Issue nr 264
Wednesday August 23rd 2023
View changes to bus services and timetables | Buckinghamshire Council
From the Editor
Some recent and impending events are recorded this week.
First we have reports from four contributors who visited IMBERBUS last Saturday.
Then we have news of a new service from Chesham to Heathrow to be run by Diamond Buses.
We celebrate the 18 years with Red Rose providing the 275 High Wycombe - Oxford service with a photo albumn.
Toby France has written with full details of the Wycombe changes to Arriva services.
Readers Write has some interesting thoughts from Readers.
Oxford Airline has received the 4th new Tourismo, nr 26, which entered service today.
Thames Valley wins a new Heathrow Go2Gate service.
Chris Hanson named as Stagecoach West Operations Director.
London Operations has pictures from Andrew Webb and Gavin Francis.
From outside our area we have reports of new buses with Stagecoach in Scotland and a visit to Norfolk.
Imberbus 2023 was held on Saturday 19th August when up to 25 old and new Routemaster buses (plus a few guest vehicles) operated from Warminster to Imber and other points on Salisbury Plain. Several readers have provided pictures of the event. The timetable link used on the day is shown via the link below.
Imberbus 2023-timetable.xls (wordpress.com)
The photos provided are, in the main, self explanatory.
Gavin Francis
This year went to Imberbus with former colleague Dave
Allen.
Last year Dave parked at the first stop out of
Marlborough at Sack Hill. It is a free Park & Ride site so we decided to do the
same.
Parked there and the plan was to get on the next bus towards Imber but it was full as the next one and word came through they were all full leaving Warminster Station.
Decided to get on a bus to Warminster which
was Abellio Pride 3406.
Could not believe it when we got to the station. The
queue of passengers was miles long at 11 am!!
Decided to stay there for a while and get some pictures
but we knew we had to join the queue sometime if only to get back to the car.
Joined the queue at 12.30 and finally boarded a bus at
14.15. It was Breezer open top 1404.
We decided the best plan was to stay on it
as long as possible so we went through Imber, Gore Cross and out to the
Lavingtons. Still stayed on the bus back to Gore Cross and got off there.
Got some nice pictures there but the problem then was that there was a massive queue to get back to Warminster and no buses.
After a
long wait we finally got on RM 5 back to Sack Hill and my car.
Having got there by 11.00 we left at about 17.15 so we
managed two rides in just over 6hrs.
Gavin provided a nice selection of pictures.
Warminster
Gore Cross
Imber
Other vehicles seen at Warminster
David Allen
Jack Cooper
On Saturday I had attended Imberbus for the first time,
whilst the queues for the Buses at Warminster were massive, I had still enjoyed
it! In the evening I was lucky enough to end up on the top deck of morebus
Evoseti 1708 to watch the Cavalcade go past! I thought it was impressive! Hoping
to attend next years event!
It was certainly busier than I was expecting!
Purchased my ticket about 13:05, and got on a bus around 14:35!
I had seen Gavin in the queue, and then went
half way around the retail park to the back of the queue! I never had
any issues getting on a bus at Gore Cross, although I did end up on the
morebus Evoseti which worked a 23A to Brazen Bottom, and stayed on the
same bus until it got to Warminster a few hours later! Meant I did the
23A to New Zealand Farm Camp too, as it worked there before going to
Imber for the Cavalcade.
Mostly at Gore Cross
%20J%20Cooper.jpg)
The parade
%20J%20Cooper.jpg)
James Freeman
James has provided a link to his flickr page recording all his pictures from the event.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/d1661trains/albums/72177720310604995
Faringdon Tourist Bus | Stagecoach (stagecoachbus.com)
Marcus Lapthorn
We rode on the experimental Faringdon Tourist Bus today,
which offers a 2 hour journey through parts of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and
Gloucestershire.
The service operates only on Saturdays and is operated by Stagecoach Swindon.
36379 in Photographed in Faringdon market
square.
The new 710 service is set to run from Chesham to Heathrow Airport from Saturday August 26.
The new bus comes after a partnership between Diamond Buses and Heathrow Airport to help passengers get to the airport outside daytime hours.
