Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas
Oxford, High Wycombe &
surrounding areas
updated
Sunday 1st April 2001
the
next update will be on Monday 9th April 2001
Please note that any comments made in this news page are those of the
Editors' and in no way constitute
any official points of view from the bus companies
mentioned, or indeed any other official body.
As a news page we reserve the right to
make valid comments as seen from an editorial point of view.
Problems with the pictures ! -
sometimes it seems that the pictures do not load.
I have found a solution which does work normally -
RIGHT CLICK ON THE PICTURE AND THEN CLICK ON "SHOW PICTURE"
Good luck !
Buses may return to Cornmarket in Oxford City Centre!
News has surfaced this week of the possibility of the ban on buses using Cornmarket Street being lifted, whilst urgent repairs are made to a collapsed sewer in George Street. Anyone who has used George Street recently will have been aware of the dreadful state of the surface, especially at the eastern end by Debenhams. There are a number of other options which are being investigated, including making George Street one way, diverting traffic to Beaumont Street or removing the pavement at the Worcester End of George Street and allowing traffic to use Park End Street. Whatever the outcome is, serious delays to bus services in the City Centre seem inevitable.
The damaged surface can be seen
in this recent picture of Gloucester Green.
As mentioned before the surface of Gloucester Green coach station has be the subject of some repair work. It seems, according the to the local press, that damage has been caused by heavy three axle buses and repairs are now expected to cost the city council around £169,000. Plans are being laid to resolve the problem and various schemes are being considered. This may mean moving services for a period to St Giles and the Worcester Street car park. Another option is that already reported some months ago, to move service to The Oxpens, running a shuttle bus between there and the city centre. The cost for this could be £60,000. The closure of the bus station for a period of about a month will doubtless cause congestion in the city. Another proposal being considered is to move all country services presently using Gloucester Green to other termini in Oxford. This it seems could include the Bicester, Witney and Swindon services and one wonders what may happen to the tour buses? I will keep you advised of developments. Another point of interest was in talking to a controller at Victoria Coach Station he also noted that the National Express double decks from Trathens also are causing damage to the surface at VCS!
New schemes relating to concessionary fares are being introduced in Oxford from today, 1st April. The grey plastic £1 coins used in the city will no longer be valid. Instead on production of a Senior pass a 20p fare will be charged. Other changes are occurring in Cherwell, Vale of White horse, South Oxfordshire and West Oxfordshire District Council areas.
Company reports - to 31st March 2001
Arriva serving the Shires & Essex.
Arriva Volvo 3844 (624) awaits
renumbering in Newlands Bus Station.
Logic has returned to Arriva at High Wycombe with the forecast renumbering of the ex Oxford Volvos. These will now be as follows:
3841 - N621FJO
- was 3841 - was 621
3842 - N622FJO - was 3842 - was 622
3843 - N623FJO - was 3854 - was 623
3844 - N624FJO - was 3855 - was 624
3853 - N413NRG - was 3843 - was 625
3854 - N414NRG - was 3844 - was 626
3855 - N415NRG - was 3853 - was 627
3843 and 3854 are currently away for repaint. Dart 504 has been used on the 275 to Oxford and must have caused raised eyebrows since from the back it is still to all intents and purposes an Oxford bus!!!
Whilst in WBC days the Volvos always worked the 275, other types including the Darts are now being used and on Saturday morning Lynx 3344 was on the 1140 service. It is seen below turning onto the A40 at Stokenchurch having run up from Wycombe. I took a picture of the last COMS 290 service at the very spot many years ago, worked by Leopard coach 20. This coach is now with Chiltern Queens of Woodcote, which is the subject of an excellent article in the latest issue of Bus & Coach Preservation. (Vol 3, No 12 - April 2001)
I have been told that it is intended to convert the two ex Oxford Darts 5833 and 5834 to single door in the near future.
Aylesbury depot are indeed working the 15 minute past journeys on the 324.
Bucks County Council
The remaining two Solos
arrived in Wycombe last week, being Y48 and 49HBT.
They are seen above on arrival. Many thanks to Paul Goodwin for the pictures.
A wheelchair ramp is provided on
these new buses and full route details will
be published as soon as I receive them.
Heyfordian Coaches, High Wycombe depot.
Pete Brown writes to
advise that Heyfordian have what Pete thinks is a further coach (He hasn't seen
it before). Its a plain white
Leyland Tiger/Duple 320 (SJI 4861).
Motts Travel
Motts Travel Fleetlist (Correct to 1st March 2001)
I
am most grateful to Pete Brown for an up to date Motts fleet List.
