Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust secures its home

Bridgeton Bus Garage is now the permanent home of the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, as Hugh Dougherty reports.

The Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust has successfully completed the purchase of Bridgeton Bus Garage, from Glasgow City Council’s City Property (Investments). The move comes one year after the trust launched an appeal to raise £100,000 to buy the site, which has been its base since 2002.

The purchase provides security of tenure for the trust, and opens the way for further developments at the garage, built in 1965 by Glasgow Corporation Transport, which houses over 120 buses and several commercial vehicles. The facility also provides storage and maintenance facilities, plus storage space for an extensive archive of documents, photographs and artefacts.

Chairman, Steven Booth, said: “Bridgeton is the last bus garage in the city built by Glasgow Corporation Transport, and it’s made for looking after our buses. Owning the garage is the best option for us, in terms of providing security for vehicle owners, and for attracting loans for developing our social inclusion programme.”

Richard Watson, City Property Glasgow (Investments) commercial group manager, added; “We are delighted to have concluded the sale of Bridgeton Bus Garage to the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust. This is an exciting time for the trust as its development and important heritage vehicle preservation work and community support programmes continue.”

The trust has yet to decide if its traditional open weekend in October, which includes a free vintage bus service to and from Glasgow City Centre, will run this year, and advises potential visitors to check the GVVT’s social media feeds for details.

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