Diamond Buses commercial manager Peter Matthews said: “We are very excited to launch the new 710 service on Saturday August 26 2023. This service will be operated in partnership with Heathrow Airport and will offer two early morning connections from Chesham, Amersham, Chalfont and Latimer and Chorleywood to Heathrow Terminal 5, Compass Centre, and Heathrow Central Bus Station."
Two buses will operate daily from Stop A at The Broadway in Chesham. First will depart at 2.50am and the second service at 4.50am.
Both will call at Amersham Railway Station Stop J, at Old Amersham Gore Hill Stop F, the stop adjacent to Blackhorse Bridge in Amersham and Chalfont and Latimer Railway Station.
There are a great range of tickets available on board too! A flat fare of £7 will be in operation, but two people can travel together for £10, and up to five people travelling together for £20," Peter said.
The route will “fill gaps in the current transport network, for Heathrow staff, commuters and customers planning to fly from Heathrow," he added.
Diamond Buses did not comment on why there was no return service from Heathrow to Chesham.
Passengers can track the bus in real-time using a Diamond Buses mobile app and a new Diamond Bus Network Guide will be available on board buses “very soon,” he added.
.jpg)
A look back at Red Rose's operation of the 275 service over 18
years
by Gavin Francis
This will give a nice reflection regarding the development of this company
RED ROSE AE59AWN HIGH WYCOMBE BUS STATION-1 1ST JULY 2014
Herewith some 275 pictures from the past to show some buses which have operated it over the years. The
service is to transfer to Carousel within days.
The change and presentation of the buses is most interesting and Red Rose will continue appearing at High Wycombe as they will continue operating the 40 from Thame. Ed.
with more buses, more often on our new, simpler network – an update from Toby at Arriva
Toby J France CMILT, CMgr MCMI
Head of
Commercial – East & South Midlands
With the changing retail
landscape in the town centre the Bus Station has become an even more important
destination, and the key boarding point location compared to Oxford Street, High
Street or Castle Street. Our new network is focused on this excellent
interchange for local and interurban services. As previously discussed
with the Oxford & Chilterns Bus Page,
the revamped network builds upon current demand and developing trends in local
travel patterns with detailed data on customer boardings alongside frequency of
travel, ticket choice, and which other journeys customers travelling with season
tickets of using EMV payment are making on our network.
The town network is, in the
main, numbered 1, 2, 3, etc – presenting a simpler family of services in one
logical sequence across the two SmartZone operators, rather than the disparate
and uncoordinated collection of legacy route numbers from previous route
changes. The notable exception is the jump between 8 and 10,
Buckinghamshire Council suggesting the number 9 is reserved for a future
renumbering of route 39 into the same sequence.
New route 2 connects High
Wycombe to Cressex and Booker. You’ll see more buses, more often, with buses
running up to every 15 minutes Monday to Friday, every 20 minutes Saturday and
every 30 minutes on Sundays. Through ticketing is available for customers
continuing across town to the Rail Station on route 12.
New route 3 connects High
Wycombe and Castlefield, up to every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 30
minutes on Sundays. Buses on this part of former route 33 will no longer
interwork across the town centre with other services, with self-contained
vehicle workings allowing us to focus short-wheelbase vehicles on this route.
New route 4 will run between
High Wycombe, Sands and Lane End up to every hour Monday to Saturday. We’re also
adding an additional evening journey from High Wycombe to Lane End following
feedback from our customers.
New route 5 will run between
High Wycombe, Wycombe Marsh, Wooburn Green and Bourne End, with new route 5A
running through Wooburn Green and Flackwell Heath to serve Marlow Hill Schools
on its way to High Wycombe, replacing route 36B.
New route 6 will run between
High Wycombe, Daws Hill, Flackwell Heath and Bourne End, with additional
journeys on school days to connect with Marlow Hill Schools. Route 6A
continues to serve Penn, Tylers Green and Hazlemere to connect with Marlow Hill
Schools and Buckinghamshire College at Flackwell Heath.
New route 7 will run between High Wycombe, Loudwater,
Bourne End, Cookham and Maidenhead.
7A runs up to hourly on
Sundays, following a simpler route between High Wycombe, Flackwell Heath,
Wooburn Green and Bourne End.
Together, routes 5, 6 and 7
will run up to every 20 minutes between High Wycombe and Bourne End.
