{"id":23066,"date":"2026-04-27T10:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/23066\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T10:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:26:10","slug":"meet-the-man-who-could-be-britains-oldest-bus-driver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/23066\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the man who could be Britain’s oldest bus driver"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Merfyn Williams first climbed aboard a bus in St Helens in April 1966, Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, England were preparing to host the World Cup, and the internet was decades away from being invented.<\/p>\n

Sixty years later, Merfyn Williams, known to everyone as Taff is still driving for Arriva Merseyside at the age of 81 and Arriva <\/a>believes he could be the oldest working bus driver in Britain.<\/p>\n

Born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, the origin of his lifelong nickname, Taff moved to St Helens in 1966 after meeting his wife Ann, a local girl, and has never left.<\/p>\n

He has spent every one of his 60 years of service at the same St Helens depot, where colleagues celebrated his remarkable milestone this week with a gathering and a cake that, fittingly, was almost as large as the legend himself.<\/p>\n

His route to the buses was, characteristically, a family affair.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cMy mother-in-law was a bus conductor and she said, \u2018why don\u2019t you try the buses?\u2019 and the rest is history.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bus<\/p>\n

Taff started out as a \u2018clippy\u2019 (a bus conductor) in the days before enclosed rear platforms.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThere were no back doors on buses then, they were back-loaders, so it was freezing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe driver was the only warm person on the bus. I used to wear a really heavy coat in the winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has driven every route in St Helens over the decades.<\/p>\n

Taff said: \u201cI know the town like the back of my hand.<\/p>\n

Today, he works three days a week ferrying Arriva staff between the St Helens garage and its smaller depots. It is a role, he admits with a smile, that suits him perfectly. \u201cI get to chat to colleagues and hear all the gossip. Don\u2019t tell anyone, but I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Six decades on the road have given Taff no shortage of stories. His most memorable moment? A runaway pram. \u201cIn the old days, when there were no doors on buses, a woman parked a pram under the stairs of the double-decker I was driving. I turned a corner and the pram flew off the bus! Thankfully the baby wasn\u2019t in it, but it gave me a fright.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has watched St Helens, its passengers and the buses themselves change enormously and not always for the better.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThere used to be a lot more buses on the road and I really hope we go back to that again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think passengers have changed since Covid. They can be a bit less friendly towards bus drivers and that\u2019s a shame.\u201d<\/p>\n

To the next generation of drivers he offers simple but heartfelt advice: \u201cDon\u2019t rush. Take your time. I know there is a lot of pressure on time nowadays but it\u2019s important to always drive safely. It\u2019s not worth taking a mirror off a bus in a rush.\u201d<\/p>\n

Retirement, when it eventually comes, will find Taff with plenty of support around him. He and Ann, 79, have five children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Some of the drivers Taff now works alongside remember him from their own school runs. He said: \u201cI used to drive the buses that took kids to school and many of those kids have their own kids now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bus
\n\"Bus
\n\"Bus<\/p>\n

When pressed on what has kept him going for so long, Taff is reflective. \u201cI\u2019m always thinking about my family. I think I\u2019ve stayed here for as long as I have because I was thinking about my pension and making sure everyone\u2019s looked after.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had considered leaving after 40 years but spotted a vacancy for the shuttle driver role on the last day of applications. <\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI thought, why not? And I intend to hang on for as long as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Away from work, Taff and Ann enjoy breaks at their caravan in Prestatyn, walking by the sea, not far from where he was born.<\/p>\n

Taff said about his job: \u201cIt\u2019s the camaraderie I like. It\u2019s as simple as that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ann, however, is less than sympathetic when he comes home tired. He laughed: \u201cShe says to me, \u2018You\u2019ve been sitting down all day, how can you be tired?!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting old, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lisa Sloan, sites manager for St Helens, said: <\/p>\n

\u201cTaff is an absolute one-off. In six decades, he\u2019s become part of the fabric of St Helens depot. He brings a smile to the face of every colleague he meets and frankly, we\u2019d be lost without him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think Taff could well be the oldest bus driver in Britain, but more importantly, he\u2019s one of the best. We\u2019re really proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get more good news stories on our website here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Find out what\u2019s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North \u2013 visit\u00a0thenorthernguide.com<\/a>\u00a0and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram\u00a0HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n