Mail Bus or Victor bus (i heard own by wife and husband) and Captain Special leaving for Kingston.Then you have Sunbeam coming from Annotto bay, pass through Friendship about 7am going to Browns town St Anns. Then you have Port Maria Special (aka May Reach) coming from Port Maria Passed through Friendship about 7am going to Annotto Bay. They called it May Reach because it wsa so old and always break down to destinations so you not sure of reaching where you going.Then you have another Mail Bus and Uncle Sunny heading to Port Maria 2- 2:30pm All these buses make there way back through Friendship. These buses were on the clock, you didn't need a clock when these buses in service.
Macaulay's was one from St. Mary that run several routes. Ocho Rios to Kingston and back via Exchange, Lodge, Charles Town, Retreat, Gayle, Guys Hill, Devuls Racecourse, Linstead into Kingston. SpringLine; from Ochio Rios via Tower Isles, Retreat, Three Hills, Cascade, Gayle, Jeffrey Town, Guys Hill into Linstead, Spanish Town into Kingston. Northern Srar from Annotto Bay, Port Maria, Orracabessa, Rio Nueva, through Gayle, Guys Hill to converge into the Corporate area. SunBeam plied the same route as Nothern Star from Annotto Bay except that it diverge after reaching Retreat Content to Charles Town, Three Hills, Exchange, Ocho Rios, St. Ann's Bay. Victor traveled from St Ann's Bay via the North Coast into Port Maria and Annotto Bay. Great time and unique experiences. When yuh late fi bus, yuh better run and able to hop on😂😂
I took it for years to Marymount High school. I usually wait in Reteat or Rio Nuevo. My grandmother used to take me on North Star and Miss Rose bus from Spanish Town to Reteat St.Mary to spend the holidays with her...Fond memories
@@valenciaoliver582 I completely forgot about Miss Rose Bus! Real thing back in those days! Took these buses from Three Hills to places all over Jamaica. People were very protective of each other then. A whole different Jamaica now!
Bwoy I have to show my father this video. He comes from Albion Mountain, St. Mary and I’m sure he knows all these buses. Thanks for bringing back the history! Big up Kareem ❤
Anybody remember Port Maria Special ( own by Mr Clark from Trinity ) and Queen Mary ( own by Mr Boney Johnson from Preston Hill) also a bus name Time Piece that use to run through Port Maria.
Believe me those country buses were the gateway to everthing. I didn't take Bustabus, as Bustabus rolled down Clonmel Hill around 1972/3 injuring many high school students. The Bustabus went bankruot after that as a massive claim filed by the affected riders sent it out a service. My buses were Sunbeam,Northern queen, Mailbus, Victorbus, and Honeybee. Sunbeam started my day as a 11 year old St Mary High school boy. I woke up at 6am in the morning,took a bath in a washpan of cold water, and once dressed would be on the streetside waiting for the bus. Next step u had to learn to hop on the bus,especially if u were the only boy at that stop. If you miss the countrybus at 6am in the morning,then you are in big trouble!. First you are going to get stuck in a minivan,with your back break over,when u dont get a seat!. St Mary High school morning shift started at 730am. If you late,the schoolgate close and you have to sneak in under the fence or a side fence to try to get to first devotion, so the prefect dont catch you to report u for detention. A detention was usually done after your school finish at around 230pm. At least in the countrybus,if you got no seat you could stand upright and hold on to a seat or overhead rail. When the bus sway from side to side, or take a deep corner and you look over the gullies and your heart go boop boop!. And dont forget when those country buses used to race each other around the junction and even on the way from Annatto Bay to Highgate. The Northern Queen bus was my yellow school bus! Truly miss that bus! When we got off the Sunbeam.Bus in Annatto Bay we would then take the Northern Queen to Highgate and that was quite a steep,exciting yet nightmarish journey. There was the initial hilly climb from Aguawaltervale to Lewistore: then the equally terrifying climb up Clonmel hill. This stretch use to give us palpitations!. So many mornings the bus would roll back when it take the gear to climb that hill. But the most irritating moment was when someone on clonmel hill stopped the bus to get on. Many times we used to cuss out loud!. The final heartaching moment was the climb up Marymount hill. Once we got over that obstacles it was smooth sailing all the way down to Highgate to St Mary High. But imagine the races we used to experience going to Kingston: Sunbeam bus vs Mailbus versus Victor Bus. The drivers use to wait for each other and the race would start. . Omg it was so dangerous but exciting. And when our Sunbeam overtake Mailbus round the Junction, we use to shout like we just win a race. And when the sunbeam bus would start the descent down Red Gal Ring, every breath a hold in. Lol. Believe me it didnt matter if the buses were going uphill downhill,round a corner or beside a precipice. The heavier the load on top of the bus carriage,the more expedient it was for the driver to ensure his bus reached Coronation market in Kingston first. Looking back when u took the countrybus,it felt like taking a plane; it was our plane to a different. world. Country was nice but Kingston with streetlights and stoplights was foreign and new. A world beyond my lowly circumstances!!it was a strange,so different, yet so exciting. Away from rivers and hills from stoning mangoes off a laden tree, eating guava by a riverbank. ,doing puppalicks in a river. This was a differnt concrete place with cars like dirt,and beautiful JOS buses plying exotic routes.The countrybus took us there and back. A world of possibilities. A world where you saw lights on the street that lit the night sky. Now you could see beyond peeniewallie;,tinning lamp and shade lamp; moonlight and starry nights. A world of other lights. The countrybus took us to the supermarket in the town.. The piece of Khaki to make the school pants or dress,you got it in town. Thanks to the countrybus. We could pick up items off a supermarket shelf with your own two hands. No need to yell to the local shopkeeper, a pound of flour,half pound a cornmeal, 1 llb a rice,qrt pund a saltfish sah? Now you could do it all by urself, no hassle sah. All the while dressed up in ur best clothes,shoes shine, haircut. It was quite an experience. Thanks to the countrybus! And then imagine the other culinary delights,such as patties and kfc that you would encounter in the town. All due to the countrybus! The countrybus took us from a world of dreams to possibilities beyond where we grew up. Now i know that I would not be limited by my circumstances. I could aspire to dream,to vist foreign lands,to be something in life. The bus connected us to new horizons and allowed us to dream bigger dreams. I will cherish these memories all my days. I'm sure many here will concur. Out of ur small village,with one or two cars; the tiny post office with the one telegram line;the tiny clinic with the village nurse; the few houses with a gleaner subscription where the postman would drive in early and throw the paper by the gate; a small village library with a gleaner where you would get to read the cartoons such as black panther,dilbert and other comics. But it was the country bus that broadened our world. It exposed us to a world bigger than what we were used to. It gave us a chance to explore,to see bigger and better things. To see the sweet and sour, good and bad. Thanks to the countrybus!