There are further
developments in the pipeline for route 7 within Maidenhead, where a reversal in
the direction of traffic along High Street will allow for a much simpler route
through the town centre and is anticipated to give enough of a reduction in
journey time to allow the service to be extended from Frascati Way to the
Railway Station for connections with the Elizabeth Line. This is, however,
on hold for the moment pending the long term closure of Ferry Lane between
Bourne End and Cookham, and the consequent diversion for this service.
Readers will also note that
this will introduce a second service numbered 7 in Maidenhead – a situation
which was given much consideration locally both internally and with our
stakeholders, with the ultimate decision that the simple numbering of the 5/6/7
corridor to Bourne End provides positive benefit for a far greater number of bus
users; there is also a commitment from the Royal Borough of Windsor and
Maidenhead to review the town’s disjointed bus network with operators through
Enhanced Partnership alongside introducing multi-operator maps promoting, for
the first time, one joined-up network.
Back to Wycombe, where new
route 10 connects the town centre with Downley. Once again you’ll see more
buses, more often, with buses running up to every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday
and hourly on Sundays.
New route 11 connects High
Wycombe with Hazlemere, Tylers Green and Penn. We’re doubling the number of
buses on this service, now running up to every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and
hourly on Sundays.
New route 12 connects High
Wycombe with Micklefield, along London Road. You’ll see more buses, more often,
with buses running up to every 15 minutes Monday to Friday, up to every 20
minutes Saturdays and every 30 minutes on Sundays. Evening and Sunday
journeys will run through Roebuck Avenue towards Micklefield and St Hugh's
Avenue towards the town centre.
New route 13 connects High
Wycombe with Totteridge. Buses will now run up to every 20 minutes Monday to
Saturday and hourly on Sundays. We’ve also made significant changes to the
timetable to improve our timekeeping.
On to the interurban
services, and there is a small change to the 300 between High Wycombe and
Aylesbury to better meet the needs of children studying at Princes Risborough
School.
There are some significant
timetable changes to routes 800/850 to enhance connectivity and to improve our
timekeeping, with buses running out of Wycombe every 20 minutes in the morning
peak. We’ve partnered with Oxfordshire County Council to reintroduce later
evening journeys between Reading and Henley-on-Thames, and have also made some
changes to the times of journeys serving Binfield Heath following feedback from
the Parish Council there. During term times the morning X80 service is
extended along Kings Road and Deanfield Avenue in Henley-on-Thames to drop off
students directly outside The Henley College; additionally the X80 will now
serve Desborough Avenue in High Wycombe in both directions following customer
feedback.
Thanks to some judicious tree
cutting we are pleased to be introducing double-decker buses to these services,
giving additional capacity for peak movements and offering grandstand views
across the Chilterns and the Thames Valley. You may have seen some of the
existing double-decker allocation at Wycombe depot at work on these routes
through the summer holidays, with further vehicle moves planned for the autumn.
As mentioned, the new network
builds on current and developing travel patterns and needs as opposed to those
of times gone by, with significant input from our customers, our driving team,
and our local authority stakeholders. It has not, despite what one
armchair enthusiast may suggest, been designed by ‘a suit from Luton’ or
anywhere else for that matter!
Further afield (or closer to
home, depending on your perspective) work has now started on the St Clement’s
Bus Lane, which should have a significant impact on route 280. It is
likely there will be some changes to the timetable of this service later in the
year once we have some clear operational experience of the benefit afforded by
the new bus priority infrastructure, but in the interim there are some minor
schoolday changes to accommodate additional scholars travelling to Thame and
Wheatley.
There is also a revision to the 150/250 services, with a
route change at the Milton Keynes end of the route meaning buses will no longer
duplicate the F70/F77 in connecting Leighton Buzzard with Stadium MK but will
instead serve The Open University, reintroducing a regular service here for the
after the loss of Vale Travel service 11/12. It will also call at Milton
Keynes Central Rail Station, affording better interchange facilities for
customers connecting with local services within MK.
Andrew Dyer
Chris Huntingford's question
about full buses in this issue reminds me of a story told to me by Phyllis
Maycock, the legendary Charlton-on-Otmoor bus conductress.
