In Transit. This item is unavailable.In Transit

Roy Kimmel has a great story to tell — two stories, actually. One is about his experiences as a transit bus driver in western Massachusetts. He gives us a look into part of the background of daily life, and he has something to say, too, about some wacky passengers he encounters. The other story is a recollection of his intercity bus travels as a youngster that we can read with a sense of shared nostalgia. Roy is also an aficionado of buses, and he has attached as a partner to his memoir a history of American bus design through the twentieth century. His homage to technology and style is complemented by more than three dozen wonderful illustrations made by Pioneer Valley artist Nancy Haver. And he explains for the record and for the curious the responsibilities and craft that are the essence of bus driving. This book is a gem — and a joy to read. Who knew that the lure and lore of buses could be so delightful? You have a treat in store — enjoy! Felicity Callahan

Roy Kimmel has been captivated by the style of buses ever since his grandmother took him and his brothers on a long distance Greyhound bus trip in the early 1940s. In the 1970s and '80s, Roy managed a small company in New Jersey which manufactured bus stop shelters for transit authorities throughout the US. In the late '80s, Roy and his wife relocated to a rural town in western Massachusetts. There, to satisfy his continued interest in buses, he drove transit buses for a nearby bus company for twenty years. Roy has a lifelong interest in industrial design, especially how it relates to transportation. He is also a hopeless gear head, which is well proven in the Bus Dynamics part of his book, In Transit.