Sir it look like Kareem Quest need to interview you too. I suggest a virtual meetup for those in the diaspora because they have stories that need to be heard about these buses.
This a true. Them use to race. Longas was the side man on mail bus. Remember on year I think it was a Victor bus over turn in think it was belfield. A lot of school girls died...
@@danthony9306 I wish I could get my device to write my text the way urine is is beautiful, but because I use the microphone halfway through the text it will change every word from what I really want to express. Give thanks for your beautiful post
Jamaica did nice you know. When we used to have street dances in every parish capital.And perhaps other small towns like Annotto Bay, High Gate, Richmond ect
Yes they use to have street dance in Annotto bay,and at Christmas time they use to keep the dance in the market,Metcalf market came to Jamaica last year that market is so rundown.
HI: kareem: When I attended High school in Spanish Town I lived in Kingston and took Penoverland buses to Spanish Town. They were luxury buses with curtains by the windows. The head office for the company was on Carpenters Road off Hagley Park Road {just below Omara Road}. If you could get pictures of those buses I would enjoy seeing them. This period was the mid 60s to early 70s.
Victor ran from kingston to Port Antonio, along the coast, it was lovingly called Schoolbus, because it picked up children going to and from Titchfield. When Tiger Transport dissolved, Mail Bus took over its routes, running from Kingston To Port Antonio. There was a Mailbus running from Kingston to PortAntonio through Swift River, that was my bus to kingston.
When i used to visit Jamaica as a young child from England i used to drive on Sunchung, K Sons, Cutter bus and Sammy truck from Moore Town Portland nothing like that in England😀
I used to take Victor or mail bus to school in Comryland. In the evening, 9:16 we look Master Key home. Cofidence runs from Mandeville via Chritiana, to Falmouth King alphanso runs from Mobay via Trelawny to Mandeville and back.
Kareem, very good job you are doing. My bus was port maria special that runs the junction staight to town. Peacetime, north star, northern queen, bluemist too many to name You can't forget the the drivers some are still alive today. St mary junction best drivers
Market truck was the around then . The market truck would pick up Market people and bring them to Kingston and back to the country in the 70s .they too the back road.
Those drivers knew the road. Our favorite driver was Eggy. He was a cool driver. Adults and children loved him.The conductress was Ms. Brown. She was a lovely lady. On Master Key the conductor's name was One Son. He was a funny man. On Confidence, the conductress name was Ms. Ray. On Port Maria Special the driver was Sam and sometimes the owner drives the bus. His name was Mr. Clarke. One of the conductors name was- Ms. Mavis. She lived on Cox Street. She was a popular woman. She was so cool. They killed off our coconut in the late 60s when they wanted to impose their soyabean oil. They sprayed our coconut trees and they developed a disease called "Lethal Yellowing." After using the bad soyabean oil, they realized it was not good for the people of Jamaica. People started complaining about it. You have ti burn it before you could fry anything. It smelled bad. Before that, it was coconut oil and puritan refined oul. I grew up on coconut oil My great grandmother and my mother used to boil coconut oil and sell. In those days cows milk and beef smell like milk and beef, not like today when you have to ask people what they are cooking. I know more buses, but I dont remember their names. Morning Glory is another bus.Ever Ready is another that ran from Magotty to Santa Cruz. I grew up in St Mary till I was 9. Went to Kingston for about 3 yr, then I lived in Clarendon, back to Kingston. Before my third child I live in Trelawny then Spanish Town then back to Kingston. My husband took me to Manchester, St Elizabeth, Trelawny, St Ann Portland, St Thomas. I went to Westmoreland, and Hanover for the first time in 2013. So now I can say, I know all fourteen parishes. That is why I know so many busses. In fact, I used to go to Discovery Bay with my great grandmother when I was 6-7. We look North Liner at the Port Maria Market to Discovery Bay.
Look at loads on the top of the bus. How skillful and brave!!! We a di best!!!!! I remember driving on some of those buses. From Somerset, St. Thomas to Kingston...
Busta's bus never go to town, it runs from Enfield to Port Maria, my father and Mr.One Son, used to work on Busta bus, however the owner Busta Clark lives in Annotto Bay.
I use to live in annotto bay use to attend buff bay secondary I would take most of these buses to school two of the best drivers were eggy and shots they knew the winding roads around the junction so well this bring back so many memories for me
There was also a bus name Lilly Of The Valley. The owner of this bus name is Mr Father from Preston Hill. This bus use to run from Preston Hill to Port Maria and go through Baileys Vale to Aracbecca.
Then all a specific horn ,you could tell if its mail bus or a victor bus. That wide section of the junction road always have landslide .it's a rock came down and cause that. Dynamite was use to break it .the roads had a more corners. They had to back up most sometimes. They also had flat tire...
Cromwell land not Comry land. This place is about three mile from Highgate. I attended Mary Mount Preparatory school. With out Head Mistress Sister St.Thomas, and the Principal for the High School was Sister Mary Rose. Those were the days. Those Leyland buses were realible. The drivers and conductors and conductresses took good care of us.