In 1946, the Bicester (Arncott)
Army camps were full of squaddies home from the continent waiting to be demobbed
and on a Saturday evening many went into Oxford for a night on the beer. As a
result, Charlton-on-Otmoor Services ran two double deckers on the last journey
out of Oxford at 10.30pm. One night one of the buses broke down and so Phyllis
put all the passengers on the other decker. Her words .............
"Well I thought we were a bit full because as we turned
right out of Gloucester Green the platform scraped the ground! When we got round
by the Ashmolean (Beaumont Street) , some jumped up young copper stopped the bus
and told me I was overloaded. 'Well it's like this my duck' I said, 'either I
can throw them off the bus and they'll go round Oxford smashing the shop windows
or I can take them back to camp'. One look at the drunken state of the squaddies
on my bus and he told me to go and not to do it again! I thought I would just
count them off and I only had 109 on a 53 seater anyway!
Neil Gow on Oxford-Newbury: my little piece!
I’ve been reading the discussion in the last
three issues and no-one’s mentioned the number 312 yet. Between at least
1978 and 1982 that was number used for the Oxford-Newbury service. I
think it was a simple renumbering of the 112 service, now two hourly and
operated only by COMS. There was also a service 311 which followed the
same route in the alternate hours but only as far as Rowstock. At least
that’s how I remember it although I have a picture of a 312 in Abingdon
blinded for Rowstock. Both routes ran over Cumnor Hill between Oxford
and Abingdon. I don’t know what happened to it after 1982 but I would
guess it got subsumed into the X34 leaving alternative arrangements to
be made for the villages as detailed by other correspondents. I caught
the 0920 departure from Oxford on a couple of occasions. This usually
seemed to be a Fleetline (at least on a weekday) rather than the usual
Bristol VRs and could leave up to 20 minutes late due to delays on its
incoming journey, leading to some spirited driving as the driver tried
to make up time (and succeeded). Somehow the Oxford Fleetlines just
seemed to go faster than everybody else’s!
Neil Gow
Carousel route 41 extension to Amersham
Seeing the forthcoming extension of the 41 from Great Missenden to Amersham reminds me that when the London Country 345, as it was back then, was operated from Amersham depot morning and evening journeys extended to/from Amersham and also one daytime journey for the purpose of crew changes.
The photo shows Leyland Atlantean AN238, an unusual substitution for a
Leyland National,
on a Saturday daytime extension at Great Missenden in May 1986.
Graham Mildenhall
Called in the Four Candles in George Street, Oxford for an early breakfast and sat by the window.
This stopped outside in the perfect spot for a slightly
different picture to be taken. You might like to use it at some point.
Coach visitors to Oxfordshire
Jack Cooper
Xelacoach-GB23XCL in Speedwell-Street on August 20th.
Fleet News and developments
View changes to bus services and timetables | Buckinghamshire Council
Gavin Francis
2958 with a 35 followed by 3015 with a 30 in Bridge Street on
August 21st.
E400s in Oxford on August 17th at Queens Lane and the Train Station.
Jack Cooper
E400 5459 seen in Speedwell Street with a 280 on August 20th.
Of interest is that 69928 i.s no longer shown in the allocations on August 23rd.
Gavin Francis
E400MMC 34387 is seen working
an X74 from Wycombe on August 21st.
Three of the new Tourismos for the Airline still await delivery with 26 entering service on August 23rd. Ed.
Seen on training duties 45 is seen at Studley Green on August 23rd by
Gavin Francis.
Referring to issue 263 and YY64TXJ from Cornwall, there are four of these E200s for Carousel being 2201 - 2204 which were new to London General in 2014. These moved to Cornwall in 2020. Full details are awaited.
|
ADL 9.7 Env200 Single decker bus |
2201 |
YY64 GXJ |
|
ADL 9.7 Env200 Single decker bus |
2202 |
YY64 GXK |
|
ADL 9.7 Env200 Single decker bus |
2203 |
YY64 YXH |
|
ADL 9.7 Env200 Single decker bus |
2204 |
YY64 TXJ |
988 is now shown in service as of August 22nd after not appearing in www.buslists.org since August 4th when it appeared to work the 11X in Oxford. Obviously a ticket machine reporting error. Ed.
Gavin Francis
Citaro 877 works the 103 in Bridge Street on August 21st.
