Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas
from THE OXFORD BUS PAGE

Your reports are welcome at malcolmhc@aol.com

updated Sunday 10th June 2001
the next update will be on Sunday 17th June 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 !

When is a door not a door?
Arriva converts ex Oxford Darts to single door.

Back from conversion to single door ex Oxford Bus 504 now 3834 poses for the
 camera on a damp Sunday morning in High Wycombe. It still has an Oxford blind and
claims to carry 36 seated passengers whereas it is now a 38 seater!!!

The local papers are full this week of problems for bus drivers in Oxford and exhort the public to "blow the whistle" on trouble makers. Several incidents have occurred lately culminating with a youth brandishing a knife at 8.30pm in the City centre and demanding money from a driver. What is the world coming to when attacks are made in the normal part of the day, let alone late at night?

Roadworks continue in and around the City resulting in various delays especially to the bus services. The roadworks at Gipsy Lane are in full swing and the stop at the point is blanked off. In my experience the delays here are not too bad with traffic flowing quite well for most of the day.

Oxford Bus is advertising for drivers and recruits are encouraged to contact Oxford Bus to arrange an interview. New working rules proposed within the EEC are set to pose further problems for all companies operating bus and coach services and one may expect some problems as a result.

High Street in Oxford is covered in a patchwork quilt of marking denoting road repairs or resurfacing in the near future. It is also understood that St Clements is going to be closed or made one way for a period shortly causing even more problems for local operators. It appears inbound services may be diverted up Morrell Avenue!!

The summer season is now in full swing in Oxford with student due to "go down" for the holidays shortly. We will then see the foreign language students descending on the City and full bus loads on many routes.

The tour operators are now doing better business and loading seem good.

Sightseers were doubtless glad of the cover on this Classic tour Atlantean, when on Saturday,
the City was subjected to showers, sometimes quite heavy. Tom Tower at Christ Church 
can be seen in the background as "664" waits for green at the Carfax junction on Saturday afternoon.

New regulations governing seatbelts due in October.

Regulations are effective from October 1st 2001 which will require the fitment of seatbelts to all new buses, minibuses and coaches (except for vehicles designed for urban use with standing passengers) must have seatbelts fitted in forward and rearward facing seats.

   FROM THE DRIVING SEAT  
A weekly commentary on your Editors favourite pastime.

Hamilton M A N coach on the 2200 National Express departure to Cambridge.
T871JBC.

Whilst carrying out my usual Saturday duty and awaiting departure on the 2200 service from Victoria I shared stand 10 with the magnificent coach pictured above. operated by Hamilton, who I was told ONLY do breakdowns now for National Express. I sampled the very luxurious interior on the coach which had TV, fridge, toilet and video facilities and only 49 seats. When the driver was asked if he was ready to load, only a touch of a button was required to cause the luggage locker doors to rise silently revealing a spacious flat floor. most ideal for our airport services I thought but at what cost, £250,000 I was told! Well if the passengers were prepared to pay double or treble the fares then I suppose we might see such coaches on our services. since I am sure they would not the answer is obvious, NO! Nice to look at though and wonder and the passengers for Cambridge, THREE in total got a nice ride with music.

This week's little incident with other motorists was experienced on a Stagecoach Blackbird flyer when I was going into town to take my duty. Its nice to see how the other half live and a trip on 1 is always different. Why do Alexander's think that passengers don't want to see where they are going on the ALX300. A blank wall behind the driver and a patterned glass in the front of the single nearside forward facing seat. Anyway the tale really relates to a motorist who had parked opposite Tesco in Cowley road blocking the passage of 939. The young lady driver of our bus gamely sounded her horn to attract the attention of the missing driver. He never came. Again the horn, the passengers then jumping out of the car, seemingly most annoyed that a horn should be sounded. Some 60 passengers on the bus were now held up, as was a stream of other traffic behind, whilst the passenger got back in the car ignoring all around. Eventually after some five minutes the driver and his wife/partner came out of the newsagents and got in his car. He then expected the bus to reverse whilst he pulled out. Following much fist shaking and verbal abuse from said car driver he finally reversed and pulled out towards The Plain. He now proceeded to drive at 10 mph holding up the bus and all other traffic sticking his fingers to all concerned. So this is what England has come to I thought. The man was breaking the law in several ways, double yellow lines , obstruction etc etc and yet he was the one he assumed innocence and the bus was wrong. When will we all learn?  I do have a picture of the offending car and occupants which I am tempted to send to the Police.

