Issue nr. 176
Monday, October 25th 2021

Editorial

Well, it has been a strange week but one piece of good news is that we now have an eight week old puppy called Freddie. So I am now able to devote more of my usual time to preparing the Weekly Briefing.

There are some excellent contributions to this issue which I hope you all enjoy. Certainly electric buses are coming to the fore and a look at bus lists on the web may well surprise you of the numbers entering service in the U.K. Find the 71 plate listings for September and October 2021.

https://www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk/

Also Oxford Bus and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire are due some 160 electric buses in the not too distant future. 

David Beynon

First to report this bus David sent a picture in Broad street with Phil Southall, MD of Oxford Bus by the entrance.

Jack Cooper

The Alexander Dennis Enviro 400EV is on a tour before the Glasgow COP26, it has spent Monday night at Cowley House before spending last Tuesday morning in Broad Street.

   
     
The bus was unregistered but these pictures add to the one sent from David Beynon who also saw it in Broad Street. 


https://www.londonbusmuseum.com/event/sunday-24th-october-2021/?event_date=2021-10-24

Tony Bungay visited and has sent a number of interesting pictures from yesterday's event. Below is a taster for the next issue of the Weekly Briefing.


The picture is a full size picture so that readers can enjoy the detail of these two buses by scrolling.

See the rest in the next issue.

Another nice picture for this section.


Westgate at night, with buses on October 21st by Jack Cooper

Well a shorter page this week after last week's marathon. Certainly some interesting items and pictures and thank you to all who contributed. 


Debate is in full swing, do we need another lockdown as the infections rise once again ? Personally I always were a mask when out and about in shops and crowded spaces.


Fleet news and developments

Jack Cooper


E400 5463 climbs Headington Hill making its way to Aylesbury on October 21st.

Nigel Peach

I've noticed that Arriva Citaro 3043 has disappeared off the Bustimes.org list. Last week I saw it working back on Wycombe routes. It transferred to Aylesbury about a year ago and more recently was at MK briefly. It is the only Citaro still in Sapphire livery. 

I've also noticed that Citaro 3926 reappeared in service yesterday according to Bustimes. You will remember that this has been out of service for a very long time and was looking very neglected at Cressex for months.

Tony Bungay

An assortment taken in Aylesbury over past couple of days. 


Arriva Enviro 400 5462 sporting Olympic Gold Medallist name, seen working local service 9,
on this particular day at least three of these 280 sapphire liveried vehicles were working the 9!


Arriva 3778 Volvo/Wright working the 500 on October 22nd. 

Gavin Francis


Charlton also provide a coach for Icknield as seen above with a Jonckheere Mistral bodied Volvo T4ADK ex Kinch of Minety.

Kevin Fuller

Today, I set out to get a picture of a recently painted 'all over advert' bus that First Berkshire have in their fleet, based in Slough. It is one of the Volvo 7900 Hybrid vehicles, number 69931, carries an all over 'wrap' for Trooli Broadband services (no, I hadn't heard of them either!) in a base yellow and has often (though not exclusively) been allocated to the 6 route between the town centre, and Knowlton Way.  

The three pictures attached taken on 21st October show the bus in Windsor Road, Wellington Street (by the bus station), and in the Frithe, near the end of its route.

   

Many thanks for this interesting group of First in Berkshire. 


The incorrect reports of 866 working the link40 last week has now been corrected and 886 is shown to working this route.

Nigel Peach


Carousel's Citaro 870 "Animal" visiting Flackwell Heath on 14th October (picture attached). 

Gavin Francis


Scania 45 has not been seen out and about for quite sometime now.
Here it is seen, out of Cowley House, working driver training in Park End Street on October 22nd.


354 is seen in Park End Street with a 3A working on October 21st.


356 is seen exiting the railway bridge in Botley Road with a 400 road service on October 21st.

 
654 is seen in Park End Street on October 21st with a 5 road service followed by 668 working a 400 to  Thornhill.

Jack Cooper

PMU 975 is still on loan to East Yorkshire.

 
From October 17th we see 221 and 365 working Half Marathon 310 working.


367 is heading down St Aldates with a 400 Seacourt bound service on October 23rd.

   
Climbing Headington Hill we see 368 with a 400, 602 with a U% and the back of 606 with a U1 all on October 21st.

 
and at the same location 674 with a 400 and 690 working the 8 on October 21st.


