Connections with Brighton and Hove : Mike Cheesman retired from Brighton & Hove after over 46 years service on 18 December 2020. Mike started in 1974 working as a general clerk for Southdown Motor Services at Southdown House in Freshfield Road Brighton. Mike was assigned to the timetable office and worked on getting timetables drafted out for printing for all the companies bus routes in the Southdown area from Hastings in the east to Portsmouth in the west. Mike was loaned to other departments to help out with certain projects and learnt much about all the workings of the bus company. Mike's forte was producing timetables and did win awards for some of the publications produced. In 1985 Southdown got split into 4 separate companies and Mike moved to Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company in 1985 to Conway Street Hove, working as a Marketing Assistant, still producing timetables and bus stop information. In 1987 the Bus Times book was created and over 30 years later was still a popular thing. Sadly due to Covid 19 it has not been possible to issue a new edition due to the number of changes happen so quick it would be out of date before it was printed. Mike also helped in the creating of the Brighton & Hove website which was a at the forefront of bus company websites, he also created the history side of the website which details all the bus fleet over the years since 1986, this was sparked by the fantastic notes compiled by Jim Jones in 2000, this part of the website was dedicated to Jim who sadly died before it all went live on line. Mike continued to be a great part of the team that made Brighton & Hove a renowned name in the bus industry over the years with many new innovations. On his retirement, a lot was organised for his leaving gifts, many of which David Grimstone put in place. He was really overwhelmed by the naming on a bus after him complete with his picture on the rear of bus 487.
487 Volvo Gemini - carried name since 18 December 2020. Name removed in February 2022.