A retired bus driver and his wife bought a run-down 1949 bus and restored it to its former glory. Lionel Tancock, 68, grew up fascinated by transport and worked as a bus driver for more than 40 years. So back in 1983, when the opportunity arised for Lionel to buy and restore a 1949 Bristol bus, he jumped at the chance. Lionel, who lives in Radford in North East Somerset, bought the EMW 284 as a fixer-upper and spent six years renovating it. This even involved hunting down special seats to fit the old vehicle, which is narrow to fit the 7ft 6in bus width limit from the time. Now, he and wife Julie, 62, drive it around with pride - and will even be attending a bus rally today (21) to show people what travel was like all those years ago. Lionel said: "I've been interested in transport ever since I was a little boy. "I worked as a bus driver but I always wanted a bus of my own! "It was originally a coach, doing long-distance journeys. "When I first got it, the bus was all rubbed down and some bits were missing - all it had was two rotten seats. "Now we show it to people so they can see how travel was in the old days." Lionel was single when he first bought the bus for £650 from a farm near Andover, Hampshire. Over the years, with help with friends, he renovated the bus - and when he met and married Julie she loved it too. Now Lionel and Julie travel around the UK showcasing the bus to allow people to understand the way transport used to be.