Have we done this yet?
Paris has the Champs Elysees, New York has Broadway, there’s Nevsky Prospekt in St Petersburg, Unter Den Linden in Berlin and The Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
Not to be outdone, Cardiffians are well on their way to getting ‘Cheers Drive’, a new road leading to the new Bus Station.
Pure class.
Anything that helps spread the use of this profound phrase across the globe is a huge filip for Welsh (well Cardiff) culture. I’ve lost count of the number of blank looks I’ve had getting off a plane and saying ‘Cheers drive’ to the pilot. At long last, that will begin to change.
Top work.
Bristol also claim provenance of the 'Cheers Drive' phrase and have a road named as such. Years ago you used to see T-shirts with various Bristolian phrases on them including Cheers Drive and Gert Lush. Obviously arguing who is the originator of the phrase is going to further the antagonism between Bristol and Cardiff.
Thanks - just found Cheers Drive in Bristol on Street View.
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I am impressed.
Also found a cab company in Stroud going by the same name.
Chapeau.
That's also one in Florida. Ex pat's?
My kids tell me that they have stopped doing it since they moved to London. People looked at them oddly.
Obviously arguing who is the originator of the phrase is going to further the antagonism between Bristol and Cardiff.
Along with where Clark’s pies originated 🙂
I don’t even know what ‘cheers drive’ is supposed to mean! But then I live twenty five miles from Bristol, which is quite far enough, thank you!
Actually, Brissle isn’t that bad, certainly far better since the whole docks area has been improved and redeveloped, I can remember when it was industrial wasteland.
Shame about Broadmead, though.
Had a mate from Cardiff who always used to say this to the taxi driver nor any driver if they drove or gave him a lift. Didn't realise it was a local general form of platitude and thought it was just something he said. Nice play on words.
"Cheers Drive" has been in common usage, and an integral part of my vocabulary here to the North of Abergavenny all my life. As have daps as PE footwear (I seem top recall Bristolians use the same term for these too!).
I don’t even know what ‘cheers drive’ is supposed to mean!
My theory:
Traditionally people in villages might have their profession as their nickname, so the baker might be Dai Bread, the coalman might be Dai Glo and so on. That's why the engine driver in Ivor the Engine is called Jones the Steam. So the bus driver would be Dai Drive, except you don't know their first name these days so they're just 'Drive'.
That was my theory too ^^^
Had therefore always assumed it was a Welsh phrase...
My theory:
Traditionally people in villages might have their profession as their nickname, so the baker might be Dai Bread, the coalman might be Dai Glo and so on. That’s why the engine driver in Ivor the Engine is called Jones the Steam. So the bus driver would be Dai Drive, except you don’t know their first name these days so they’re just ‘Drive’.
I wouldn't argue with that.
I always thought it was just a way of saying "thank you Driver".
I also don't think it was originally a "Cardiff thing", I've lived in Cardiff or the Vale most of my life, my Parents and Grand Parents never used it, they ALWAYS thanked the driver with a simple "thanks" or "thank you" when exiting a Bus/Taxi and even Train if they had the window open as you walked past, but the phrase "cheers Drive" was more of a Valley's thing that's stuck in the last decade or two, I think it's a lovely phrase / sentiment, and has become a part of Welsh culture.
Cheers drive was always said by everyone when both embarking or disembarking a bus in Devonport Naval backyard, I always thought the poor drivers must be fed up of hearing it. Some matelots used it for public transport and even taxis.
Cheers Drive was used pretty widely in the Black Country before i went off to Uni in Cardiff, but there rather than 1 in 3 people, everyone uses it.
I get a few weird looks in Devon now when i say it to the taxi/bus driver