Neoplan N122/3 / Neoplan
Skyliner CH59/18Dt
B12M MT
Neoplan N122/3 / Neoplan Skyliner
CH59/16Mt
4442 MT
Volvo B12T / Jonckheere Monaco
CH57/14Mt
5705MT (M20TCC) ex Travellers, London
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Mistral 50
C51Ft
R968 RCH
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Mistral 50
C49Ft
T100 MTT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Mistral 50
C49Ft
W200 MTT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Mistral 50
C28Ft
90 WFC (S68 UBO) ex Bebb,
Lantwit Fardre *
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45
C53F M616/7
ORJ ex Shearings
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45
C49Ft
6787 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45
C49Ft
M573 DSJ ex Shearings
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45L
C51Ft
9920 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45L
C51Ft
1746 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45L
C51Ft
5874 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45L
C49Ft
6247 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45L
C49Ft
5723 MT (L214 GJO) ex Oxford Tube
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45L
C49Ft
5812 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Deauville 45L
C49Ft
B10M MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Jubilee P599
C51Ft
6957 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Jubilee P50
C53F
5814 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Jubilee P50
C53F
9775 MT
Volvo B10M-62 / Jonckheere Jubilee P50
C51Ft
6601 MT
Volvo B7R / Plaxton Prima C55F (or C45F & 5 wheelchairs)
T7 MTT
Dennis Javalin / Plaxton Premiere 320
C53F
M575 RJM
MAN P35 / Jonckheere Deauville 45L
C34Ft
K229 WNH
DAF DHTD / Plaxton Paramount II 3200
C57F
KSK 965/6
Mercedes-Benz 0.814 Vario / Plaxton Cheetah
C29F
S490 UAK
Mercedes-Benz 814D / Autobus Classique Nouvelle I C29F
R902 EDO
Mercedes-Benz 811D / Optare Starider
DP27F
B6R MT
Mercedes-Benz 711D / Plaxton Beaver
C25F
M371 CVG
Mercedes-Benz 609D / Reeve Burgees Beaver
DP24F F600
DWB
Leyland Olympian / Eastern Coach Works
CH46/27F
LIL 7230 (B688 BPU) Ex Brentwood Coaches **
MCW Metrobus II / MCW DPH41/29F
F763/6 EKM Ex
Stagecoach East Kent
MCW Metrobus II / MCW H46/30F
CUB 539/40Y Ex LT , new to
west Yorks PTE
Leyland Leopard / Plaxton Bustler
DP53F
OWG 368X
Leyland Leopard / Plaxton Supreme III
C53F
SUR 283R
Volvo B58 / East Lancs EL 2000
B49F
641 UTO Ex Black
Prince of Morley ***
·
- (Wycombe Wanderers
Team Coach)
·
**
rebuilt front
·
***
rebodied
·
****
(C45F & 5 wheelchairs) / C53F
Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)
Oxford's Olympians 214 and 222
have been returned off loan to Wilts and Dorset at Poole
I never did manage to get photo of these working in Poole!.
Coach 10 is one of the
four Excaliburs being transferred from Airport services to the X90.
It has now had its from vinyls revised to read Oxford-London but still waits
full revision.
I had this coach on the first part of my X90 duty last Saturday, carrying a full
load out of London.
Blinds enable drivers to clearly indicate to intending passengers when the coach
is full.
Four Darts have now left Oxford to join Metrobus of Orpington and 506 and 516 have now entered the paint shop for work to commence on repainting.
Details of Easter services are now posted on the Oxford Web Site - http://www.oxfordbus.co.uk
Services departing from Terminal 4 at Heathrow will now leave from stop 15 instead of 19 effective Sunday April 1st 2001.
On the 24th March Volvo 643 was seen on 5 road and on 30th March 655 was on the same road.
Red Rose - Aylesbury
Pete Brown writes to
say that Red Rose's first new East Lancs bodied dart SLF has arrived and the
second is currently on delivery. It
is Y358 LCK and layout B37F.
Stagecoach in Oxford.
Stagecoach Olympian 520 was, as mentioned, the first of the batch to be repainted in the new livery (work on 526 is in hand). It is seen here pulling on to stand 8 at Gloucester Green last Saturday. The 100 may be one of the services to leave Gloucester Green in the expected re-allocation of space at the coach station. The same bus is seen from the rear in the photo below. The fleet names are rather discreet (to be kind Ed.)
With the use of dot matrix blinds, interchange between fleets may be simplified. however when a system fails some unusual workings can be seen. Below Volvo B6 841 is seen working route 3 to Rose Hill, displayed by a slip board in the nearside front windscreen, whilst the main destination shows X31.
It is understood that fares on Stagecoach services will rise from April 8th, including London Tube services.
Prestwood Coaches - High Wycombe.
Pete Brown writes to
say that Prestwood Travel have withdrawn and disposed of the following
in recent weeks:
Bova
Europa (RJI 4670 original reg unknown)
AEC
Reliance EPM 140V, WRO 438S
Leyland
Leopard CPE 480Y, PPJ 162W
Worths of Enstone.
An interesting addition to the fleet is the Mercedes 412D seen below. This bus is to work the Charlbury Taxibus Rail-Link services which includes two routes. One is from Charlbury Station to Ascott-under-Wychwood, Leafield and Finstock whilst the other is a town route in Charlbury. The timetable includes connections from Moreton-in-Marsh and Oxford. The bus is the subject of a road test in the latest edition of Coach and Bus Weeks Minibus Handbook for 2001. The purchase price of the bus is stated to be £55,000 and a full DipTac specification is included in Koch conversion. Seating capacity is 10/14 and it has a maximum gross weight of 4.6t. The service commenced on 19th March.
PHOTO CORNER
If you have a digital camera and wish
to submit photos for this page please send them to the me at
malcolmhc@aol.com
The 340 on Saturday produced
the Lakes "shed", 3821(521).
It is seen at the Kings Arms bus stop in Stokenchurch.
I welcome your photos for inclusion on this page.
Visitor count since 19th April 1999.