@@khadineevita This was from 1969 to 71.Then I moved to Kingston with my mom. I went to the prep school. We had to Teachers. Ms Riley, and Mrs Clarke. Sis St. Thomas taught kindergarten. Sometimes Sis Helen used to help Mrs. Clarke. I went to Mary Mount with Terry Gilletes children, Andrew and George. Jackquline Pusey, Judith, Pat, and Heather Pusey. Edmond Chin from Port Maria went to school with me as well. I haven't gone to St Mary in ages, but I still remember my roots. I remember a lady who used to cook for the priest across the street from the prep school, and her granddaughter was in my class. I didnt know the lady's name. I dont know if her name is Myrtle or not. I think her grandaughter.'s name is Juline.
@@khadineevita In those day, the school fee was $30 per term which was every three month. We mixed with the rich and well to do. There were black, Chinese and Indians. We had children from America England and I had a classmate from Sweden. She taught me long division and I never forgot. Her name was Jennie Romil.
There was a bus call port Maria special use to have curtains at the window, royal tiger is owned by Mr weir use to have business in guys hill ,then you have magnet the slowest bus on the planet lol ,north star ,uncle sunny, sunbeam,benbow special, now the drivers were Champagnes, big belly Macca,Chiney Pig, to name a few .
Kareem Busta live by the bridge,his house is still standing,I remember the bus I think it use to ply the port maria route my mom was a mango seller she use to take this bus
Yes that's true Busta lives by that house near Pencar Bridge ;my family and I was living at that house as a child and my father was working at Gray's Inn Sugar Factory.I remember Busta he was tall man very stern and he was a mo nonsense man most people think he was feisty.I always hear saying that he was Sir Alexander Bustamante son.
Uncle Sonny bus They were Leyland bus made in England you remember the truck that we used to call glass house they use the same engine they used to have the long wooden body Leyland lynx
In my little district; Springfield, four (4) buses pass through twice daily: North Star in the early morning bound for Kingston, and return later in the evening bound for Oracabessa. Benbow *(penny-penny)* Special early morning bound for Highgate/Richmond, St. Mary, returned at noon, bound for Guy's Hill/ Benbow, sometimes Linstead, a return trip later on. Royal Tiger in the AM bound for Kingston, later on in the PM Bound for Port Maria? Then, Time Piece: AKA Wartime about noon-1:00 PM from Kingston, bound for Port Maria, returned about 4-5 PM bound for Kingston. We also had two milk trucks: Mr. Chung and Mr. Carlos McGregor bound for Bog Walk condensery. The Time Piece buses were MERCEDES BENZ engines, the others were LEYLAND and FARGO engines, and The milk trucks were FIAT & MORRIS engines. Other buses close by were MAGNET at Windsor Castle, and STAR and TIGER at Guy's Hill.
Hi: There was a country bust that used to travel from Riversdale in St. Catherine through Crawle, Berwick then through Knolis, Bog Walk then through Sligoville, Spanish Town and into Kingston. It took skill to drive that bus through the hilly terrain of Sligoville and that driver who drove that bus was called "Palous". Every one rated "Palous" I think the owner of the bus was a man called Mr Johnson.
Mail Bus, Victor, North Star, North Liner, Queen Mary, Nothern Queen, Honey Bee, Grey Mist, Blue Mist, St Mary Special, Port Maria Special, Master Key, Confidence, and King Alohanso, Lily of the Valley, and many others
😮My Mothers Maiden Name Was Clarke, And She Told Me Her Family Had A Bus Company , From 🇯🇲My Grandmother Was Isabella Clarke,🥰Im A Descendant Born In 🇬🇧 Where I Reside 👍🏾 It's A Small World🤗🙋🏾♀️🙏🏾
I grew up in Long Road St Mary, and North Star was the durst bus i knew about. It used to run from Long Road to Kingston via Annotto Bay, Clonmel,Aleppo, Richmond, Highgate, Richmond, Troja, Linstead, Bogwalk, Spanish Town and then KGN It left like 5 am. in the morning. After North Star , a few other busses ply the same route. Bus like Paula and Bag a Darkness. I used to take Bag a Darkness to school in Highgate. Honey Bee usebto run from Mobay to Port Antonio. At one time, you had two. One would leave mobay in the morning and the other left port Antonio in the morning. After Honey Bee , then Supa came along. Supa used to leave Port Antonio to Mobay in the morning . It went through Highgate, and i used to take it from Annotto Bay to Highgate to get to SMHS. Northern Queen was our school bus. One tun from Enfield to Highgate via annotto bay. Another ran through Islington to Annotto Bay. Then Uncle Sunny from Port maria to Highgate ,bellfield , Annotto Bay ,Junction and kingston. At one point or another, i took them to get to school.
There was even a time when north star was going over the precipice in devil racecourse and champagne steer it go down there all the way them time bus drivers were skilled and knew every pothole every nook and crany of the road
The old-time buses and trucks were really attractive. I have a new-found appreciation for the market vendors. Kareem, if possible, do a piece on the popular kingston nightclubs during that period.
I'm from Enfield have to travel to annotate Bay so I have to used that bus I also travel on honeybee to montego bay when I'm going to st James annotate bay was my main town. Especially the market that I use to run up and down in thank for your high light please do one on Enfield and junior pen x forth george
@@kevincurtis3587 My uncle was a mechanic for Sunbeam in the 70s . Sunbeam had quite a few buses included one with engine in the middle under it like j.o.s buses that was imported from England.
This dread seems to have limited information .Busta only had 3 busses in the seventies ,mail bus and Victor was 1owner ,then there was sunbeam. Those were the most popular busses not st Mary special that only run from anato Bay to pt Maria. Busta stop bus business when 1of his busses ran off the road and cost a few casualties back in the mid seventies.
I remember the very day the last of these big buses terminated it's services in Portland and the new era of taxi took over in late 1990's. The driver name was Milton aka Cutta, very nice gentleman.
this one i didn't experience myself but i heard o an incident where this Mail Bus was coming from Kingston to Friendhip and the gas cable break and the baggage guy use a vise grip to pull on it while the driving the bus around Junction.
