From the Editor

Much variety for readers in this issue which I am sure will provide interest for all.

The electric buses for Oxford (OBC and SCO) are now entering service including the first one from Stagecoach. Theirs has seen service on route 1 and 2.

Oxford Bus is seemingly exploring further routes with some app/earing on 35 road and the 3X and BV1 are now generally served by Kites.

In this issue

One man and electric buses to Wolvercote by Peter Edgar

East Grinstead Classic Bus Running Day, 21st April 2024

EVs meet at Oxford Train Station by pig & bob

UPDATE from Matt Cooper

Oxford - Our moment in time with Richard Sharman on April 24th

A day in Oxford looking at recent developments by Ryan Butler

More LBM - Brooklands by Adam Green

Adrian Small from Southampton

James Allum from County Durham

Andrew Simmonds and the new Central Beds Mojo ticket

Chris Huntingford regarding the Oxford Bus CountryZone

Fleet News and Developments

London Operations by Andrew Webb

Time comparison by Andrew Dyer

 

Electric experience by readers in Oxford

One man and electric buses to Wolvercote by Peter Edgar

Yesterday April 23rd I decided to try out some of the Electric vehicles operated by the Oxford Bus Company as having been photographing them over the last few weeks I thought it was about time.  

Living relatively close to Oxford and knowing the area fairly well somewhere I had never been to was Wolvercote, a small village to the north west of Oxford City. So I decided to ride the OBC route 6 to the village which has a 15 minute service. 

Sampling Oxford Bus Company Electrics on Route 6, Oxford City to Wolvercote Village.  

My journey out to Wolvercote was on one of the single deck Wright GB Kite Electroliner’s, first impression on boarding was how light and airy it was with nice leather covered seats which were extremely comfortable. 

495 at St Giles, Oxford.

The journey out through St Giles and along the Woodstock Road was quite impressive, particularly the acceleration away from stops, I enlightened this the that of a tube train pulling away. What was particularly noticeable was the lack of rattles, but then this was a relatively new vehicle. 

495 in Godstow Road

492 in Papermill Square, Wolvercote Village.

My return from Wolvercote was on a decker, a Wright StreetDeck Electroliner which was just as enjoyable and comfortable as my outward journey. 

 
744 in Wolvercote Village.

Overall I was impressed with the interior, smartness and ride of both vehicles and the friendliness of both drivers. 

As I said earlier I had never been to Wolvercote before but thought what a lovely little village it is and for those interested like myself has the added bonus of the main Oxford to Banbury railway line which is constantly busy and the Oxford Canal.

A different account of new buses in Oxford. Ed. 

East Grinstead Classic Bus Running Day, 21st April 2024
with pictures from Nigel Eadon-Clarke

 

The East Grinstead Bus Running Day is now in its 28th year and firmly embedded as an annual event in the town.

It attracts local residents & visitors alike and makes a great family day out, particularly for those with smaller children who are looking for something different to do.

A wide range of routes will be running from the High Street from 10am to 4.30pm.  The event is centred on the High Street which is closed to normal road traffic for the day; this is where people can meet, board one of the vintage buses, have a drink or snack in the local cafes or peruse the local shops.

The event will bring together over 25 classic buses representing types that used to operate in and around East Grinstead. During the day the buses will operate to regular timetables over many of the old routes that used to pass through East Grinstead. Destinations reached include Turners Hill, Crawley Down, Lingfield, Godstone, Oxted and Edenbridge. There are also tours up to the Ashdown Forest and of the town. The shorter journeys are well suited for smaller children whilst the longer ones are an opportunity to meander through the lanes and relive days gone by. Many of the routes happily terminate at country pubs for those who fancy a pie and a pint.

     
     
     
     
 

Regional but very interesting. Ed. 

EVs meet at Oxford Train Station by pig & bob

 
Oxford's 730, 741 and SC 80004 meet up on the day Stagecoach put an EV to work the 5. - April 24th, 

UPDATE from Matt Cooper

II hope that you are well. Here we are mid-April, 2024 is flying by! Attached are a couple of recent photos which I hope will be of interest. This week I will be posting you a copy of my latest Amberley Publishing book which covers operators in and around Northampton during the 90s and 00s. It does include some scenes around MK and there are a few Oxford connections!   (I will review this book  whe n received. Ed.)

I'm currently working on a couple of others one on East and West Midlands and the last one on IOW and South Coast Buses. The period is again 90s and 00s. If you have any pictures of IOW or south coast buses you would be able to let me use it would be greatly appreciated.  

