Yes, they have no bananas
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THE withdrawal of the last Swift, one of the less illustrious models in the defunct AEC line, by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive has been marked by the production of a brightly written and illustrated commemorative booklet, Sheffield's Last AEC Bus. The steel city's first experience of AEC buses was in 1919 when a 36-seat open-top double-decker was purchased.
The Swift was first produced in 1964 but according to the booklet it was unreliable "and many had a relatively short life." Sheffield's last example nevertheless kept going for 12 years. The original exhaust brakes were soon abandoned although the booklet does not say why.
Such was the reputation of the Swift that when the authority tried to sell 10 in 1971, a buyer could be found for only four. The bodywork was so weak in the centre that it developed "a banana shape."
Drivers' opinions of the Swift vary greatly. One says: "It is very sad that the final representative of Sheffield's AEC fleet should be such an appalling vehicle." Another writes: "Most drivers will agree that ... the Swift was one of the best one-man single-decks that we have ever had."
The last word must, however, go to the writer of Yes, We Have No Bananas.