Pre 1965 PSV Conductor's badge digits?

[nula]

I'm interested in pre-1965 (say, late 50s to 65) Northern AA PSV conductors' badges. Would these have had 6 digits or 5 or what? Advice appreciated..

 

[CatfordCat]

I have (although not somewhere I can easily look) a full set of PSV conductor badges acquired shortly after they appeared on the collectors' market following the abolition of conductor licensing.

From memory, the only areas that got in to 6 digits were BB (Yorkshire), CC (North West), MM (southern Scotland) and N (Metropolitan / London)

A quick web search on 'AA PSV conductor badge' brings up a couple of images of AA 60xxx badges in the later, embossed plastic style which started to be issued quite late in the day (there's one or two areas for which I've never seen this style, suggesting they had plenty of the older style still in stock) - this makes me fairly certain that AA area never got in to 6 digits for conductors.

As a guess, I'd say that one in the 40xxx - 50xxx range would be right for the era you refer to.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I have (although not somewhere I can easily look) a full set of PSV conductor badges acquired shortly after they appeared on the collectors' market following the abolition of conductor licensing.

From memory, the only areas that got in to 6 digits were BB (Yorkshire), CC (North West), MM (southern Scotland) and N (Metropolitan / London)

A quick web search on 'AA PSV conductor badge' brings up a couple of images of AA 60xxx badges in the later, embossed plastic style which started to be issued quite late in the day (there's one or two areas for which I've never seen this style, suggesting they had plenty of the older style still in stock) - this makes me fairly certain that AA area never got in to 6 digits for conductors.

As a guess, I'd say that one in the 40xxx - 50xxx range would be right for the era you refer to.

My late father started as a "duc" in 1960, progressing to a driver in 1962 as AA31513 and don't recall going past 6****

 

[nula]

Thanks for your info, all.

The numbers are like dates, then? Like car reg plates? What do they mean (as in example below)?

AA 60403

 

[mainframe444]

Thanks for your info, all.

The numbers are like dates, then? Like car reg plates? What do they mean (as in example below)?

AA 60403

They were issued in sequence, which was useful in indicating a Driver's seniority, i.e. the lower the number the longer they had had a licence.

I remember one old timer who lost his badge, applied for a new one and was given a newly issued badge, which made him look like a new driver! Usually a reissue would be done with an older, returned badge.

The letters refer to which Traffic Commissioners office issued it, EE was East Midlands.

MF

 

[nula]

Is it not possible to break it down more accurately, for example, so that 50 = 1956-60 and 60 = 1961-65 (just example)? Like an H reg car would be, for example, 1972?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Is it not possible to break it down more accurately, for example, so that 50 = 1956-60 and 60 = 1961-65 (just example)? Like an H reg car would be, for example, 1972?

No, they were issued sequentially by area and, of course, some areas had more issues than others so (for instance) London NN may have reached 5**** some time before Northern AA

 

[CatfordCat]

No, they were issued sequentially by area and, of course, some areas had more issues than others so (for instance) London NN may have reached 5**** some time before Northern AA

Absolutely that.

for N (London), a conductor badge number N 47xxx would have been issued in the early 50s (this one sticks in the memory from a family member who started on the buses in about 1953)

The highest FF (Eastern) conductor badge issued by 1981 was (from memory) somewhere in the FF 3xxxx range, the equivalent N badge would probably have been just after WW2 in London. and LL (Scottish highlands) didn't even get that high in numbers.

(incidentally, for reasons lost in the mists of time, the Metropolitan - London - area was always single letter N, all the other areas had the letter twice (There is a batch of 'NN' conductor badges in the 12xxxx range out there - as far as I am aware these were never issued, and were the result of a production error)

The policy taken by individual area traffic commissioners in respect of replacement badges in the event of loss, or in the event of people moving from one traffic area to another did vary. Some people who re-located were allowed to keep their old area badge, others weren't. In some circumstances, such people would get issued with 'recycled' badges, others would get new ones.

When it comes to driver badges, there were some anomalies - I'm aware some areas reserved a sequence of badge numbers for people who only held the old 'PSV 4' category (think it was a vehicle size restriction then, but would be similar to the current D1 entitlement) - I knew someone who did a PSV4 test in the 70s and got a badge from a sequence considerably below the range then being issued.

For completeness, the issue of driver badges got more confused towards the end of driver badging, as some areas had run out of badges, others had plenty left, and it was presumably considered more economical to issue 'wrong' badges than order more. LL badges were issued in the Metropolitan area, and the last few drivers in the west midlands (who should have got 'DD' badges) got 'CC' (north west) ones instead. There may have been other similar situations.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
And I should have added a link to http://www.psvbadges.co.uk/ somewhere - may be of interest.

 

[G0ORC]

They were issued in sequence, which was useful in indicating a Driver's seniority, i.e. the lower the number the longer they had had a licence.

I remember one old timer who lost his badge, applied for a new one and was given a newly issued badge, which made him look like a new driver! Usually a reissue would be done with an older, returned badge.

The letters refer to which Traffic Commissioners office issued it, EE was East Midlands.

MF

My father, who joined Trent Motor Traction before the war as a conductor came back afterwards as a driver had the drivers' badge number EE 30994.

Can anyone date that?

 

[CatfordCat]

My father, who joined Trent Motor Traction before the war as a conductor came back afterwards as a driver had the drivers' badge number EE 30994.

Can anyone date that?

Not sure that anyone has got formal records of exactly when each badge was issued - there is a fair amount of informal / individual information like yours out there.

But yes, that badge number sounds about right for late 40s in E Midlands area.