Yes,North Star had some of the baddest buses on the road . North Star bus, police used to wait fe dat pon ferry fe search fe weed 😂😂😂. Police nicknamed them Ganja Train .😂😂😂
my most memorable experience was coming from Kingston on one of the Mail Bus around Junction the driver was taking the corners so fast the step at the back of the bus was scraping on the road and this old lady sit on the floor calling out to the driver to stop the but because she want to get off.
Busta had a yellow and green bus that use to go to the north as I said before my mom use to take this bus it was the last bus to come to Annotto bay in the night
Still don't hear anything about Victor anyway didn't come from St Mary just went there to stay a few times and that's the bus or one of the bus we used to take our the other one or the Enterprise that went through Spanish Town. And as far as the truck I do remember them working together at the same time it's not that one to cover from the other cuz I've always seen trucks in fact we took truck one time up to the top up Old Stone Hill road to a church my grandmother used to go to.❤
@@Marquos-y1u There was a bus company named Irving Transport had about 4-5 buses . They had a converted j.o.s bus nicknamed No Jestering . It was the wickedest bus going Port Antonio . Do anybody from Port Antonio remember this bad ass bus ?.
There were some Grey busses named " TIGER " running from Kingston to Portland along with busses like VICTOR and MAILBUS , my favorite mail bus driver was called Eggy , by the way Victor and mailbus were the same owners
That bus that overturned and killed those people was a Tiger Transport Bus. Ran from Fruitful Vale in Portland to Kingston, based at Victoria Avenue. By then Captain Lindsay who owned the company had divided up up Tiger Transport, supposedly among his relatives. The accident happened at ugly woman bridge. A woman from my district Swift River was washed away in Wag Water river and never found. Tiger transport bus was unique, they bought coaches from the UK, powered by Atkinson engines, the others were mainly leyland. The coach buses could not run through Junction, so they ran Kingston to Port Antonio, through St Thomas. They also carried the load under the floor, not on top like the other buses. Bus owners would buy running gear and then build the bodies on the chassis, as a result most of the buses looked alike, the only difference was the paint scheme and names.
Try my Jamaican Bus Trivia kareemsquest.com/bus-trivia/
Culture is my Friend My Name is Horse Tonic
I wish those days could come back. Who know, know. Those days are the best days ever.👍🏿❤️❤️🙏🏿
Yes dem days were good days but transport wise "hell no" transportation nowadays is waaaaaay better.
This is documenting history, keep up the good work Kareem.
Will do
Oh my goodness I remember those days I used to catch that bus to go to St Mary so many memories thank you so much that's when Jamaica was Jamaica😂❤❤❤
I use to take North Star & Honey Bee bus to school in Portland 😅 Good old days ❤💯💯
Mr. Busta Clarke was cool, he was my father's best friend.
Thanks for bringing back those glorious memories.
MY FIRST TIME ON YOUR PLATFORM 😊NICE AND INSIGHTFUL MEMORY'S 👍 JAMAICA 🇯🇲 SIMPLY THE BEST ❤
Thanks
Wow this video bring back so much memories,I am from friendship St Mary that's the place you wanna be to hear story on these buses. i will tell you a little early morning between 4am and 6am you have either a Mail Bus or Victor bus (i heard own by wife and husband) and Captain Special leaving for Kingston.Then you have Sunbeam coming from Annotto bay, pass through Friendship about 7am going to Browns town St Anns. Then you have Port Maria Special (aka May Reach) coming from Port Maria Passed through Friendship about 7am going to Annotto Bay. They called it May Reach because it wsa so old and always break down to destinations so you not sure of reaching where you going.Then you have another Mail Bus and Uncle Sunny heading to Port Maria 2- 2:30pm All these buses make there way back through Friendship. These buses were on the clock, you didn't need a clock when these buses in service.
Ricky you're really remember your buses
Love this nostalgic 💖 mi sey ❤
MasterKey Bus.. St.Mary.. also owned by Busta Clarke
@@rickytrooper wow, you sure got the details. Pom pom pom pom pom pom pom pom pom pom pineapple I bet you know every bus by its sound.
@@PrincessMcgibbon Sunbeam was based in Wakefield,
All that is included in Jamaica fair well.Thank you.Thank you
Great memories St Elizabeth side ,there was king Alfonso and honey bee
Macaulay's was one from St. Mary that run several routes. Ocho Rios to Kingston and back via Exchange, Lodge, Charles Town, Retreat, Gayle, Guys Hill, Devuls Racecourse, Linstead into Kingston.
SpringLine; from Ochio Rios via Tower Isles, Retreat, Three Hills, Cascade, Gayle, Jeffrey Town, Guys Hill into Linstead, Spanish Town into Kingston.
Northern Srar from Annotto Bay, Port Maria, Orracabessa, Rio Nueva, through Gayle, Guys Hill to converge into the Corporate area.
SunBeam plied the same route as Nothern Star from Annotto Bay except that it diverge after reaching Retreat Content to Charles Town, Three Hills, Exchange, Ocho Rios, St. Ann's Bay.
Victor traveled from St Ann's Bay via the North Coast into Port Maria and Annotto Bay.
Great time and unique experiences. When yuh late fi bus, yuh better run and able to hop on😂😂
I took it for years to Marymount High school. I usually wait in Reteat or Rio Nuevo. My grandmother used to take me on North Star and Miss Rose bus from Spanish Town to Reteat St.Mary to spend the holidays with her...Fond memories
@@valenciaoliver582 I completely forgot about Miss Rose Bus! Real thing back in those days! Took these buses from Three Hills to places all over Jamaica. People were very protective of each other then. A whole different Jamaica now!