Following this incident I took up my duty on the X90 to London. Here again another habit of car divers was apparent. Why is it that car drivers and even some van and light goods drivers, when driving along at maybe 50 or 55MPH, speed up when the coach starts to overtake them. Then when they are a sufficient distance ahead slow down again and the whole process is repeated. It can happen two, three or even more times on a trip on the M40. This practice is especially frustrating when they do it on a hill and slow the coach down, sometimes even speeding away with a finger extended on the end of their hand out of the window. Another gripe which I am sure is shared by most heavy vehicle drivers.

Another moan, sorry but I must, is the way drivers refuse to let the bus/coach pull out from a stop or junction. On the continent it is law to allow the bus to pull out if it is signaling. The highway code has a new rule (74) that motorists should give way to the bus. Wouldn't it be nice if Mr Policeman did something enforcing this rule and helped us get on with our job. 

Well more thoughts next week. 

Company reports - to 10th June 2001

Arriva serving the Shires and Essex.

Most Darts are now repainted with only the Lakes 38xx not done yet. 3833 is way for modifications and news of the week is the return of 3834 now minus it middle door.  But, oh what a shame, the seat they have used in the space is totally different to the others and it looks dreadful. You may judge for yourself in the picture below.

Mercedes 703 or 704 is advertised this week in Coach & Bus Week by a Midlands dealer as mechanically perfect  with a good interior. However bodywork tatty "hence the price" £7450.

OBITUARY

A very sad piece of news this week was that of the sudden death of a long time friend of the bus companies in Wycombe. Sgt Bill Snelling died whilst on holiday at the age of 50. He was for a long time the beat bobby around the bus station. Whilst a friendly person he also did not suffer fools gladly and was quite sharp in his dealings with trouble makers. He was also well known as the Wycombe Town Crier. He leaves a wife and family to whom our sympathies go.

Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)

Oxford Bus Volvo/NCME Paladin 654 unusually working 15 road. 
This type has appeared on this route several times in the past week.

Olympian 208 under repaint at Cowley Road. Following its repaint is will be less easy to
identify Oxford's Olympians from a distance.

Saturday saw Olympians in use on both P&R routes.
Here we see 224 rounding the corner of Worcester Street at its junction with New Road.

214 was operating the 400 road and is seen here loading in Queen Street.
This was its first day in service since repaint. (see last weeks report)

Olympians 220 and 223 are STILL down in Cornwall at present but 208 and 222 are now being prepared for the summer Q busting duties. I must say how excellent this batch of buses now look, especially since they have no advertising. The interiors are clean and tidy and present a good image for Oxford Bus.

SLF Darts have appeared on 2 road duties during the past week. Coach 26 suffered rear end damage when it was struck by a National Express vehicle in Heathrow. It will be off the road for some days whilst repairs are effected.  Next coaches for repaint are 9 and 12 and this will start when 208 and 222 are completed.

Stagecoach in Oxford.  

The Nature Reserve on the side of the M40 is now open and the walk is enhanced for 
me by the constant passage of coaches going to and from London and other points.
Here we see a Tube climbing the stiff gradient on its way to Victoria.

Another repaint is 751 and this weekend 710 and 523 should be back in the new livery.

Parking in New road by Stagecoach buses now seems to be the "wrong way" round
most of the time. Here three blue tops including 925 on the left, take time whilst
crew changes and breaks take place.

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

Carousel of High Wycombe seem to be dismantling this  Metrobus M183.
It may being cannibalised to keep others on the road. It is an ex London United example.

A reader, Nigel Barnes-Evans, has asked about hired buses by COMS during the 1970s, 
so if anyone has memories I would be pleased to pass them on to Nigel.
 The company went through a difficult time with maintenance during that period 
and had many hired buses.
UKG269 is seen at Gloucester Green on the 44 service.
Thanks to Michael Penn for the use of the photo.

I welcome your photos for inclusion on this page.
malcolmhc@aol.com

  OXFORD BUS PAGE CONTENTS