One of the most iconic vehicles in our collection is Standerwick 25, the Gay Hostess Atlantean double deck coach.
These were Ribble’s response to the start of the motorway era in the UK and were specifically designed for the long distance services such as Lancashire to London. They were equipped with toilets and food and drink facilities complete with a hostess who served the refreshments. The initial 15 entered service with the Ribble fleet but the remaining 22 went into the subsidiary company W.C. Standerwick. 25 was one of the first batch of 10 delivered to Standerwick in 1960.
25 was taken out of service in 1970 and was acquired by Youngs of Rampton in Nottinghamshire. It was acquired by RVPG in 1976 and was driven back to Lancashire. After which it was parked up and other projects have taken priority due to high funds needed to restore the bus. We at Town & District Transport Trust offered to purchase the vehicle with a view to it seeing the road once again in the future albeit on a lower budget. We have a view for it to see the road once again by late 2022.
