How many of you can say you lived and worked in the heart of Johannesburg during its golden era?
Growing up just 8 kilometers south of the city center—with the iconic Carlton Centre anchoring the skyline—Johannesburg was the backdrop of my youth. From a very young age, taking the bus into the city was an event, though back then, it was a special treat rather than a daily routine.
My early memories involve catching the Route 46 trolleybus from The Hill, near South Rand Road and Verona Street. Route 46 was a vibrant, bustling lifeline connecting Rosettenville to the city center via Von Wielligh and Jeppe Streets. The bus always terminated at the energetic Van der Bijl Square bus station, where we would disembark and explore the city on foot.
As the years passed, my route shifted to the Route 45, which stopped just a block from our home in Linmeyer. By 1981, when I started college, this route ran from the Linmeyer Post Office all the way to Braamfontein to service students heading to Wits University. Since my college was located on Eloff Street, I usually got off near the bustling OK Bazaars.
Taking the bus into the city every day created memories I still cherish. The atmosphere was always lively—filled with what we in Ireland call great craic and banter. We were noisy kids, always heading straight for the back of the top deck. In those days, smoking was still permitted on the upper deck, while non-smokers preferred the lower level.
During the apartheid era, municipal public transit operated under strict racial segregation laws. City buses were color-coded and assigned to separate routes: non-white commuters were served by single-decker green buses, while white commuters traveled on the distinctive double-decker red buses.
Weekends brought a different kind of excitement. Saturdays were spent meeting friends in the city to catch movies, ice-skate at the Carlton Sky-Rink, dance at the afternoon discos at Plum Crazy or Club Chicago, or meet up for blind dates. Occasionally, we took the bus into town for evening events, but we always had to keep one eye on the clock—the last bus back to the suburbs left at midnight sharp, and missing it was simply not an option.
Working in the city during that era was an incredible experience. I loved walking among the beautiful classical and Georgian-style architecture, stopping by local pubs, shopping, and soaking in the vibrant energy of the streetscapes.
My daily bus journeys into town came to an end in the late 1980s. By then, I had moved to Randburg and commuted into the city via the Ferndale route. After leaving my position at Barclays / FNB at the end of 1987, I transitioned to jobs located in the suburbs, swapping the bus ride for a daily drive.
Johannesburg has a rich history, evolving rapidly from its origins in 1886 as a tented gold-mining camp into a dynamic metropolis. While I’ve shared my own memories and photos of those double-decker bus rides and city center days, I’d love to hear yours.
Did you live or work in Johannesburg during this era? What are your favorite memories of the city center? Share your stories in the comments below!
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