Heading for Abingdon with an X3 service, 666 leaves the J R Hospital again on October 21st.


Seen in St Aldates 902 is also working the X3 on October 23rd. 

Gavin Francis


Scania 205 seen in Park End Street with a good load on October 21st.

Jack Cooper

 
201 and  632 seen in St Aldates on October 18th and the 23rd. Loading are not so good.

Check under reports from areas outside our local ones below for Go Ahead North East and ex Interdecker 74 by Martyn Sacaloff.

Jack Cooper

Coaches 22-25 have now been sold, they were sold by Ensign, however at current I am not sure who, who if anyone, has purchased them and 21 is currently on loan to Brighton & Hove.


Tourismo 30 seen in St Aldates on October 17th.


31 is caught climbing Headington Hill Heathrow  bound on October 21st.


39 and 40 both promote the Ashmolean with their livery seen in Gloucester Green on October 21st. 

Jack Cooper


^23 is seen working the X2 in St Aldates on October 23rd.


ex Carousel Mercedes 0500 874 is seen in Wallingford with an X39 on October 19th.


Pictured at The Boundary House in Abingdon 909 with an X2 Didcot bound on October 23rd.

 
936 with a 136 service in Wallingford on October 19th followed by 942 with a 33 during the same day.

James Freeman

 
246 & 248 on OX3 & OX7 @ Kassam on October 19th.


Citaro 849 working 5 road on October 20th.

Pictures for 176/J Freeman/TT Citaro 849  working 5 road 201021 J Freeman 720p.mp4
Also a video of this bus. 

Gavin Francis

Each home game Wycombe Wanders FC operate a Park & Ride Shuttle Service from Cowleaze Field at West Wycombe. It uses 3 mini coaches from Motts Coaches are these pictures show todays offerings.

Gavin has provided pictures of the buses in use last Saturday,  October 23rd.

   
GT14MTT a MB Vario then GT18MTT a MB Atego with an older Vario VU06KFL

A recent fleet list for Motts can be found at the link below.

http://quack77.uk/fleetlists/fleet.php?ownerid=269   

Robert Homan

This was a new one for me and might be of interest to your readers


Photographed in Banbury bus station yesterday, October 21st.

Apparently there is a big fleet of minibuses. A1090 isn’t listed in a fleet list I have seen - new vehicle?

A bit of digging reveals that the operating company is West Midlands Accessible Transport Ltd., a subsidiary of National Express. National Express stepped in when the previous supplier of accessible transport went into administration.

https://cbwmagazine.com/west-midlands-accessible-transport-to-take-over-atg-services/

Jack Cooper 


Levante III 333 a 21 plate delivery seen working service 210 out of Gloucester Green on October 21st.
Sadly the fleet number must have been applied in a gale!!!!!! 

Gavin Francis

     
Icknield Community College, Watlington has many services provided by Redline as seen above on October 19th.


A bus normally used to work the 17 to Bicester, WH66BUS is seen in Park End Street, Oxford with an X20 on October 21st.

Tony Bungay

An assortment taken in Aylesbury over past couple of days. 


Line up of Redline vehicles, generally used on school duties, though the Enviro appeared working service 120 on October 22nd.
 I was actually going to the company next door, so was not trespassing! So took the opportunity for a quick photo.


Not to be outdone it would seem Redline X20 Enviro 200 MMC was caught working Local service 4A! 

Tony Bungay

An assortment taken in Aylesbury over past couple of days. 


Unusual sighting of seeing this Red Rose Double Decker working the 55


A number of Red Rose vehicles are wearing posters advertising staff vacancies, such as seen on this Enviro 200 working Service 50.


Looking immaculate Red Rose Enviro 400, LK08NVL, heading out for a school service working. 

 

Gavin Francis


MMC 10441, which I seem to remember I took to a rally, working an S9 in Park End Street on October 21st.


Coming out from under Botley Road railway bridge MMC 11237 is working an S1 service on October 21st.


Seen in George Street with an S1 to Carterton 11250 was working the service on October 22nd.

Jack Cooper


Here we E400 10070 which by bustimes.org is not on the road, working the 700 at The J R on October 21st.


MMC 10684 seen descending Headington Hill with an 8 service on October 21st.


Recently arrived E300 27704 is seen working an H4 service at the J R Hospital on October 21st.

   
Three of the remaining Gold Scanias 28742, 28744 and 28745 working the S4 between Banbury and Oxford on October 21st.

