Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated Sunday 18th March 2001
the next update will be on Sunday 25th March 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 !

Spring is coming!

A couple of visitors look up at the blossom on the tree as Atlantean GSC664X, 
part of the Classic Tour fleet, carries a number of tourists on a very wet Saturday last.
Spring seems to be coming at last!

A busy Saturday at Gloucester Green, as Khalid (back to the camera) instructs his Tube crews
amidst lots of comings and goings. Khalid rose to fame in the very last episode of Morse!
More usually he is one of the Stagecoach Controllers at Gloucester Green.

News is included this week of route changes in High Wycombe plus comments from the Oxford Consumers Group. The Spring Magazine carries a letter from a travel sickness prone passenger who, whilst admitting that the Oxford Tube is frequent and very easy to pick up at the Grosvenor Gardens terminus in London - quote "there is normally one waiting there, even at three in the morning", also says how much they sway about horribly upstairs. The passenger goes on to say downstairs the dozen or so seats are crammed together and a vast amount of space is taken up by a non-functioning drinks machine. Also the ventilation is either arctic and noisy or non-existent. Further the writer comments on the lack of space on coaches leaving Oxford, for those passengers waiting at Thornhill/Sandhills. (Do any of my readers have any views. Ed.) .

Another writer in the same paper says is it not time for the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach to get together and meet the needs of the numerous inhabitants of South Oxford by putting in a london stop at Speedwell Street. (In fact both companies stop in St Aldates on the London services return journeys in the evenings. So perhaps some more coordination and publicity is needed.

Saturday evening, being St Patrick's day was interesting in both Oxford and London with lots of people wearing large top hats. Some where somewhat the worse for wear and one individual tried to kick my coach as drove up Cowley Road. Why I was unable to determine but whatever the reason it was very dangerous! 

Company reports - to 17th March 2001

Arriva serving the Shires & Essex.

Arriva Volvo 3853, ex Oxford Bus 627, picks up at Studley Green , en route to Oxford, last Saturday
The quickly repaired panels on the offside seem to be a hallmark of Arriva, as many other buses 
based in High Wycombe have similar "paint jobs".

Ex Oxford Volvo 624 and Olympian 5826 (226) are away for repaint this week. A surprise performer on the 275 this week was on Thursday last when either 503 or 504 was seen leaving Oxford around 1815hrs.

Matt Wheeler writes with news from Aylesbury. He says that Greenway 3044 (IIL 4821) has now received full Arriva livery, and was last week on route 66 (Aylesbury - Buckingham). Greenway 3050 (BTX 152T) has received allover Aquamarine and Cotswold Stone on the front only, and was on route 65 (Aylesbury - Leighton Buzzard) at the beginning of last week. A transfer in from either Luton or Dunstable has seen Carlyle bodied Dennis Dart 3092 
(H 923 LOX) arrive at Aylesbury. It is in Blue/Yellow livery and still carried Luton & Dunstable fleetnames. On Monday it was running a Tesco Superstore bus and on Friday it was on route 9 (Stoke Mandeville Hospital - Bus Station) in place of the more usual low-floor MPDs.

The photo shown in the Pictorial Section is of East Lancs bodied Scania 3166 in its new advertising livery for Lakes. It was parked up at the back of Aylesbury Bus station at the time. Parked behind is Travelwise liveried Leyland Olympian 5063 (MUH 290X).

Finally, according to the most recent Aylesbury Travel Guide update (published by Bucks County Council), Bucks County Council are launching a new "Easybus" network in April (23rd). The low-floor buses, in Orange/Blue livery will be owned by the Council but operated by a local bus company on their behalf. The only other information on the vehicles is that they will have air conditioning, a designated wheelchair space and seatbelts for each seat.

Back in Wycombe it seems that many routes are up for re-tender or are being withdrawn. Those for re tender in April will be the 304, 306, 308, 311, 312, 315, 340, 341, and 342. The 313 will be replaced by the Widmer End service, the 317 will come out of Kingsmead Road. The 327 will be rerouted to Robinson Road. The 325 will be withdrawn. The 301 will come out of Robinson Road and Ringwood Road. The 326 will be reduced to a 15 minute service at peak. The 329 will no longer serve the Sports Centre at Wycombe. The 346 is under review as are the Thame services.

