The photo series “On the Buses, Devon, 1970” by Norman Craig offers a fascinating glimpse into the past. It shows the daily lives of bus drivers and passengers in a small town in Devon, England.
The shots are candid and unposed – just people going about their business. We see bus drivers taking breaks, chatting and smoking cigarettes. Passengers board and disembark, each with their own story. The images are simple, but they convey a sense of community and camaraderie that’s rare in today’s world.
The series also reveals how different life was in the 1970s. The fashions are unmistakably of that era – bell bottoms, wide-collared shirts, and long hair abound. The buses are old-fashioned, with open platforms at the back and no air conditioning. People read newspapers and books, knit, and chat with each other, instead of staring at their smartphones like we do today.
