Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated -Sunday 9th July 2000

The next update will be on Sunday 16th July 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 !

The summer is with us and in true British style the week has been a wet one. Wimbledon was in its second week and the coaches to london were very busy. Oxford was full of tour coaches and I am pleased to bring you a selection of those visiting vehicles. 

I was called again last week, by my contact at Stagecoach,  who requested a PR shoot of a new development which is reported under that company's heading. 

Fleet News week ending 8/7/00

Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)

Trident 108 is almost ready, following repairs after the unfortunate accident in High Street. Dart 408 and Volvo 821 are still away under repair. 

Unusual workings include 648 on 2 road on 8th July and Dart 405 on 22 road on the 4th July. Most unusually a Trident, 112, was used on a Q buster duty on 5 road last Thursday morning instead of the more usual Olympian. I think this is the first time that one of the P&R Tridents has strayed off the 300 or 400 routes since delivery. Of interest on the 4th July was the use of 221, 223 and 224 on 2 road duties throughout the day. Finally and also of much interest was the use of 208 (replacing 615) and 214 on 35 road on Friday 7th July. In fact 208 operated the 9 am journey to Didcot, a first for about a year now. 

Q busting duties have seen an Olympian from 208, 214, 220,221, 222, 223 and 224 working from Abingdon to Oxford, as a relief X3 at 8am each morning to cope with an unexpected visit by a large group of students, staying in Abingdon and at summer school in Summertown.

Stagecoach Oxford.  

The news item of the week from Stagecoach is the fitting of a TV screen on the upper deck to be used for advertising. 45 is the first coach to be so fitted and a further 7 are to be so equipped. 

Bus Points is officially dead and a new promotion is now in full flow. NextStage is the name of the new scheme We you buy and adult single or return HomeStage ticket on the day, by travelling after 9am the following day on any Stagecoach NextStage longer distance service and by handing your HomeStage ticket to the driver, your NextStage return will be charged at the Child Price. HomeStage services include the 1, 3, 7A and 10 group services in Oxford and the 12, 15, 19, 101, 102 and 103 services in the Witney area. NextStage services are all services operated by Stagecoach Oxford which start or finish outside the Zone 1 and 2 areas of Oxford and Witney. The Oxford Tube appears to be outside the scope of this offer. The scheme seems also to apply to a number of other Stagecoach group companies.

Cambridge Coach Services.

Sunday 9th July sees the return to "the old road" - through Stokenchurch - of the 757 and 767 , now providing an hourly service throughout most of the 24 hour day, 7 days a week.

Wycombe Bus Company

A major recasting of services is due on 23rd July and full details will be fond on the company web site on that day. 

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.

Oxford Tube 45 is seen at Horspath Road Depot with its TV screen fitted
at the top of stairs on the upper deck. See the story above.

Now returned to service at Witney, Volvo B10M- 912 has finally received corporate livery
having spent until now since hew, as an advert for Bus points which have been discontinued.

Sunday is the one day when branded X3 buses are not used by Oxford Bus.
The opportunity was there to get this line up of all four buses, 616-619 resting
from their labours of "express" service between Oxford and Abingdon.
Later in the day 615 appeared next to 616 but I wasn't quick enough to
capture this interesting sight.

The unusual sight of an Olympian on the X3, picking up students in Abingdon,
 before duplicating the 0753 service to Oxford. 208 later operated the 9am
service to Didcot on 35 road !  (7.7.00)

Earlier last week 222 was operating the X3 relief and is seen here being passed
by 220 on the 4B to Rose Hill. (6.7.00)

On arrival in Oxford, 222 met up with Wycombe Bus 627, operating the 275 service.
Quite by coincidence 627 could be said to have replaced 222 at Wycombe !
Of even greater coincidence is the fact that for a number of years 627, when in Oxford, 
 was a branded bus for use on the X3 !!!

Oxford Bus Volvo 648 strayed from its more usual haunts on the 4 road last Saturday
and is seen operating the 2 road instead. It is seen approaching Summertown.

Cambridge Coach returned to Stokenchurch on Sunday 9th July 
with an hourly service for about 21 hours of each day between 
Cambridge and Oxford.  It is now possible to travel  to both 
Luton and Stansted Airports from the village, alternate coaches serving each airport.
Here we see 322 approaching the centre of Stokenchurch on the 1910 service from
Oxford, due through the village at 1945 and running spot on time ! (9.7.00)

001 Taxibus service 7B runs down St Aldates. It is an Omni now some 9 years old.

Frames Rickards are regular visitors to Oxford and here we see
Scania/Irizar A1FRX waiting time in one of the quite street north
of the City centre.  (9.7.00)

A rather impressive visitor from Spain last Saturday was this Scania/Ayats Bravo,
waiting time at Park Town on the Banbury Road. (9.7.00)

Another Scania/Irizar visiting last Saturday was this Dunn-line example, A3BOB 
with trailing axle at the rear. It was setting down students on the Banbury Road.

And finally, Guide Friday continues to soldier on with their ageing fleet
of Leyland Atlanteans. One T registered example is now in the new livery.
As we went to press we learned that an advert for drivers has appeared
in the local papers for the Oxford classic tour, 
operated by Lothian Atlanteans in a blue and white livery.
The advert is asking for drivers who will work on new
Olympians which will arrive shortly. One presumes these will be ex Lothian 
examples now being replaced by new deliveries in Edinburgh.

 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.

THE OXFORD BUS MUSEUM