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

Your reports are welcome at malcolmhc@aol.com

updated Sunday 17th June 2001
the next update will be on Sunday 24th June 2001

   Issue nr. 151  

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 !

And not a single bus in sight!

Having a slightly ethereal feel, having been taken through the front window of Oxford's 403
the quality of Oxfords buildings can be seen to justify the enormous numbers of visitors
recorded each year. St Mary the Virgin church stands proud against the darkening 
skyline, prior to a veritable downpour last Saturday afternoon.

Welcome to issue 151 of the Weekly News Page. I had not realised how many times I had sat a my keyboard to write up the happenings on the local bus scene. I also appreciate the growing number of visitors each week and the very appreciative and complimentary e-mails many of you have sent. I thought the picture above would serve to illustrate that I am wholly obsessed with buses and do appreciate the finer things in life such as good scenery and beautiful buildings. I think how lucky I am to drive bus, which I love and live in such a lovely part of the country. Also, contrary to what some of my readers may think, I don't spend all of my life complaining about things and taking pot shots at all comers. Mind you read on for some of this week's little beauties!

The local papers this week headline the road works again and leaving Oxford towards London was for much of the time a real nightmare. Works in St Clements, Headington and the Western By-Pass served to cause havoc with bus and coach schedules with services running up to half and hour late. Inbound coaches were arriving too late for outbound workings and on a few occasions "The Green" was really deserted coach wise. there is also talk of making St.Clements one way for a period during works and diverting traffic up Morrell Avenue. 

Plaxton "saved" for coach building but only 204 jobs remain.

It is hard to believe that Britain, once the centre of excellence for coach building has now arrived at an almost minus figure in that field of passenger transport. Last week workers at Plaxton's Scarborough factory were told that only 204 jobs could be saved for coach building to continue. It thus seems that next year's intake of six coaches for Oxford Bus may still come from that factory. One one thinks how many builders there once were it is a sad reflection on today's world that things have turned out this way. Remember Burlingham, Duple, Harrington, Yeates, - Beadle, Brush, Crossley, Eastern coachworks, MCW, Willowbrook,  the list is endless and I have mentioned major producers. Now it is either Alexander, Optare, Plaxtons or Wrights if you are naming the majors. Such is life.  

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

Of course it's not all driving and sometimes I wonder
"what the **** is in the bag, lead or gold bars.
Picture by Richard Griffin.

Well, what did this week bring. A few interesting airport trips plus my usual London on Saturday. The main memory of the week will be the long traffic delays, thanks to the "coordinated" roadworks seemingly designed to maximise the traffic congestion for those trying to get OUT of the City. One has to sympathise with all the companies running bus and coach services. Passengers are often infuriated by delays to services, especially on the airport routes and don't want to know why you are late, just YOU the driver is the BUTT of their annoyance and sometimes even abuse. How one would like to have a member of the City Council with one, to field the comments.

Traffic into London was much delayed by works near Gipsy Corner with a journey time for about 1 mile taking 25 minutes! On one journey I was making up time along a very clear stretch of road towards Savoy Circus, when I saw a cloud of dust in the distance caused by a Vespa Scooter and two riders hitting the central reservation and ending up spread across the road! Once again all traffic came to a standstill and it seemed one of the riders was seriously hurt. I was obliged to carry on to Victoria as I had several passengers with connections but have wondered since how the injured were. Seemingly all in a days driving. 

"Bad piece of driving" for the week was the black cab in Oxford, which when turning ahead of me into Speedwell Street from St Aldates (indeed opposite the main POLICE station) stopped dead on said corner to pick up "punters", showing an utter lack of consideration for safety, other road users and the law. Or am missing something here? I and nr 8 were left blocking the junction for some minutes whilst the passengers boarded and we were a little shaken from the suddenness of his stopping. I will say no more this week about the way Oxford's Taxis are driven but someone somewhere should start looking and acting. IT'S GETTING WORSE.

Well more thoughts next week. 

Company reports - to 17th June 2001

AIRLINKS

Latest arrival for the Cambridge-Oxford services is this Van Hool bodied DAF.
Carrying the latest version of the Jetlink livery is D314, Y314HUA.
Now we can have two 314s in Oxford at the same time.

Seen from the rear, D314 displays its now obligatory route number

News of the week was definitely the arrival of a NEW coach on the 757/767 group of services. Carrying Van Hool bodywork, D314 was the first Y reg coach seen for Airlinks fleet. It seems more are to follow. It introduces a new livery, Ray Stenning??, and certainly stands out from the crowd. I understand Cambridge depot is reluctant to send it in the Gatwick direction. One can guess why!

