Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated Sunday 24th September 2000
The next update will be on Monday 2nd October 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 !

A busy week saw your Editor helping to keep the wheels of the Oxford express turning. This time on airports with all those heavy cases. What the devil do they put in their cases one wonders, they seem to weigh a ton !! Other than that, life seems to have got back to normal following the fuel crisis and most services are running normally. Some changes are planned by Oxford Bus and full details will shortly be available.

Following a good spell of "reports from my correspondents" I am sorry to see that this has somewhat dried up in recent weeks. I do hope that you are all well out there and I hope that you will be able to resume the most useful reports ?

Suggestions that the 5th Park & Ride at Kidlington may soon be approved were the subject of a report in a local paper last week. Officially no one seems prepared to comment !

Company reports - 23 September 2000

Airlinks - the Airport Coach Company (Cambridge Coach Services)

A surprise visitor last week was one of the oldest coaches now in regular service with Airlinks, 347 - H647UWR. It was working a late evening service to Cambridge. 

The occasional green and yellow Jetlinks on these services suddenly seem to have become more the norm. than the exception. Several were seen over the past week.

Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)

On a recent Friday during the fuel crisis, more than a few journeys on city services were made by express  coaches with sightings on the 2, X3 and even 35 taking place. I unfortunately do not have a record of the coaches involved at this time.

821, the Volvo B10BLE involved in the high Street accident last May has at long last returned from repair at Bristol and is back in service on 15 road. 654 is under repaint. 

634 was on 400 road on Saturday, set to become the norm. for replacement of Tridents should they not be available. The Olympians have now all been withdrawn after their summer Q busting duties, although 214 may still be at Wycombe. Certainly 220-224 are all off the road with 208 at Oxford. 

This picture could be entitled Olympians at final rest with Oxford.

As mentioned above some service changes are set for October 15th and we will let you have details as soon as they become available. In the meantime 5XX Darts are receiving new destination blinds and the top line is the Oxford bus logo in red. Other revisions will be included in future pages.

Stagecoach Oxford.  

Repaints of MAN buses continues and it appears that all the batch 913-917 plus 932 have been completed. However work seems to have ceased on the Olympian deckers with only 514 and 516 completed. The Witney based batch are beginning to look somewhat shabby now and one imagines that repainting is now only a matter of time. 

The latest issue of Ian Allan Buses carries an interesting article on one of the ex single door variants which went to Stagecoach Manchester. It is well worth a look. The same issue of the magazine carries a nice complement on the Stagecoach Oxford web page, saying that it is the best in the group !!!

Dennis 902 was on route 7 last week in place of the more usual MAN. A Dart also ventured out late one evening on the same route. 

Thames Travel.

Does anyone have a current fleet list of this interesting operator ? They would appear to have at least 7 or 8 Mercedes Varios including an x registered example.

Wycombe Bus Company.

Nothing special to report this week.  

  PHOTO CORNER
If anyone has a digital camera and wishes to submit photos for this page please send them to the above email.

Oxford express 21 awaits a late evening departure to Heathrow.

Motts provide the Wycombe Wanderers team coach and 90WFC was seen at Gatwick last Saturday waiting to pick up a tour group.
They would have had a fine ride home, since this ex Bebbs coach is fitted out internally to a very high spec. with kitchen,
two saloons, toilet, TV, extra baggage space and club type seating layout.

Swanbrook have had B120UUD, an ex Oxford Citylink Tiger, repainted into their latest livery
It is seen last Saturday operating service 53 to Cheltenham.

A DAY AT DUXFORD - SHOWBUS 2000
Local entrants caught on camera !

An operator who is a making a mark on the local scene is Woottens.
They have just invested nearly £200,000 in this Iveco-Beulas soon to gain cherished registration W100TEN.

Mercedes Vario 382 made the journey to Showbus and Stagecoach Oxford's Richard Sharman had made
an excellent job of the turn out.

Arriva 3482, a Dart MPD was present showing 280 service, though more normally used on Aylesbury Town services.
It has however ventured to Wycombe.

Another new Dart is one operated by Chiltern Queens.

A blast from the past was this ex AERE Harwell AEC Regent.

A long way from its new home was the ex Oxford Tube M107XBW, now with Stagecoach Fife.

Another ex Tube now with Stagecoach Midland Red is 4828VC in the livery of Virgin Trains.

Providing a rally point at Duxford was this ex East Kent Metrobus.

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.