Busmen past and present reunite in Ryde on Sunday

Southern Vectis coachmen on Ryde Esplanade around 1965. Ron Kitcher and Arthur Bartlett among them

Former and current Island bus and coachmen, along with their families, will be welcomed to the Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum in Park Road, Ryde, on Sunday. The annual reunion, now a familiar end‑of‑summer fixture, brings together serving and retired staff to share memories and meet old colleagues.

Albums of staff photographs will be on display, proving popular year after year as busmen pick out faces they have known and worked alongside. Many of the images come from the collections of the late Reg Davies and Dave Evans, now safely held in the museum archive. The museum continues to welcome snapshots of staff with their vehicles to add to its growing record of Island transport history.

Several short trips will run from the museum between 10am and 4pm, offering visitors a chance to enjoy a ride and reminisce.