Seen in Wycombe on August 23rd 978 is busy with the staff bus.
Gavin Francis
302 is seen with a 3 road service on August 17th at Queens Lane.
The first pictures of Oxford Bus working the 700 at Thornhill on August
17th - 355 and 368.
371 is seen with a 400road service on August 17th at Queens Lane.
513 is seen with the 46 service on August 17th at Queens Lane. It was
filling in for one of the newer E200s.
607 and 613 with 400 the 400 which is
currently split during the bridge works in Botley Road on August 17th.
664, 684, 686 and 901 on August 17th at Queens Lane.
316 with an X1 service by the Train Station on August 17th.
The first pictures of Oxford Bus working the 700 at Thornhill on August
17th - 355 and 368.
Jack Cooper
357, 365, 367 and 371 at work in Oxford on August 20th.
Jack Cooper
631 with sightseers in Oxford on August 20th.
.jpg)
Gavin Francis
Elite i 68 heading for Heathrow at
Thornhill on August 17th - the days of these coaches is nearing
the end now.
Jack Cooper
Tourismo coaches 24 and 25 seen in Speedwell
Street on August 20th.
James Freeman
26 arrives on August 22nd.
A scoop !
Tourismo 26 just delivered and being made ready for service on August
22nd.
I am wondering if the fleet is to be renumbered into the Oxford series ? Ed.
Gavin Francis
Seen in the temporary layover bays at Oxford Train Station West are 248
and 844 with 33 workings on August 17th.
Once the pride of Carousel, 874 is seen with
a 63 heading for DEan Court on August 17th.
Jack Cooper
The older Scanias seem to be lasting well as the
original ones are still giving good service.
441 seen in St Aldates working the X32 on July
26th.
Mark Doggett
Motts & Crusader Coaches | I am delighted to announce that today Motts Travel took delivery of two new (secondhand) coaches
https://m.facebook.com/groups/284808415020642/permalink/2954297538071703/
Jack Cooper
.... seen during a visit to London on August 3rd.
Ambassador Travel's BV22BSZ seen in Norwich on
August 18th.
Jack Cooper
Jonckheere SJ16ZZT is seen n Speedwell Street
on August 20th.
including Courtney, Newbury & District &
Thames Valley
THAMES VALLEY BUSES WINS NEW HEATHROW SERVICE
Go2Gate, a brand new demand responsive service created by
Heathrow and Thames Valley Buses, starts this Saturday (August 19), it was
announced today.
The exciting new service will run from 3.00 am right up
to 11.30 pm seven days a week – and will be exclusive to the Dedworth area.
Dedworth residents can book Go2Gate to travel between
their home and Heathrow Terminal 5 on an easy-to-use app. and the mini buses
might even pick up at their garden gate.
For the first week of Go2Gate’s operation all trips are
free upon entering the discount code NEWW2G. English National Concessionary
Travel Scheme passes are valid for free off-peak travel.
After the first week the single fare will be just £5 with
discounts for groups and just £2 for those who work at Heathrow Airport on
production of their ID.
Thames Valley Buses say all trips must be booked in
advance on the app, which can be made as long as 28 days in advance or up to
just 20 minutes before travel. This will be useful to passengers unsure of
their arrival time into Heathrow
Go2Gate’s app will always tell the user where to wait and
keep them up to date. And the bus can be tracked on the app up to 30 minutes
before it arrives.
The new demand responsive service will run along many
through roads in Dedworth so most people will be less than a two minute walk
away from a pick-up point.
Go 2 Gate will be run by Thames Valley Buses with brand
new 12-seater minibuses that have air conditioning and leather seats with
seatbelts.
Said Thames Valley Buses General Manager Simon Fisher:
“Heathrow tendered for this new connection and although we had the option of
submitting a traditional service, they opted for our flexible service
submission.
“We have partnered with Padam, a leading tech company in
this field and a subsidiary of Siemens, to host our app and booking.
“We are hoping for at least 20,000 journeys in the first
year and there has been a lot of interest in the service. Whether people are
flying off somewhere or work at the airport we are making it so much easier to
get between Dedworth and Heathrow and home again any day of the week at times
that suit.
“Go2Gate is a minibus exclusive to the Dedworth area that
is more like your own personal taxi and although many people jetting away will
travel only occasionally we hope the people working at the airport will see this
as a real benefit.”