Seen late last Tuesday evening at the Ibstone terminus of the 341 - a route under threat -
Arriva Olympian 5834 (ex WBC234) still carries a Wycombe Bus vinyl. It is now some 3 months
since Arriva took over!

Airlinks - Jetlink - Cambridge Coach

An interesting shot of 325 as it nears Amersham on its way to Cambridge on the Jetlink 767 via Stansted Airport. 325, as mentioned last week carries an awful purple super rear advert for Luton Airport. I was told by a driver in Oxford that the reason we were seeing more CCS coaches was because if they were sent down to Gatwick, they kind of got lost and did not return to Cambridge for many weeks. I wonder what he meant?

Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)

Repainting of the ex Oxford Darts is well under way with 767(ex507) and 769(518) nearly ready.

The Darts which will join Metrobus of Orpington are to gain new fleet numbers in that fleet. This are:

762    -    ex502
763    -    ex511
764    -    ex516
765    -    ex520
766    -    ex506
767    -    ex507
768    -    ex508
769    -    ex518

I hope to bring more news as work on the repaints continues.

Coaches 53, 55 and 59 now appear due for withdrawal today, Sunday and subsequent dispatch to their new owners. Re branding of the batch 9-12 and 14, 15 has not yet commenced and may now take place this coming week. It is therefore quite usual to see Airport branded coaches on the X90. Last Saturday my steed was 53 and she performed very well. My chance came to try one of the new coaches on a single trip to Heathrow on Friday evening. This was with 24 and it really was a super coach to drive. It is seen below on arrival at Terminal 4, Heathrow.

An unusual working last week was on Thursday evening when X3 branded Volvo was seen on the 2A to Barton!

Finally a noteworthy item is that the white headrest covers have been removed from the coaches in a cost saving exercise. I do think this is a shame since the interiors look rather dark and drab, especially at night time.

Stagecoach in Oxford.  

As mentioned on this page before many of the Oxford Tube coaches run with missing wheel trims. In an obvious effort to stop the loss of trims, Volvo style trims have been applied to coach 55 and can be seen in the picture above. The plate wheel on the main rear axle is unchanged, it is just the front and trailing axles which are the subject of the change. Talking of coaches the shot below shows the new May Day Ball super rear ad applied to 36 and 37.

Once again I waited in vain to get a shot of  Volvo Olympian 520 which yet again alluded me. It was indeed noticeable that older Darts appeared on the 100 this last Saturday with both 726 and 727 as shown below. 

The first M A N has been repainted into the new livery and 914 is shown below at Horspath Garage last Saturday. It later worked a 32 service from Oxford.

  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

Neil Gow sent this further shot of COMS, this time of an Olympian when new and working
the 390 to London during the 1982 rail strike. The building in the background is still there.

Matt Wheeler sent this shot of Scania 3166 showing off its new Lakes livery.
It was taken in Aylesbury Bus Station last week.

Showing little evidence of its origins, this Volvo/Plaxton started life with Rhondda Bus as
an Expressliner 1 on NatEx services to london Victoria. It has since gained re trimmed seats 
and a rear window. In NatEx days it had a plain back with the double NN symbol.
It is now with Abbey Coaches of High Wycombe.

Binders Yard at Cryers Hill near High Wycombe is host to numerous bus companies.
There is also a yard occupied by a repair specialist. Last Saturday these three buses were there.
The far one is a Bristol K5G, DBL154, often seen at rallies.

Binders Yard was once home to Classic Coaches and many interesting buses could be seen.
A small collection remains following the auction and includes 2 RTs and an RF.
A Routemaster is also present.

Another operator basing buses at Binders Yard is Prestwood who have this well kept
Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen, E48TGY, once owned by East Yorkshire. It retains the grand badge.

 
Another ex classic bus is this VR which was painted up for Wycombe Wanderers Football Club.
It still carries this livery and is with Timetrack on services in the Staines area.
JWV258W was once with Brighton & Hove.

Heyfordian have a large fleet based at West Wycombe. This include three ex Go-Ahead North East
Olympians JTY375X seen above with JTY373X and JTY398X behind.

Another arrival at the same yard is this Leyland Tiger LIL9664.
does anyone know its history. It has Plaxton Express bodywork.

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