Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated - Monday 8th 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 !

A day late, caused by a trip to France. I've included a picture of a French bus for the record and must say that their Motorways are great to travel on, since there is much less traffic than on ours. Maybe this is because you pay a toll and a trip down to Le Havre (270 plus kilometers costs about £20 !!  

Fleet News week ending 6/5/00

City of Oxford Motor Services.

I am told that the Q busters are to operate again this summer and will include Olympians such as 208 and 224. No exact date has yet been given but it seems likely twe will see the odd regular service workings in the hands of these veterans. Most buses now have the new logos in place, certainly all the coach fleet is complete. The new Volvo B10BLEs are being strictly kept to 15 road and the only odd working last week was that of 802 on 2 road one evening. 

Stagecoach Oxford.  

I remind you of the revision to the 10 group of services where the 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. To illustrate these changes we have a nice picture of Volvo B6 - 841 - at Sainsburys. see below........

Richard Sharman was able to note some of the special workings surrounding the May Ball this year.  He watched the the following vehicles passing near by Horspath depot on a special all night P&R service to cater for the students May Ball and the yearly gathering at Great Milton, just off the M40. The following were noted though full details were more difficult since he was working at the time. Reading Buses were using some Spectra's, one of these being 707, they may also have been using some  Olympians. Motts Travel were using there Metrobuses CUB 548/9Y in Yellow Bus livery. Trustline Services were using BTX series Metrobuses, one was in a pink advert livery reg- KJW 310W. Heyfordian where also operating various coaches. Thanks to Richard for that report.

Richard Sharman also notes that Mercedes/Carlyle no.364, was taken to Manchester a week last Sunday (G840 UDV) where it is being used by Stagecoach 
Manchester as staff transport.

I am adivsed that three more Mercedes minis have been received from Stagecoach Manchester. They are 453, 454 and 462 registered N653/4/62VSS. 
Mercs 361 and 364, qv above have been withdrawn and disposed of.

Wycombe Bus Company.

Nigel Peach wrote to say that he and a fellow enthusiast attended the Wycombe Bus Running Day last Sunday. Five old Thames Valley routes were run on hourly frequencies. Routes 21 (to Princes Risboro), 27 (Gt Missenden), 34/34A (Speen), 38 (Booker via Sands) & 81 (Booker via Desboro Ave).

The buses used were Wycombe  Bus 229 (Thames Valley livery), London Central RMLs 2411 & 2440 both of which spent time at Wycombe's London Country depot (indeed Nigel remembers 2411 arriving new in 1966!), & London Central Showbus RM9. These 4 buses alternated on 21, 27, 38 & 81. Wycombe Bus Lynx 305 was used on 34/34A. The timetable was arranged so that all departures were roughly on the hour.

They travelled out & back to each of the destinations on an ideal day for weather. The countryside around this area really is beautiful & of course one can see so much more from the top deck of a bus. The RML, they were on (2440) performed very well - without the rattles one would expect from a bus of its age. They encountered a few bemused members of the public - I don't suppose they've ever seen Routemasters in Princes Risboro'  or Great Missenden before!

Other buses on display included Thames Valley Bristol  K6A 446 (DBL 154) & Bristol KSW6B 748 (JRX 823) both regulars at this event; First Southampton low floor Volvo W807 EOW,  First Bristol S684 AAE, and  Newbury Buses Optare Solo W117 SRX were also present.

Nigel was also pleasantly surprised by the number of people attending the event, travelling on the buses & supporting the various stands, so hopefully a good sum was  raised for the charity. Nigel's old school friend Richard Bond deserves credit for organising this event each year. Next year's event is scheduled to be on May 27 2001!!!

Finally Nigel notes that , the Sainsburys Mercedes 720 was running on the Downley route last week, so it appears that all eight remaining Mercs are still in service.

Canbridge Coach Services.

Richard Haughey notes that Scania coaches K99 SAS & K100 SAS are now operating on CCS discs and legal lettering. They are both in green Jetlink livery, see last weeks photo corner.

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.

Volvo B10M coach nr 50 shows off the revised livery specifically applied to this vehicle.

Last of this year's delivery of new coaches nr 21 departs Gloucester Green on 
the 8am service to Heathrow. From 21st May these coaches will be fully utilised
on the increased frequency to Gatwick which becomes hourly during the daytime.

Oxfords 620, in advertising livery, poses next to Wycombe 622, in Cowley Road for attention.
It is expected that 620 will go to Wycombe sometime in July of this year.

Stagecoach Oxford Tube nr 50 makes its way up the Abingdon Road in the rush hour
operating the X31 from Wantage. The ever changing destination screens on these
 coaches makes the photographing of the coach on a route less than easy !

Ex Manchester Volvo B6 SCO nr 841 (Manchester 331) pauses at Sainsbury's 
on the extended route 10C recently introduced by Stagecoach.

Another Supermarket, another country, another type - a Mercedes I think,
this three door urban bus pauses at Auchan, Calais, France on a grey morning last week.
The greatest thing about France is that diesel only costs around £ 0.55 p per litre.
Wonder how the French can sell it so cheaply ?

Seen in the morning rush hour in Oxford, recently transferred Wycombe Volvo 624 
waits time near St Aldates. The only shame about these buses is the rather 
poor looking destination blinds, certainly not up to Oxford's usual very high standards.

Photographed before in St Aldates, Charlton Tiger TJI6278 makes it's way
across the A40 bridge on its way into Wheatley on service 103.

 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