Here is the material for the pics:/span>& 

Following Kevin Fuller's Southend pics from this week's OCBP, I caught Arriva Midlands/Shires Wright Eclipse-bodied Volvo B7RLE 3906 (GN07 AVC) laying over in MK on 4 April. Still wearing the 'heritage' Southend Transport livery, which suits it rather well, it originally carried 'Fastrack' colours for the guided bus way services operated by Arriva Kent Thameside. It's previous identity was 3816. 

 

the Kent 'Fastrack' routes mentioned with the Arriva picture aren't guided bus ways just rapid transit / priority bus routes. 

We have just returned from a long weekend in South Wales which was very enjoyable. We will certainly be visiting again in the near future. We called into the former Barry bus depot which is home to the Cardiff Transport Preservation Group vehicle collection (well, some of them!) Although no vehicles were running that day we received a very warm welcome at the depot and were shown around the vehicles contained within. A very colourful collection of numerous types from many eras of operation. Just the outside of the depot shown as the vehicles were quite tightly packed in preventing a good shot! The main railway line runs in a cutting to the right of the picture. 

 

Our ultimate destination was Cardigan, a place none of us had visited before and a very pleasant town. It is the home of established bus and coach operator Richards Brothers who operate a modern fleet. When I think of Iveco Daily minibuses those of Post-deregulation style spring to mind. However, evolution has produced this stylish bus badged as Iveco Daily llesbus I-city Max. RE23 LGL picks up a passenger in the centre of Cardigan on 13 April and appeared to work routes along narrower streets or to small outlying villages/hamlets.

At the same bus stop a timetable was displayed for the epic T5 Traws Cymru route between Haverfordwest and Aberystwyth, a journey of some 3 hours end to end. A smart and very modern assortment of vehicles work this service including electric vehicles on short workings. Not so positive was the notice about a recent service cut. I don't know the service in question but such cuts have been common lately across the UK.  

All in all a great short break and having read up on the bus operators of South Wales from around the time of deregulation onwards certainly an area which has seen a lot of changes and a lot of different liveries! /span>& 

As always, keep up the excellent work, a great read every week. I ll be in touch again very soon. 

Any readers who can assist with the photos mentioned above do please let me know. Ed. 

Oxford - Our moment in time with Richard Sharman on April 24th

Electroliner 727 is one of a number of new buses on service 5 on 24 April,
it is seen passing Carousel-liveried Volvo B7TL 941, carrying Thames Travel fleet names on service X2.

 
With the number of new buses entering service in Oxford on a weekly basis, w
e are no doubt at coming to an end of the older generation of Mercedes-Benz Citaro's and ADL Enviro400H's.

Oxford Bus Company's Citaro 841 was first registered on the 1st of December 2005, it is doubtful that it will still be in service when it officially reaches its 20th birthday, but at 19-years old, these buses have certainly served COMS well! You might even say it would be fitting for one of these to end up at the Oxford Bus Museum, rather than being scrapped.

 
At the moment, 751 is the highest numbered Electroliner in service and thus features another variation the side branding.

 
After a month off the road, Electroliner 723 finally returned to revenue earning service on the 20th of April. It is seen laying over on the 24th.

An Arriva Enviro400 either has a destination issue, or it means X7 in another language!

Thames Travel still has plenty of Scania power at the moment.
225 awaits a departure on the X2, and 914, with its Battenberg-style bumper, is seen arriving on an X32. 

It was never going to last forever, the advertising boards have now started to appear on the new fleet at Oxford Bus Company.
738 is seen on the 5, earning some additional revenue advertising a new film.

Stagecoach West are currently carrying out what seems to be a 'soft launch' of its new ADL Enviro400EV fleet.

     
80004 has so far operated eight trips on Kidlington services 2 and 2A on Friday the 19th of April,
then on Wednesday the 24th operated 14 trips on Blackbird Leys service 1.

It is worth remembering that these are the only Enviro400EV models currently in revenue earning service in the UK. They are smart looking buses, but lack the customised green interior and the shiny alloy wheels that COMS have fitted to their Electoliners.

The styling is rather different to the current Enviro400MMC range, and will take some getting used to, with its sloped front and angular rear. Of note is that these are the first ADL buses built for Stagecoach in decades, that actually wear the ADL badge on the front, and the model name etched into the rear glass.  They are also the first Stagecoach provincial fleet vehicles to carry stickers showing how they are powered, as all TfL vehicles do- this is for the benefit of the fire brigade.  

Hopefully, we should see more examples of the new fleet out and about soon.

Oxford Bus Group meet on St. Giles as Pulhams Jonckheere HDF661 departs the city down the Woodstock Road.

Rich always provides most interesting pictures and excellent text to go with them. Ed.