Yes yes yes 🙌 👏 thank you for that information
The conductors name was miss rose we called it Miss Rose bus
@@juniorgemini8076 I was scared of driving on Miss Rose bus especially devil's race course
Bwoy I have to show my father this video. He comes from Albion Mountain, St. Mary and I’m sure he knows all these buses. Thanks for bringing back the history! Big up Kareem ❤
Remember those days. Lots of fun memories going to St. Mary on Uncle Sonny bus. We used to spend our summer holidays in Grants Town in St. Mary.
North Liner Bus runs from murray mountain to port maria every day from in the sixties to late seventies
What 😮😮😮 way uppa St. Ann Murray Mountain to Port Maria???
This is Epic, continue to remind us of the good old days,
Master Key
Victor
Mailbox
Northern Queen
Sunbeam
@@RAR1792 I remember master key 🔑, I was a toddler then.
Anybody remember Port Maria Special ( own by Mr Clark from Trinity ) and Queen Mary ( own by Mr Boney Johnson from Preston Hill) also a bus name Time Piece that use to run through Port Maria.
Believe me those country buses were the gateway to everthing. I didn't take Bustabus, as Bustabus rolled down Clonmel Hill around 1972/3 injuring many high school students. The Bustabus went bankruot after that as a massive claim filed by the affected riders sent it out a service.
My buses were Sunbeam,Northern queen, Mailbus, Victorbus, and Honeybee.
Sunbeam started my day as a 11 year old St Mary High school boy. I woke up at 6am in the morning,took a bath in a washpan of cold water, and once dressed would be on the streetside waiting for the bus. Next step u had to learn to hop on the bus,especially if u were the only boy at that stop.
If you miss the countrybus at 6am in the morning,then you are in big trouble!. First you are going to get stuck in a minivan,with your back break over,when u dont get a seat!. St Mary High school morning shift started at 730am. If you late,the schoolgate close and you have to sneak in under the fence or a side fence to try to get to first devotion, so the prefect dont catch you to report u for detention. A detention was usually done after your school finish at around 230pm.
At least in the countrybus,if you got no seat you could stand upright and hold on to a seat or overhead rail. When the bus sway from side to side, or take a deep corner and you look over the gullies and your heart go boop boop!. And dont forget when those country buses used to race each other around the junction and even on the way from Annatto Bay to Highgate.
The Northern Queen bus was my yellow school bus! Truly miss that bus!
When we got off the Sunbeam.Bus in Annatto Bay we would then take the Northern Queen to Highgate and that was quite a steep,exciting yet nightmarish journey. There was the initial hilly climb from Aguawaltervale to Lewistore: then the equally terrifying climb up Clonmel hill. This stretch use to give us palpitations!. So many mornings the bus would roll back when it take the gear to climb that hill. But the most irritating moment was when someone on clonmel hill stopped the bus to get on. Many times we used to cuss out loud!.
The final heartaching moment was the climb up Marymount hill. Once we got over that obstacles it was smooth sailing all the way down to Highgate to St Mary High.
But imagine the races we used to experience going to Kingston: Sunbeam bus vs Mailbus versus Victor Bus. The drivers use to wait for each other and the race would start. . Omg it was so dangerous but exciting. And when our Sunbeam overtake Mailbus round the Junction, we use to shout like we just win a race. And when the sunbeam bus would start the descent down Red Gal Ring, every breath a hold in. Lol.
Believe me it didnt matter if the buses were going uphill downhill,round a corner or beside a precipice. The heavier the load on top of the bus carriage,the more expedient it was for the driver to ensure his bus reached Coronation market in Kingston first.
Looking back when u took the countrybus,it felt like taking a plane; it was our plane to a different. world. Country was nice but Kingston with streetlights and stoplights was foreign and new. A world beyond my lowly circumstances!!it was a strange,so different, yet so exciting. Away from rivers and hills from stoning mangoes off a laden tree, eating guava by a riverbank. ,doing puppalicks in a river.
This was a differnt concrete place with cars like dirt,and beautiful JOS buses plying exotic routes.The countrybus took us there and back.
A world of possibilities. A world where you saw lights on the street that lit the night sky. Now you could see beyond peeniewallie;,tinning lamp and shade lamp; moonlight and starry nights. A world of other lights.
The countrybus took us to the supermarket in the town.. The piece of Khaki to make the school pants or dress,you got it in town. Thanks to the countrybus.
We could pick up items off a supermarket shelf with your own two hands. No need to yell to the local shopkeeper, a pound of flour,half pound a cornmeal, 1 llb a rice,qrt pund a saltfish sah? Now you could do it all by urself, no hassle sah. All the while dressed up in ur best clothes,shoes shine, haircut. It was quite an experience. Thanks to the countrybus!
And then imagine the other culinary delights,such as patties and kfc that you would encounter in the town. All due to the countrybus!
The countrybus took us from a world of dreams to possibilities beyond where we grew up. Now i know that I would not be limited by my circumstances. I could aspire to dream,to vist foreign lands,to be something in life. The bus connected us to new horizons and allowed us to dream bigger dreams. I will cherish these memories all my days. I'm sure many here will concur.
Out of ur small village,with one or two cars; the tiny post office with the one telegram line;the tiny clinic with the village nurse; the few houses with a gleaner subscription where the postman would drive in early and throw the paper by the gate; a small village library with a gleaner where you would get to read the cartoons such as black panther,dilbert and other comics.
But it was the country bus that broadened our world. It exposed us to a world bigger than what we were used to. It gave us a chance to explore,to see bigger and better things. To see the sweet and sour, good and bad. Thanks to the countrybus!
This is great memories! Let me know your email address. I am going to use this story on my website
Sir it look like Kareem Quest need to interview you too. I suggest a virtual meetup for those in the diaspora because they have stories that need to be heard about these buses.
@@Dri_Bentley you are so right
This a true. Them use to race. Longas was the side man on mail bus. Remember on year I think it was a Victor bus over turn in think it was belfield. A lot of school girls died...
