Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated - Sunday 25th June 2000

The next update will be on Monday 3rd July 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 !

Last week proved to a very interesting week indeed with a "scoop" on Saturday when an Oxford tube was involved in an incident with the police. 

As drivers came through from George Street, there were reports of blood on the pavement near Gloucester Green. The pleasant calm of High Street was then broken by one, then another and another until five police cars and one police van had raced eastwards towards the Magdalen Bridge and Headington. It appears that they were speeding to apprehend four Kosovans who it appears had started a fight in George Street. Someone had been knifed, hence the blood and the coach had been stopped by the police to ask did the driver know if he was carrying four Kosovans. the group who had been involved in the George Street incident, had made their escape on a London bound Oxford Tube which had been stopped by police at the entrance to Brookes University at the top of Headington Hill. The coach (nr 57) and some of the police and their vehicles can be seen in the picture above. We now await the outcome of this serious incident.

Saturday, for me, was spent operating on the Oxford Bus 300 and 400 roads with a spell on 2 road. The new road surface in St Aldates is really excellent but does serve to emphasise the need for similar work on High Street. Traffic on the Abingdon Road was very heavy during Saturday afternoon resulting in the diversion of 300 road services, via Donnington Bridge, Iffley road and High Street into Oxford on their northbound journeys. Even X3s and 35s were for sometime routed this way inbound to the City. Stagecoach and Thames Travel services appeared to remain entering Oxford along the Abingdon Road.

Fleet News week ending 24/6/00

Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)

Work is in hand to put Olympians 214, 220,221, 222 and 223 back into service for Q busting duties. 208 and 224 remain the only Leylands so far returned to service this summer. The Trident awaiting attention in the bodyshop, 120, has now had its Park & Ride vinyls removed and we hope to bring you news shortly of its intended role in the future. 115 was involved in an incident on the Woodstock Road last Thursday but some very quick repairs saw its return to service by Saturday. Damage was caused by a tree which protrudes over the roadway and seems set to catch any unwary driver. Work proceeds on 108 which should return to service shortly.

Saturday saw new Volvo B10BLEs 816 and  817 on 5 road instead of the more normal 15 road duty. 818 and 820 were on 2 road, thus only 819 was on 15 road along with older models of this type. Dart SLFs 405 and 406 joined standard Dart 515 on 6 road, normally only standard Darts are rostered to work this road.

Stagecoach Oxford.  

The item of significant interest mentioned last week, is the arrival of a further M A N coach for The Oxford Tube. To be registered T33UBE, this coach will enter service on July 1st and nr 33. It is understood that the chassis was the prototype for the remaining coaches of this batch and when released by M A N , was sent for bodying and is now to enter service with Stagecoach in Oxford. It should mean that the X50 can now be served by one of these type of coaches on most services.

Volvo 912, until now an advert for Bus Points, is being prepared for repaint into corporate livery. It was seen in the yard at Horspath Depot on Saturday, more or less ready for paint. It has been allocated to Witney in recent times and may be expected to return there when ready. This will see the completion of the two year repaint cycle on this batch of saloons. (904-912)

Olympian 516 was on the X50 Stratford service last Saturday and Blackbird flyer liveried M A N 940 was seen on the 20C on Saturday afteroon. 

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.

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

Oxford's Volvo B10BLE 807 seen at Cumnor last Thursday evening working the 
evening duty which takes in three Rose Hill - Cumnor services plus a final
service from City Centre to Rose Hill. The sun is setting on the day after
the longest day of the year - 21st June !

Oxford Trident 115, seen at Seacourt last Saturday morning, loads for the City.
The use of "kerbside" conductors has been a feature of the 300 road for many years
and helps to speed up the otherwise slow process of taking fares from up 80 passengers
in a very short space of time. In fact on peak weekends two of these deckers 
can often be seen loading at the same time.

Stagecoach Volvo/Plaxton Paladin 912 seen here at Horspath Depot
last Saturday evening, awaiting repainting into corporate livery.

Stagecoach Oxford have received a number of second hand Mercedes 
from Manchester. Here 456 - N656VSS - is seen awaiting departure to Watlington 
on an early afternoon service last Saturday, 24th June 2000.

Stagecoach Oxford are now overnight hosts to Midland Red South coaches
working the National Express 320 service to Bradford.
Expressliner 35 - R35AKV - officially based at Rugby.

Thames Travel operates the X39 service between Henley and Oxford.
A visit to Henley's Leander Club, provided the opportunity to get this rather 
nice shot of one of the Varios used on this service, as it slowly moved 
in heavy traffic on the riverside at Henley-on-Thames.

In a recent report I showed one of the buses used by 001 Taxibus on the 7B.
Saturday saw this Ford Transit being used on the service. 
Later in the evening it was working a private hire when seen at Wheatley. 
The timetable etc for the 7B was still on display in the rear window !

An ex Wallace Arnold 1995 Volvo B10M/Plaxton Premiere 320 has joined the fleet of 
Plastow's at Wheatley. M112UWY is seen with older members of the fleet at the depot.

Airlinks / Cambridge Coach Services now operate ex Speedlink coaches on 
the 757/767 services through High Wycombe. Here we see Scania/Van Hool K66SAS
complete with airside roof warning light leaving high Wycombe on a lunchtime
service bound for Cambridge.

An unexpected arrival to Arriva, High Wycombe is this Volvo B6BLE with 
Wright's Renown bodywork, 3258  V258HBH, a dual door 33 seater.
This bus along with sisters 3259 and 3260 has been transferred from Watford.
The is the second Wycombe worked LT service, the other is U9, is the H18 at Harrow.
Two of the Mercedes/Plaxton Varios which work the U9 are seen behind 3258.

Arriva Olympian 5103, from Aylesbury depot, is seen working a late evening
duty on the 280 to Aylesbury from Oxford.  The bus is seen crossing the dual
 carriageway which by passes Wheatley where the Olympian has come from, 
with the remains of the day's sun striking the nearside of the bus !

 If anyone has any further news please email below.

Malcolmhc@aol.com 

It adds to the interest of the page which I'm sure everyone appreciates.

THE OXFORD BUS MUSEUM