Arriva serving the Shires and Essex.

Well if nothing else we are certainly seeing variety in Wycombe. This East Lancs (1992)
bodied Volvo B10M turned up for driver training last week. It seems it goes "well" and
must like the hills in the area. It is ex Grey Green dating from 1984. - A855UYW
It is not mentioned in the latest BBF Arriva fleet book but I was told came from Colchester.

Darts now repainted are all complete with the return of the Lakes 38xx and 3825. Lynx 3809 is the first ex WBC one to go for repaint and is due back next weekend. 3833 is away for modifications but will be another two weeks before its return.  

It was Mercedes 704 that was advertised in Coach & Bus Week by a Midlands dealer as mechanically perfect  with a good interior. However bodywork tatty "hence the price" £7450.  703 remains dormant at the back of the garage.

I think this picture should be entitled "clear road ahead" 
Aylesbury's 5102 approaches Oxford by the Green road stop at Headington.
This bus seems to work at nights although I was told it was to be kept for day work only.
This was due to the vandalism on late night services on the 280.

Thanks also to Nigel Peach for his regular updates on matters in Wycombe.

Carousel, High Wycombe

Carousel seem to have finished with Metrobus M183 since by Sunday 17th it was no longer in the yard at the depot.

Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)

Ladies in Waiting
Oxford Bus Olympians 208, 214 and 221 are ready for summer duties.
208 was the Freedom Card bus and 221 the Comtel bus.

Ethereal again!
Volvo/NCME Paladin 656 pauses on 4 road by Queen's College on The High.
656 has been there but a few minutes, whilst the College has been there since 1340.
Although the buildings are 17th and 18th Century, one hopes 656s pause will not be that long!

It is unusual to see SLF Darts working 5A/B road. 
Here we see 403 picking up on Cowley road last Saturday.

Most untypical of Oxford is the use of buses with unpainted panels in service, especially coaches.
25 suffered accident damage at Heathrow a week ago, when hit by a National Express vehicle.
Operational pressures, including traffic delays demanded the use of 25 before she was 
really quite ready for service. She was also at work again on Sunday but will enter the 
paintshop tomorrow, Monday 18th June.

Olympians 220 and 223 remain with Truronian in Cornwall and will not return to Oxford until July 20th. They are very well liked by their present user and one hopes they will indeed return to Oxford! 222 is now being prepared for the summer Q busting duties and all the remaining five will then be ready for full service by July 1st. 224 was again on Park&Ride 300's on Saturday. 

Look out for a white Trident HIGHBRIDGE decker on the 300 soon. Some remedial work on our Tridents is due to start soon and a demonstrator will help us out.

The 12 route from Peartree will be withdrawn after service on the 29th June following removal of funding by OCC. Apart from the 18 to Herschel Crescent this must be one of Oxford Bus's shortest lived routes.

Volvo coaches 9 and 12 will shortly enter repaint for full X90 livery and 14 and 15 have to re-branded Oxford express .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.

Ex Citylink Metroliner 907 - C907GUD - was seen in london on Saturday last sporting a new livery for sightseeing. Red with lots of lettering. Anyone any photo?

Stagecoach in Oxford.  

Chris Jenkinson kindly sent this picture of Tube nr 328 at this year Brighton Coach Rally.
Thank you Chris!

Another repaint is Olympian 523 which has some minor variations on 520 and 526.

The regular bus for the 101/103 routes nowadays seems to be reliveried Mercedes Vario 383.
It is seen here on the Oxford Eastern By-Pass close to the works where 
the new BMW Mini is being made.

Branded buses on wrong routes provided some interest this last week when Blue Top 919 appeared on the 1 with Blackbird Flyer 933 running on the 7A. I sadly failed to get a picture of this event. Noticeable is the crewing of some services by SCO Managers and GF was out on 1 's on Saturday. 

Thames Travel, Wallingford.

Fred Spresser wrote to advise that they had Lynx D156HML on loan from 3rd May and that V253BNV was sold wef 17th May. Apologies for the delay in posting this news.

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

Another picture from Chris Jenkinson was Oxford Bus 51 now with Worths.
It looks splendid and most "worthy"!!

Heyfordian seem to be in for fleet renewal and P336VWR has joined from Wallace Arnold.
I am sure i also saw P335. Has anyone information on new arrivals.

Normally operated by an Excalibur from Ireland, the 873 last Wednesday was operated
by this Neoplan from KMP Llanberis T7KMP. It is seen leaving Gloucester Green on 
it's long overnight journey to Ireland's capital.

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

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