@@danthony9306 I wish I could get my device to write my text the way urine is is beautiful, but because I use the microphone halfway through the text it will change every word from what I really want to express. Give thanks for your beautiful post
Jamaica did nice you know. When we used to have street dances in every parish capital.And perhaps other small towns like Annotto Bay, High Gate, Richmond ect
Yes they use to have street dance in Annotto bay,and at Christmas time they use to keep the dance in the market,Metcalf market came to Jamaica last year that market is so rundown.
Yes me general I like your channel teach me a lots of things
You're welcome
HI: kareem: When I attended High school in Spanish Town I lived in Kingston and took Penoverland buses to Spanish Town. They were luxury buses with curtains by the windows. The head office for the company was on Carpenters Road off Hagley Park Road {just below Omara Road}. If you could get pictures of those buses I would enjoy seeing them. This period was the mid 60s to early 70s.
Victor ran from kingston to Port Antonio, along the coast, it was lovingly called Schoolbus, because it picked up children going to and from Titchfield. When Tiger Transport dissolved, Mail Bus took over its routes, running from Kingston To Port Antonio. There was a Mailbus running from Kingston to PortAntonio through Swift River, that was my bus to kingston.
@@jahmaycan9916 I don't know if it regularly goes to buff Bay but the one time I ever been to buffet it was on the Victor.
Yep! I remember
When i used to visit Jamaica as a young child from England i used to drive on Sunchung, K Sons, Cutter bus and Sammy truck from Moore Town Portland nothing like that in England😀
Yeah, I'm from Portland as well, fun memories.
I used to take Victor or mail bus to school in Comryland. In the evening, 9:16 we look Master Key home.
Cofidence runs from Mandeville via Chritiana, to Falmouth King alphanso runs from Mobay via Trelawny to Mandeville and back.
Kareem, very good job you are doing.
My bus was port maria special that runs the junction staight to town.
Peacetime, north star, northern queen, bluemist too many to name
You can't forget the the drivers some are still alive today.
St mary junction best drivers
I use to conduct North Star bus from town to ochi rios via riversdale ,Troja, jankro spring
Market truck was the around then . The market truck would pick up Market people and bring them to Kingston and back to the country in the 70s .they too the back road.
Those drivers knew the road. Our favorite driver was Eggy. He was a cool driver. Adults and children loved him.The conductress was Ms. Brown. She was a lovely lady. On Master Key the conductor's name was One Son. He was a funny man. On Confidence, the conductress name was Ms. Ray. On Port Maria Special the driver was Sam and sometimes the owner drives the bus. His name was Mr. Clarke. One of the conductors name was- Ms. Mavis. She lived on Cox Street. She was a popular woman. She was so cool. They killed off our coconut in the late 60s when they wanted to impose their soyabean oil. They sprayed our coconut trees and they developed a disease called "Lethal Yellowing." After using the bad soyabean oil, they realized it was not good for the people of Jamaica. People started complaining about it. You have ti burn it before you could fry anything. It smelled bad. Before that, it was coconut oil and puritan refined oul. I grew up on coconut oil My great grandmother and my mother used to boil coconut oil and sell. In those days cows milk and beef smell like milk and beef, not like today when you have to ask people what they are cooking. I know more buses, but I dont remember their names.
Morning Glory is another bus.Ever Ready is another that ran from Magotty to Santa Cruz.
I grew up in St Mary till I was 9. Went to Kingston for about 3 yr, then I lived in Clarendon, back to Kingston. Before my third child I live in Trelawny then Spanish Town then back to Kingston. My husband took me to Manchester, St Elizabeth, Trelawny, St Ann Portland, St Thomas. I went to Westmoreland, and Hanover for the first time in 2013. So now I can say, I know all fourteen parishes. That is why I know so many busses. In fact, I used to go to Discovery Bay with my great grandmother when I was 6-7. We look North Liner at the Port Maria Market to Discovery Bay.
Look at loads on the top of the bus. How skillful and brave!!!
We a di best!!!!!
I remember driving on some of those buses. From Somerset, St. Thomas to Kingston...
Busta's bus never go to town, it runs from Enfield to Port Maria, my father and Mr.One Son, used to work on Busta bus, however the owner Busta Clark lives in Annotto Bay.
McCauleys , Captain Special, Blue Miss. Sun Beam , Uncle Sonny and Mail Buses I remembered 😂
Another bus name Time Piece runs from Kingston to StMary. It ran through Baileys Vale, but Im not sure where it goes in the hill.
Ms. Thatcher bus was the one I used to get 'round Junction
I use to live in annotto bay use to attend buff bay secondary I would take most of these buses to school two of the best drivers were eggy and shots they knew the winding roads around the junction so well this bring back so many memories for me
I use to like the bus ride going for to holiday in the country.my.home town is Islington st mary
He still took time to say good morning to the neighbor.
Yeah man he is a real respectable elder
There was also a bus name Lilly Of The Valley. The owner of this bus name is Mr Father from Preston Hill. This bus use to run from Preston Hill to Port Maria and go through Baileys Vale to Aracbecca.
Then all a specific horn ,you could tell if its mail bus or a victor bus. That wide section of the junction road always have landslide .it's a rock came down and cause that. Dynamite was use to break it .the roads had a more corners. They had to back up most sometimes. They also had flat tire...
Cromwell land not Comry land. This place is about three mile from Highgate. I attended Mary Mount Preparatory school. With out Head Mistress Sister St.Thomas, and the Principal for the High School was Sister Mary Rose. Those were the days. Those Leyland buses were realible. The drivers and conductors and conductresses took good care of us.
Yes Cromwell Land that's where my mother is from.....alleppo to be exact
@oraltraditions6127 You probably know Ms Myrtle she worked at Marymount High.
