Photograph of Mahlon Stanley Faunce, Jr

Historical/Biographical Note

Historical/Biographical Note

Photograph of Mahlon Stanley Faunce, Jr., a long-time employee of Almeida Bus Lines, Inc.

Mahlon Stanley Faunce, Jr. was born on March 20, 1929, and was raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts. A Korean War veteran, he lived in New Bedford for most of his life. He met his wife, Beatrice Hall, working as part of the city's Civil Defense program. They married in 1956 and had three children-Mark, Garwood, and Gwendolyn.

Mr. Faunce was hired by Almeida Bus Company in the 1950s and worked for them until they filed for bankruptcy and discontinued operation in 1979. In the more than twenty years he worked for Almeida, Mr. Faunce drove all the routes the company offered, trained new bus drivers, and took great pride in his perfect driving record.

Almeida Bus Lines primarily operated intercity and commuter passenger routes but became best known for its route to Cape Cod. Almeida was part of the 1940s and 1950s transportation and transit boom. Bus companies like Almeida expanded as part of an explosion of affordable transportation via new interstate and local highway systems in the mid-twentieth century.