Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated - Tuesday 2nd May 2000

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 !

Again apologies for the delay and shortage of news this week, it's vacation time again and I have been away for a few days. So a few photos and a couple of news items only.

Fleet News week ending 30/4/00 - updated 2/5/00(WYCr275)

City of Oxford Motor Services.

Chris Bowles writes from Cambridge to note a couple of Oxford related things. On Busman's website there is a good shot of ex Oxford Titan KYN300X as well. Regarding the Oxford Olympians, Whippet decided not to take the Olympians as indicated on a recent news page. Chris thinks that the company may not have been too keen on introducing another type into the fleet. However ex Oxford 950 GYE280W as well as KYN300X is still with Whippet.  See photo below.

Stagecoach Oxford.  

Neil Gow writes to note that from 2nd May: Service 10B is extended from Cowley Centre to Blackbird Leys, Greater Leys, Littlemore and Sainsbury's Heyford Hill, hourly. New service 10C runs as 10B to Cowley Centre then Rose Hill and Sainsbury's Heyford Hill, hourly. Service 10/A diverted to run via rail station.

These coincide with the withdrawal of parking permits for many JR staff, and are heavily promoted as an alternative. "If you have lost your Radcliffe parking permit, this could be your lucky day. If you have not, read on to discover why you should throw it away."

Apparently from "mid-April", through tickets to the JR from Adderbury on Midland Red X59 have been available, and the two companies return tickets are interavailable. From "early summer" this will also be available form Buckingham and Milton Keynes with United Counties.

Steve Annells noted Olympian 514 on 32A on Sunday and Monday 21 and 22 April. This is doubtless due to Uni holidays..

Volvo coach nr 22, the Expressliner, new appears to arrived with Bluebird as advised by Campbell Morrison

Tappins Coaches, Didcot.

Steve Annells notes that as he was arriving at work one morning last week, Tappins 770EWL, the elderly former South Wales National, was pulling out from the Southmead Park depot heading west on Didcot Bypass repainted in all white. It's had Tesco livery for the free service since the service started; this may be simply a long long long overdue repaint of course. He promises to keep an eye on it. He also saw on Didcot Bypass last week to see Nostalgia Travel FLF FJB739C go past. 

Wycombe Bus Company.

Route 275 started as planned today, 2nd May and I was able to get a picture of the 1839 service from Stokenchurch to High Wycombe. This followed L345HFU, a white liveried Mercedes small coach operating the Magpie 400 service which arrives in Stokenchurch at 1826, thence returning to High Wycombe as an empty working. The 275 journey was operated by Volvo B10B 627, with Plaxton Verde bodywork. 

I will be pleased to receive your reports for this section
Please send your reports to MalcolmHC@aol.com and thank you for all your sightings, they are most welcome.

  PHOTO CORNER
If anyone else has a digital camera and wishes to submit photos for this page please send them to the above email.

Recently transferred Volvo B10B, nr 627, works the 1750 departure from Oxford
due through Stokenchurch at 1839 to High Wycombe. It is seen here setting down
a passenger at The Kings Arms, a far cry from it's days on Oxford's X3 service.

The date - 27th March 1998, the time - 1302, location - Cowley Road garage.
Here we see 627 which had been recently lettered for the X3 service and had
yet to receive it's first repaint. The livery was for Go-Ahead North East from
where these buses had been diverted, hence the north east registration.
N415NRG !!

Ex Oxford 950 GYE280W, now with Whippet Coaches of Fenstanton.
photo courtesy Chris Bowles and Busman.

Stagecoach Oxford Tube nr 37 bearing one of the new rear ads.
This one is for an Internet Virus product !

Airlinks K100SAS, a Scania/Van Hool operating the Jetlink service 757 from 
Oxford to Cambridge.  It is seen passing Stokenchurch on the M40, a village once 
served very well by Cambridge Coach Services 75 !

 

Flight's Flightlink Volvo/Plaxton S295WOA seen at speed on the M40 passing Stokenchurch
en route to Birmingham from Gatwick and Heathrow.

Seen in the late afternoon just before the end of last week, Oxford Olympian 224, 
on loan to Wycombe Bus returns to High Wycombe through the village of Ibstone.
Your editor enjoyed a memorable duty with this bus on 35 road to Didcot last year, 
just before deckers were withdrawn from that road !

Express in more ways than one, Volvo nr 18 seen here overtaking an unidentified 
private operator on the M40 and heading for Heathrow.

and for those vintage enthusiasts Rexquote Heritage are operating a tour in
Weston super Mare this summer, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday - plus Bank Holidays
using amongst other older buses, this Bristol LD6G ex Crosville.

 If anyone has any further news please email below.

Malcolmhc@aol.com 

It adds to the interest of the page which I'm sure everyone appreciates.

You can still view 
the Tube launch report  
and 
the Oxford Bus P&R Trident launch - Dateline Tuesday June 1st 1999  
Click above

THE OXFORD BUS MUSEUM