A BUS which has signalled 60 years of love is destined to make its final stop in Barry.

The couple at the centre of the love story, Ken and Shirley Morgan, are hoping that their Guy Arab half cab bus, new in 1949, will find a new home at the Bus Depot, Broad Street, Barry as part of the heritage bus collection.

RAF man Ken and clippie – trainee bus conductor – Shirley’s love blossomed in the mid-1950s, when they met on a Red & White bus, and then got married.

Ken wanted to spend more time with his sweetheart so joined the bus company she worked for, as a driver, and then 10 years ago bought the bus they’d both worked on together.

Ken is now approaching his 80th birthday and he and Shirley have decided to hang up their uniforms for good.

The couple worked the Red & White company’s flagship route, covering 60 miles between Cardiff and Gloucester, via Newport, Chepstow and Lydney and they operated the double decker Guy Arab vehicles with Duple bodies.

Doug and Jason Allen saved the bus in 1992, after it was withdrawn, for possible renovation realising this was now one of only a few left built in the late 1940’s and relatively unique, but were unable to complete the task.

Ten years later Andy Mayo bought the bus after offering to restore it and Ken offered to help before buying it in 2004 and then taking it to vintage and classic vehicle shows in the South East Wales and Forest of Dean region, with Ken and Shirley always in period uniform.

Ken and Shirley hope the bus preservation team will keep it safe for posterity.

Ken, 79, of Middlesex, said “This bus and Shirley, my wife, have been with me to many bus rally events over the last 10 years.

“We are a good team and it’s been so nice in our retirement years to play driver and conductor again on “our bus”. It reminds us always of our courting days and when we were a driver and conductor team – on the buses. Shirley and I will still come and visit our bus at shows in South Wales as our bus should be cared for here, its rightful home. It’s not far to visit from where we live and we have many happy memories of this area.

Chairman of the heritage bus restoration group, Mike Taylor said: “Arrangements are yet to be confirmed in getting the bus here as Ken and Shirley told him that they want their bus looked after properly in Wales and they love visiting Barry.”

The heritage bus group at Barry already have a Red & White Leyland Tiger single deck coach new in 1950 fully restored and a Bristol Lodekka double deck bus new in 1958, which is currently under extensive rebuilding restoration by a team of volunteers who live locally in Barry and Penarth.