Jack Cooper


Seen from the bridge over Headington Hill, Panorama 50425 is seen descending Headington Hill on October 21st. 

Gavin Francis

 
One of two similar coaches in the Parks fleet is LSK808 seen in London with the M11 on October 20th.


ex South Gloucester 59227 seen in megabus blue at Bulleid Way on October 22nd. 

.... also provide transport for Icknield, Watlington.


New to Pride of the Clyde, Greenock OU17 OTT is a Neoplan Tourliner N2216/3SHD seen in Watlington on October 19th.

London operators

Gavin Francis

 
A recent wrap is for monzo bank as seen by LT479 working an 11 service in Buckingham Palace Road on October 22nd. 

Michael Wadman

.. has provided an interesting diversion this week with pictures from Keith Newton.

Keith Newton recently sent me a few of his photos that he’s scanned, and I hope you might find them interesting. 

Four shots taken in Princes Street, Swindon, in, he thinks, 1974, but it must have been after April that year as they have Thamesdown fleet names.


136 (AMR 136B) is an AEC Reliance / Willowbrook,

 
121/4 (XMW 121/4) are Daimler CVG6 / Roe.


112 (UMR 112) was built as a Daimler CVD6 / Weymann but fitted with a Gardner 6LW in 1972. 


Bristol Omnibus Co no 2566 (923 RAE), Bristol MW5G / ECW, in Ashbury in 1975. 


Carterton Coaches GDZ 8449 (formerly A489 POD), Scania K112 / Plaxton new to Snell's of Newton Abbot,
 in Broadwell circa 1994 on the Carterton – Swindon service 64.

and some Stagecoach pictures from Keith and Michael from the '90s.


Cheltenham & Gloucester 1305 HHW918L in Purton by Keith Newton.


Cheltenham & Gloucester 2074 GHY136K in Cirencester by Keith Newton.


Swindon & District National 328 KHT124P in Baulking during 1993 by Keith Newton.


Swindon & District 845 in Marlborough on December 10th 1996.


Taking us back to the the turn of the century 904 is seen working the 66 from Swindon to Oxford on December 7th 1996.

Many thanks to these two gentlemen for some really excellent pictures. Happy memories for many I expect? 

Chris Lodington

On a brighter note, I went to Birkenhead yesterday, October 21st and photographed in Birkenhead.


Former Stagecoach West Gold E400 15850 (VX62CXD), working route 472 Liverpool – Heswall.
It entered service here on October 13th after receiving the new ‘Local’ livery.
 

Gordon Scott


Taken today in Edinburgh Don's of  Dunmow
Van Hool Astromega - DN10 DON.

Dons of Dunmow DN10DON ex WA10CGE. Van Hool TD927 Astromega new to Watts Coaches of Bonvilston.


Taken in Dundee Bus Station on 13October 13th.
Stagecoach East Scotland 53234 - SV55 FKK Volvo B7L Plaxton Profile Driver Trainer.


Taken October 23rd in Castle Street Edinburgh AEC Routemaster
SVS618 ex RM548 - WLT548 note Edinburgh Castle in the background.


Taken at St Andrew Square Edinburgh Ember SG71OTA
Yutong TCe 12, one of two new Electric coaches on route E2 Edinburgh to Dundee.

The shot sent to you last night of new Ember Yutong Electric coach is one of two 71 plate new ones delivered this week
replacing the two original ones
on route E2 Edinburgh to Dundee.
 

Nick Ross


Stagecoach Tain's 27107 at Nigg Ferry prior to working the 23C to Tain on October 12th 2021
 


With Stagecoach Inverness down to just 4 Tridents it was a bonus to sample 18337
on the X28 Inverness - Beauly on October 13th 2021
a route that involves the spectacular Kessock bridge with mountain and estuary views too!
 


Stagecoach Aviemore's 27104 at the Cairngorm Base station after the colossal climb
 (think Wycombe - Downley and treble it!) from Aviemore on the 0922 no 37 service.

Martyn Sacaloff


A10EYC
 - Volvo B9R Caetano Levante, former East Yorkshire Motor Services and now part of Go North East .

Go North East 7152 XL09NCL X10 service Newcastle - Gateshead.



Previously registered OW15WKB. New to Oxford Bus Company as 74 X90OFD.

Pictures of Martyn's trip to the North East can be found at this link.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227198301293415&set=a.1802826520490