Said Matthew Wooll, Route Development Head for Surface
Access at Heathrow: “This new Go2Gate service is a fantastic addition to
Heathrow’s public transport network.
“We want all of Heathrow’s passengers and colleagues to
have access to good public transport at the times they need it. Travelling more
sustainably will help reduce congestion and emissions, and Go2Gate will also
help keep the cost of travelling down.
“This will be achieved through some great value tickets,
including discounts for passengers travelling together and also if you work at
the airport.”
He added: Heathrow is a great transport hub for
connecting with many trains and the Tube to central London as well as the many
bus and coach services to destinations all over the UK.”
David Gray
Today saw the
first operation of Newbury and District routes 730 and 731 from
Basingstoke to Heathrow Airport and I attach a photo which I took of 762
YY15 OYD arriving outside Basingstoke Railway Station prior to operating
the 1045 departure.
https://www.reading-buses.co.uk/great-new-way-get-heathrow
The service pattern
is that there is a route 730 from Frimley Railway Station via Camberley
and Bagshot to Heathrow. The route 731 operates from Basingstoke Railway
Station via the A30 to Old Basing and thence M3 to Frimley Railway
Station where the bus goes forward on a route 730. There is a more
frequent service on route 730 (some operate between Heathrow and Frimley
Railway Station without continuing to Basingstoke.
You will note from the website that for the first two weeks there is a
concessionary fare of £1 each way.
Ian Williamson
No doubt many of your readers were impressed by the
news that Reading Buses subsidiary Newbury and District are planning a new
hourly service, Flightline 730 covering the 30+ miles between Basingstoke and
Heathrow. They may be less impressed that fellow subsidiary Thames Valley has
shown no interest in replacing the First service 4 between Maidenhead and
Heathrow (11 miles) withdrawn in April despite Matthew Wooll, Route Development
Lead for Surface Access Strategy at Heathrow saying "We want all of Heathrow’s
passengers and colleagues to have access to good public transport at the times
they need it. Travelling more sustainably will help reduce congestion and
emissions". Meanwhile TV are about to launch a government supported dial a ride
type scheme (Go2Gate) for the Dedworth area of Windsor to Heathrow T5 only.
Windsor is of course already served by Flightline 703 to Heathrow.
PS Population of Dedworth is 8000, population of
Maidenhead is 67000.
View changes to bus services and timetables | Buckinghamshire Council
Gavin Francis
The 130 service draws variety in Wycombe as
seen on August 21st.
Jack Cooper
Another recent repaint is YX63LJE seen on August 20th was until recently
working in the blue of its ex owner Nottingham City Transport.
View changes to bus services and timetables | Buckinghamshire Council
Gavin Francis
E2RRT with a 40 and Y30RRT with soon to change
operator with the 275, Y30RRT are seen in Oxford Road on August 21st.
Chris Hanson named Stagecoach West Operations Director
Chris Hanson has taken up the role of Operations Director at Stagecoach West. He joins from First Bus, having most recently General Manager with First Cymru as a follow-up to over nine years spent with First West of England in a variety of leadership positions.
Mr Hanson began his career in the industry as a bus driver. Stagecoach West notes that he “brings with him a wealth of experience in the bus industry and a solid record of leading operational excellence in the West of England.”
Speaking about the appointment, Stagecoach West Managing Director Rachel Geliamassi says: “Chris’s deep understanding of the bus industry, his passion for service excellence and his people-first approach make him an excellent fit for Stagecoach West.
“He is eager to bring his skills and experience to our team and help us to provide top-notch service to our customers in the West of England. We welcome Chris on board and wish him every success as he embarks on this new journey with Stagecoach West.”
Adds Mr Hanson: “I am excited to be joining the fantastic team at Stagecoach West. I am looking forward to getting to know the team, our stakeholders and our customers in the coming weeks and months; working to make our services across the West of England even better for our communities.”
Gavin Francis
15984 in Botley Road with an S6 on August 17th.
This is one of batch YN64's of which some have transferred to Oxford
from South.
15985 is seen at the Rail Station West
working an S6.
Jack Cooper
West's 10991 was on loan to Oxford and seen working the 10 on August 20th.
