Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas
Oxford, High Wycombe &
surrounding areas
updated
Sunday 11th February 2001
the
next update will be on Monday 19th February 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 !
Once again my travels took me to Scandinavia during the last week. On Wednesday I was in Copenhagen, hoping to see the new East Lancs double deckers, mentioned in the most recent issue of Buses. Sadly this was not to be as the prototype has yet to receive approval from the Danish police. however I had a short time to take some photos of what was on offer and with Arriva much in mind recently, I hope you like this shot of an Arriva Dansk gas bus. It is a DAB-Gas with Aabenraa bodywork, having three doors with seating for 43 and standing for 27. The weather was appalling with heavy rain, so I was rather pleased with this shot.
Please note that due to driving commitments next week's update will be made on Monday the 19th.
Closer to home the local Oxford press is full of a $20m plan to shake up buses! Roads recommended for bus lanes are the A44 approaching Peartree from Woodstock; the South Hinksey A34 interchange; the M40-A41 junction, near Bicester and at the A4260 through Kidlington. There are proposals for a three tier bus network, ensuring money goes into the services most heavily patronised. There could be premium bus routes offering services on a ten minute frequency. These may include services to Abingdon, Banbury, Bicester and Didcot. Speaking of Didcot, further plans include modern £2m bus station at Didcot Train Station plus interchanges at Abingdon, Bicester and even Thornhill Park & Ride. Both major companies in Oxford indicate their wish to play a full part in these plans. Additionally it seems that there are further plans for another Park & Ride site in the Marston area of Oxford. Certainly it bodes well for public transport in Oxfordshire and fleet increases must be on the cards.
Following the TV programme featuring Oxford Bus Company services under pressure from road works, many comments have been made in the town. Regarding the matter of cyclists, one of whom was most vociferous on the programme about bus drivers, I personally lost count of the number of cyclists yesterday riding around the town without lights of any sort in very poor weather conditions late in the afternoon and again at night. Someone really should do something about this problem before yet another one is killed or maimed!
Company reports - to 11th February 2001
Airlinks
On Tuesday next I shall be giving a talk to The Cambridge Omnibus Society on driving in Oxford and also I intend including experiences from my early days in Manchester and later Staffordshire. As a acknowledgement I include this week a shot of the last new coach delivered to Cambridge Coach Services, 325, seen here at Stokenchurch on Sunday 11th February. Only when it was leaving did I note that it's rear is now adorned in an advert for Stansted in purple !!!
Arriva serving the Shires & Essex.
A incoming allocation to High Wycombe (Newlands Bus Station) allocation is an Olympian from Watford. 5074 - A154FPG is a 1984 example with Roe H43/29F bodywork. Nicely repainted, the final image is badly let down by assorted seats inside and unused speakers, seemingly from some advertising scheme at its original depot. It was being prepared for service on Saturday and some consternation was voiced by the operating staff since this bus is 14'6" high which will be unsuitable for a number of routes from the former Wycombe Bus Company.
Another newcomer is a Mercedes from Hemel Hempstead, 2127-N907ETM , a 1995 Plaxton Beaver bodied 709D. Last weeks repaint was a Cressex Lynx 3067 - H407ERO. This week Olympian 5835(235) is away and should be back by Friday. Dart 504 was seen operating the 329 on Saturday with only the route number shown. The destination blinds fitted are those used in Oxford!
Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)
News of the week is the emergence of Olympian 221 fully repainted in readiness for summer Q busting duties. 220 has now gone into shops for attention and 208, 223 and 224 are still in the garage. 221 was the Comtel liveried bus and it has been completely renovated and looks magnificent. 214 and 22 are still in Poole but will return to make up the Q fleet.
My Saturday duty, again on X90s, provided me with nr 8, the Volvo coach which has received VCS livery. The weather was really bad with hill fog at Stokenchurch but good time was made on both journeys and a pleasant afternoon was spent.
A chance was taken to get a shot of nr 9 with nr 8 at Gloucester Green. 9 will shortly move to its new roll on X90s and so made an interesting contrast for my photo.
Stagecoach 43 was alongside and some of the problems with the surface of the coach station can be seen in the bottom right of the picture.
Vic Gacowski writes to note that 642 was on 35 road last Thursday. Also I noted Volvo B10BLE 807 on 400 road on Saturday. Traffic delays resulted in X90 branded coach 55 working X70/X80 duties on Friday.
R H
Transport -
Vic managed a
photo at Kidlington Sainsbury's on
Monday of a full size short
wheelbase Ford / Reeve Burgess . Reg C 554 WDH . Rear seats removed to make 16
Max. Its Yellow with a single
broad green band . This bus operates a shoppers service.
Stagecoach in Oxford.
No further repaints emerged this week for the Oxford fleet but a Midland Red Volvo was out shopped this weekend for return to Rugby. P320EFL was new to Cambus and recently moved to MRS. It is seen above on Saturday night awaiting collection.
Another Stagecoach Tube nr 35 has also received a new full rear advert for NAV TRACK in place of the May Ball from 2000 carried until recently! It seems 36 is still waiting attention.
Further to the report last week from Vic Gacowski he writes with some more information on current running of the Stagecoach services. I again quote his work which also includes some reference to other operators. I quote:
"Chipping
Norton are using 901 , 902 and 903 with some long layovers in Chippy for breaks
and in one case a driver change. I observed this on Tuesday last and it was most
odd to note that the vehicle , 903 , reversed into the Parker Knoll yard (Its
stabling point overnight) and then pulled up outside the long since closed
Chipping Norton Garage. The fresh driver changed over here and still
had quite a while to go until running dead into the town centre to start
his trip to Oxford.
On Monday
I also went into North Oxfordshire and found that Chipping Norton School
Car Park is a Bus Park !!!!!!. Why ? , because at 1215
Worth's Olympian 216 and Metrorider 780 were stabled. Also 2 Cheney
Travel Titans , Fleet Nos 201 and 202 . The former being A 864 SUL.. Also in the
School Car park was 901 resting
between 20 road workings with no driver in sight.
On Tuesday
the same Worth's and Cheney vehicles were stabled again . 903 was outside the
old CN garage as detailed above.
On Tuesday
afternoon I called in at the Rail Station and saw 902 with a CN Driver being conducted
into the Station by another SCO Driver , perhaps his first time into the
station. Country drivers are so used to GG only. There appears to be some
congestion with SCO 20 Road and OBC X3 trying to use the same stop.
A visit to Kingham Station found SCO 462 working the X8 Kingham - Chipping Norton Rail Link on Monday and Tuesday . Is this a CN allocation or does it come dead ex Oxford? I didn't get the chance to quiz the driver although it was the same driver both days.
Thanks again to
Vic Gacowski for this interesting input.
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
This Classic
Coaches was seen working the 442 (Langley-Staines) service in Staines
last Friday. I was unable to see by whom it is now owned and operated.
The pit area at Oxford is used in two specific ways, these pits are for major overhauls and repair.
Three more pits
are used by the Running Shift for the regular checks and repairs.
Here coach 1 is on a "coach check".
.
Visitor count since 19th April 1999.