@@khadineevita This was from 1969 to 71.Then I moved to Kingston with my mom. I went to the prep school. We had to Teachers. Ms Riley, and Mrs Clarke. Sis St. Thomas taught kindergarten. Sometimes Sis Helen used to help Mrs. Clarke. I went to Mary Mount with Terry Gilletes children, Andrew and George. Jackquline Pusey, Judith, Pat, and Heather Pusey. Edmond Chin from Port Maria went to school with me as well. I haven't gone to St Mary in ages, but I still remember my roots. I remember a lady who used to cook for the priest across the street from the prep school, and her granddaughter was in my class. I didnt know the lady's name. I dont know if her name is Myrtle or not. I think her grandaughter.'s name is Juline.
@@khadineevita In those day, the school fee was $30 per term which was every three month. We mixed with the rich and well to do. There were black, Chinese and Indians. We had children from America England and I had a classmate from Sweden. She taught me long division and I never forgot. Her name was Jennie Romil.
North Star., Eastern Queen, Mail Bus, Tiger Bus...
METRO. BUS in clarendon prettiest COLOR ever on any BUS best 680 engine no hill stop them best B US in Jamaica ok!!!!
Dont forget magnet buses, i think owned by Porteous..used to run in St mary among other places
Kareem, please do a feature on Portland buses
Port Maria Special ran from Port Maria to Kingston and another from Port Maria to Port Antonio. Honey Bee Port Maria to Kingston via Bellfield.
Bless up your self mi general straight out of new York 🙏
There was a bus call port Maria special use to have curtains at the window, royal tiger is owned by Mr weir use to have business in guys hill ,then you have magnet the slowest bus on the planet lol ,north star ,uncle sunny, sunbeam,benbow special, now the drivers were Champagnes, big belly Macca,Chiney Pig, to name a few .
Kareem Busta live by the bridge,his house is still standing,I remember the bus I think it use to ply the port maria route my mom was a mango seller she use to take this bus
Thanks for this insightful information
Yes that's true Busta lives by that house near Pencar Bridge ;my family and I was living at that house as a child and my father was working at Gray's Inn Sugar Factory.I remember Busta he was tall man very stern and he was a mo nonsense man most people think he was feisty.I always hear saying that he was Sir Alexander Bustamante son.
Uncle Sonny bus They were Leyland bus made in England you remember the truck that we used to call glass house they use the same engine they used to have the long wooden body Leyland lynx
Going to Marymount high school the bus I took to school was mail bus and Victor bus with Herbie and Spider..So much fond memories ❤
MY father owned some his bus name was Spring Line it went toSt Mary because he was from St Mary his name was Mr Scott other wise called Shorty
The last one i travel on name principal run from highgate to guisehill and country bus was no more i miss you country bus 😢
Portland... St. Thonas .. Kingston Route. Mail Bus, Tuger Bus, North Star Eastern Quuen... Enterprise... K'son's etc.
Captain Special, Then you have Portia with Penoverland, and Bronx Bus run from Spanish Town to Kingston via washington Blvd
JOS 40A and 40B, Old Hope Road 1980s!!!
In my little district; Springfield, four (4) buses pass through twice daily: North Star in the early morning bound for Kingston, and return later in the evening bound for Oracabessa. Benbow *(penny-penny)* Special early morning bound for Highgate/Richmond, St. Mary, returned at noon, bound for Guy's Hill/ Benbow, sometimes Linstead, a return trip later on. Royal Tiger in the AM bound for Kingston, later on in the PM Bound for Port Maria? Then, Time Piece: AKA Wartime about noon-1:00 PM from Kingston, bound for Port Maria, returned about 4-5 PM bound for Kingston. We also had two milk trucks: Mr. Chung and Mr. Carlos McGregor bound for Bog Walk condensery. The Time Piece buses were MERCEDES BENZ engines, the others were LEYLAND and FARGO engines, and The milk trucks were FIAT & MORRIS engines. Other buses close by were MAGNET at Windsor Castle, and STAR and TIGER at Guy's Hill.
i am from st maryi remember
Hi: There was a country bust that used to travel from Riversdale in St. Catherine through Crawle, Berwick then through Knolis, Bog Walk then through Sligoville, Spanish Town and into Kingston. It took skill to drive that bus through the hilly terrain of Sligoville and that driver who drove that bus was called "Palous". Every one rated "Palous" I think the owner of the bus was a man called Mr Johnson.
Sound like the name was magnet...
Uncle sunny
We need the bus back!! No Van
Mail Bus, Victor, North Star, North Liner, Queen Mary, Nothern Queen, Honey Bee, Grey Mist, Blue Mist, St Mary Special, Port Maria Special, Master Key, Confidence, and King Alohanso, Lily of the Valley, and many others
😮My Mothers Maiden Name Was Clarke, And She Told Me Her Family Had A Bus Company , From 🇯🇲My Grandmother Was Isabella Clarke,🥰Im A Descendant Born In 🇬🇧 Where I Reside 👍🏾 It's A Small World🤗🙋🏾♀️🙏🏾
those days Roads did good
I grew up in Long Road St Mary, and North Star was the durst bus i knew about. It used to run from Long Road to Kingston via Annotto Bay, Clonmel,Aleppo, Richmond, Highgate, Richmond, Troja, Linstead, Bogwalk, Spanish Town and then KGN It left like 5 am. in the morning. After North Star , a few other busses ply the same route. Bus like Paula and Bag a Darkness. I used to take Bag a Darkness to school in Highgate.
Honey Bee usebto run from Mobay to Port Antonio. At one time, you had two. One would leave mobay in the morning and the other left port Antonio in the morning. After Honey Bee , then Supa came along. Supa used to leave Port Antonio to Mobay in the morning . It went through Highgate, and i used to take it from Annotto Bay to Highgate to get to SMHS. Northern Queen was our school bus. One tun from Enfield to Highgate via annotto bay. Another ran through Islington to Annotto Bay. Then Uncle Sunny from Port maria to Highgate ,bellfield , Annotto Bay ,Junction and kingston. At one point or another, i took them to get to school.
My Grandfather Pun Clarke was from Geddes Town.Wondering if he was related to Busta Clarke?