It is seen in Butterwyke Place off Speedwell Street.
Gavin Francis
10682 in Botley Road with 10687 and 36981 at
Queens Lane on August 17th.
10785 working an S3 in Worcester Street.
Witney's 11236 and 11239 seen at the rail
station east side
Botley Road is the location for the E1 here
worked by 11242 to the west side of the station.
Gavin's visit was to see the recently transferred Scania's in service. Ed.
It is surprising that these buses are used
more on city services than the longer S routes.
Jack Cooper
Seen in Speedwell Street on August 20th, 10670
with a 1, 12002 and 12008both working the 10.
Peter Leyman
Very rare to see these on Bicester, this type of bus is normally kept on
the city routes.
10071 at Magdalen Street on August 22nd.
Jack Cooper
50430 and 50448 seen in Speedwell Street on August
20th.
London operations
Andrew Webb
Transport for London have run several campaigns during 2023 promoting their own services, the cynical might say to deflect attention from the controversial expansion of the ULEZ from 29 August.
Go Ahead's
WHV82 has been turned out in the wrap to remind the capital's population
about the £1.75 Hopper Fare.
It is seen at St George's Circus on
21 August ready to start another journey on route 155.
Londoner Buses have been running Routemasters on short route A linking Waterloo with Piccadilly Circus.
This is shortly to be replaced by
a longer route T15 which RM1941 advertises as it rounds Parliament
Square
with what can be described as a typical passenger count on 21
August.
The adverts are very similar to those used by TfL back in
2005 when regular Routemaster operation was reduced to a supplementary
service on routes 9 and 15.
Another Routemaster seen in Parliament Square on 21 August was RML2666
which was promoting Reach Food, a gourmet supplier.
Returning to the capital after a spell in Torquay is Tootbus' DP270.
It is seen heading along Piccadilly towards The Ritz on 21 August, a far
cry from Torquay's infamous Fawlty Towers!
The casual observer of this Pulham's Irizar i6 circumnavigating
Parliament Square on 21 August
would not know that it now falls under
the remit of the Oxford Bus Company.
A variety of wraps near from Arriva, GoAhead and Metroline by Waterloo
on August 22nd.
As reported SL buses can only be used on their
correct route and as the SL6 only operates northbound in the am and
southbound in the pm rush the buses are idle during the day. So that
they do not have to go all the way back to their Camberwell Garage they
lay over all day at Waterloo Garage. As the route takes about 90mins
these buses are in service 3hrs a day Monday to Friday !!
SL6 services on August 22nd including a line up
in Waterloo Garage.
Latest news is The Transport for London (TfL) Superloop network will continue its growth on 19 August when Go-Ahead London service X26 between Heathrow and West Croydon is rebranded and renumbered SL7.
It follows the debut of Superloop on 15 July with route SL8 – formerly the 607 – between Uxbridge and White City. It is operated by Metroline. Soon after that came the SL6 with Go-Ahead London. It was formerly the X68 and runs between Croydon and Russell Square during peak hours. Despite both of those being branded as Superloop, neither form part of any eventual loop that the network will create, although the SL7 does.
As part of the introduction of the SL7, it will see a doubling in frequency from the previous X26 timetable to every 15 minutes. To follow are improvements to the vehicles used that include better customer information, USB charging points, and luggage racks. The same stops will be served as before, although some will be renamed.
At least one bus from the X26’s Volvo B9TL fleet repainted into Superloop livery was used on the existing service ahead of the SL7’s launch.
Gordon Scott
Lathalmond Bus Museum weekend.
ADL E20D autonomous bus 62004
- YX69 NUU Stagecoach East Scotland Dunfermline based.
ADL E30EV 64018 - SG23 FHK
Stagecoach East Scotland Dunfermline.
ADL
Enviro 300 - 27525 - SP57 CNZ and 27527 - KIB 6527 driver trainers
new as Stagecoach Gold Perth
depot.
The Scottish Vintage Bus Museum is a transport museum in Lathalmond, near Dunfermline, Fife.
NORFOLK
Jack Cooper
Included this week is a visit to Norwich.
I was away in Cromer from Wednesday - Friday, it was nice to have a little break.
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The pictures from
Norwich were taken on my way home on Friday.