A POPULAR that has served Bolton’s bus passengers for decades closed its doors for the final time yesterday.

The cafe at Bolton bus station, in Moor Lane, has shut ahead of bus services being moved to the town centre’s new £48 million transport interchange later this summer.

Cafe owner David Hardman has welcomed customers for almost 50 years and was moved by the warm wishes he received yesterday.

The 70-year-old, who started work at the cafe in 1968 and later took over its ownership from his father, said: “Everybody is saying that this is the end of an era.

“I have been here a long time and enjoyed every minute of it, even if there have been a few challenges along the way.

“The best part of 50 years has gone by in a flash.

“People have stuck with us all through the years and it is very touching that they are wishing us all the best. Even on our last day we have been really busy as always.”

The cafe, which employed nine people, had about 1,000 customers every day and had a dedicated staff, most of whom had spent at least 25 years working there.

Mr Hardman is now looking forward to retirement, having spent his career getting up at 3am to start work in the early hours.

The grandfather-of-two said: “I wasn’t interested in moving to the new interchange.

“I was past retirement age by the time they started building it and I thought this would be the right time for me to stop working.

“The hours in this job are so long that I haven’t had time to fix my house up over the years, so that is probably the first thing I will do in my retirement.

“You can’t keep working like I have been forever.

“People think I am a machine, but when you get to my age you have to start slowing down. I am so used to getting up at 3am every day that I hope my body is able to slow down.”

He puts the cafe’s enduring success over the years down to the “unique” place it has held among the town centre’s food and drink offerings, compared to larger chains like Greggs.

But Mr Hardman, who is originally from Daubhill but now lives in Tyldesley, says that he fears for the future of Bolton Market once the Moor Lane station closes.

He added: “I do worry that the market could struggle once the bus station goes. The young people aren’t going there these days.

“The truth is that old markets like that are struggling to compete on price and quality. When I first started here there was a lot of heavy industry in Bolton and a lot of our customers were shift workers.

“There were a lot more people around the town during the day back then, and none of them had cars so they all used the bus station.”

In 2015, Bolton University revealed plans to build a new academic village in the town centre, including accommodation for 700 students on the Moor Lane bus station site. The new interchange, in Great Moor Street, is in the closing stages of its development.

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