I'm from Portland ,but spend a lot of holidays in Annatto Bay with my grandma
There was even a time when north star was going over the precipice in devil racecourse and champagne steer it go down there all the way them time bus drivers were skilled and knew every pothole every nook and crany of the road
I remember nest star for st Mary to town
My jamaica with no crime
.
JOS buses plied routes in Kingston, St Andrew, and Spanish Town.
Bustamante clark was the son of late prime minister sir alexander
The old-time buses and trucks were really attractive.
I have a new-found appreciation for the market vendors.
Kareem, if possible, do a piece on the popular kingston nightclubs during that period.
Ok, I will look into it
I'm from Enfield have to travel to annotate Bay so I have to used that bus I also travel on honeybee to montego bay when I'm going to st James annotate bay was my main town. Especially the market that I use to run up and down in thank for your high light please do one on Enfield and junior pen x forth george
When m was young these were just fading out only took it once these buses are historic
Kareem the last big bus from Kingston was sunbeam the longest bus to come true the junction
Ok thanks
I know sunbeam very well. It was my regular ride night or day
@@kevincurtis3587 My uncle was a mechanic for Sunbeam in the 70s . Sunbeam had quite a few buses included one with engine in the middle under it like j.o.s buses that was imported from England.
This dread seems to have limited information .Busta only had 3 busses in the seventies ,mail bus and Victor was 1owner ,then there was sunbeam. Those were the most popular busses not st Mary special that only run from anato Bay to pt Maria. Busta stop bus business when 1of his busses ran off the road and cost a few casualties back in the mid seventies.
I remember the very day the last of these big buses terminated it's services in Portland and the new era of taxi took over in late 1990's. The driver name was Milton aka Cutta, very nice gentleman.
this one i didn't experience myself but i heard o an incident where this Mail Bus was coming from Kingston to Friendhip and the gas cable break and the baggage guy use a vise grip to pull on it while the driving the bus around Junction.
The owner of miss rose bus was from guy's hill St Mary
there was an early bus that passed thru Highgate, palmetta Grove, woodside post rd name " joy transport, and anther one called north star
Yes,North Star had some of the baddest buses on the road . North Star bus, police used to wait fe dat pon ferry fe search fe weed 😂😂😂. Police nicknamed them Ganja Train .😂😂😂
Miss rose was very mean she didn't stand for foolishness 😅😅😅😅😅😅
CLARENDON have some off the most BUSES METRO BUS !!!
He was family to Bustamante
north Star ⭐ used to run from Kingston Glengoffe Brainerd Richmond High gate
I remember graymiss bus light begrad and progress bus Beverly snow boy uncle sunny
my most memorable experience was coming from Kingston on one of the Mail Bus around Junction the driver was taking the corners so fast the step at the back of the bus was scraping on the road and this old lady sit on the floor calling out to the driver to stop the but because she want to get off.
Send me an email with your number. I definitely want to get more of these stories.
We had a lot of bus owners in Jamaica. I have heard of Uncle Sunny, but I dont remember taking it. I had no reason to.
Northern Queen also from St Mary.
Busta had a yellow and green bus that use to go to the north as I said before my mom use to take this bus it was the last bus to come to Annotto bay in the night
Hi love st Mary i went to Hillside primary school 😂😂
Mi use to take Northern Queen, and Sunbeam😂
Hi,there was this bus by the name of Spring Line,travel from Kingston to St Ann.
There was a tiger transport bus that went from town to friendship park overnight at friendship then leave early morning back to Kingston
Still don't hear anything about Victor anyway didn't come from St Mary just went there to stay a few times and that's the bus or one of the bus we used to take our the other one or the Enterprise that went through Spanish Town. And as far as the truck I do remember them working together at the same time it's not that one to cover from the other cuz I've always seen trucks in fact we took truck one time up to the top up Old Stone Hill road to a church my grandmother used to go to.❤
victor and mail bus
@@Marquos-y1u There was a bus company named Irving Transport had about 4-5 buses . They had a converted j.o.s bus nicknamed No Jestering . It was the wickedest bus going Port Antonio . Do anybody from Port Antonio remember this bad ass bus ?.
Them days was nice ina jam dong
Sure was
big up to a conductor goes by the name" jango" used to conduct pon north star in the 70s
My favourite bus was uncle sunny bus they had very good driver going around the junction or even going flat bridge to guys hill
I used to take uncle sunny bus town to riversdale
He was an heavy set man
Busta Clarke was from Rockspring St, Mary border of Woodside same St Mary
There were some Grey busses named " TIGER " running from Kingston to Portland along with busses like VICTOR and MAILBUS , my favorite mail bus driver was called Eggy , by the way Victor and mailbus were the same owners
My favorite bus driver was Herbie on Victor bus and my favorite conductor was Spider we were devastated when Spider was stabbed to death in Kingston
Clive I remember those buses my favorite drivers were eggy and shots those drivers were really skillful nice memories
I remember city link bus
That bus that overturned and killed those people was a Tiger Transport Bus. Ran from Fruitful Vale in Portland to Kingston, based at Victoria Avenue. By then Captain Lindsay who owned the company had divided up up Tiger Transport, supposedly among his relatives. The accident happened at ugly woman bridge. A woman from my district Swift River was washed away in Wag Water river and never found. Tiger transport bus was unique, they bought coaches from the UK, powered by Atkinson engines, the others were mainly leyland. The coach buses could not run through Junction, so they ran Kingston to Port Antonio, through St Thomas. They also carried the load under the floor, not on top like the other buses. Bus owners would buy running gear and then build the bodies on the chassis, as a result most of the buses looked alike, the only difference was the paint scheme and names.
The bus was Sir Winston, originally of the Tiger Transport fleet. Sir Winston was supposed to be Captain Lindsay son.
Market truck was running at the same time when country bus running
Kareem included the great old Buses.is that Jamaica Fair well.questions.
Yea Kareem back then in a st Mary port Maria to town via linstead we did av mccarles. Royal. Tiger
Forest light. Not star uncle sony
When junction block you go true Richmond pass the prison