TIM Ticket Machine Box (Driver's Issue No. 132)

Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport c.1957–1981

This robust painted steel box was issued by Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport for the secure storage and transport of a TIM (Ticket Issuing Machines) ticket machine. Stencilled with the driver's issue number 132 on both the lid and front, it was allocated to an individual driver, who retained the same numbered box throughout his employment with the undertaking.

The box is divided internally into two compartments. The larger compartment housed the TIM ticket machine, while the smaller compartment was designed to hold spare ticket rolls, ensuring that everything required for a day's duty could be carried safely between the depot and the bus. Its robust steel construction protected the equipment from everyday wear, while a four-wheel British-made combination padlock provided secure access without the need for a key. Manufactured by L. & Co. Ltd., the lock is of the correct period and remains with the box today.

Unlike the box, the ticket machine itself was not permanently assigned to a driver. At the start of each shift, drivers collected a machine that had been prepared by the pay office. At the end of the day, it was returned, where the tickets issued and fare records were reconciled against the cash takings before the machine was reset and issued for the next duty. This reliable mechanical accounting system formed the backbone of fare collection for many years before the introduction of electronic ticketing.

According to the former Grimsby bus driver from whom this box was acquired, TIM ticket machine boxes of this type were in regular use from around the formation of Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport in 1957 until 1981, when a new generation of ticket machines was introduced alongside the company's cream-and-caramel liveried buses. Drivers were initially unable to provide change with the new equipment, and notices requesting passengers to tender the exact fare were displayed on the buses. The policy proved unpopular and was later withdrawn.

When the TIM system was eventually replaced, drivers were offered the opportunity to purchase their numbered boxes—and, if they wished, their ticket machines. The owner of this example chose to retain only his box, preserving an increasingly rare survivor from an era when mechanical ticket machines and careful manual accounting were central to the daily operation of Grimsby's municipal bus service.

Today, this box provides a tangible link with the working lives of Grimsby's bus drivers and illustrates the practical systems that supported one of Lincolnshire's best-known municipal transport undertakings during the second half of the twentieth century.

Object Type: TIM Ticket Machine Box Operator: Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport Period of Use: c.1957–1981 Material: Painted steel with British-made four-wheel combination padlock Driver's Issue Number: 132 Provenance: Acquired from a former Grimsby bus driver who was issued with and used this type of box during his career.