Love pours in for Telford bus driver famous for flowing locks and friendliness as he retires aged 74
A beloved Telford bus driver has retired after almost five decades behind the wheel.
With his iconic long white hair and ever-cheery demeanour, Arriva driver Dave Skitt will be a familiar face to many who have ridden on the buses in Telford and beyond.
Now, after 37 years of driving for Arriva, 74-year-old Dave has taken his final fare.
Dave first got behind the wheel of his father-in-law's coach back in 1976, going on to work as a driver for Midland Red before the company ceased operation in 1981.
Over the years he's become somewhat of an icon on local routes, with his retirement sparking a huge outpouring of love on both the buses and social media.
Following his final journey on the Number 8 bus on Friday, June 28, Dave reflected on his long career.
"It's not like any normal job. On the buses, if you work six days a week you can start at six different times, finish at six different times, and take six different breaks anywhere between Kidderminster, Stafford, Wolverhampton and Oswestry.
"I've done a few jobs where you do the same thing, press the same button, pull the same lever - you get like a robot. But in this job, you meet so many different people - I did love that."
Over the weekend, social media was awash with hundreds of comments praising "legendary" Dave for his kindness and patience over the years.
One post, on the Telford Memories Facebook group, received almost 2,000 likes - making it the most-liked post in the group's ten-year history.
"Great guy," one commenter said, "always cheerful and very helpful."
"I travelled on his bus on a daily basis, so kind and caring - what a legend," said another.
The outpouring of love came as quite a surprise to Dave, who said he was just "doing his job".
"I don't go out of my way," he said. "It's just how you are. You get to know people over the years, you see them get on with young children and then you see them over the years and before you know it the babies have all grown up and that young mum is now a granny.
"I've had some lovely, lovely people on the buses - and there's been a few stinkers, but that's a very small percentage. If you don't give the grief, you don't get it back.
"When I first started driving coaches, you had them on all day, and you were taught 'if you look after them, they'll look after you'.
"Everyone wants their family to be safe on the buses. I'm glad you felt safe on ours."
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.