Reading Buses and Thames Valley

[cactustwirly]

So we're a couple of weeks further on; do we have a date yet?

Nope nothing
The buses all delivered in March

 

[Fletcj10]

So we're a couple of weeks further on; do we have a date yet?

IF they stand by their statement then i'd say either 20th or 27th & knowing their latest entries they will all be on one day

 

[cactustwirly]

Looking at it seems like they're not registered with the DVLA so this could be the hold up

March 2026 Update

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March 2026 Update​

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Robert Williams​

Apr 3
to bus...@googlegroups.com
Dear all,

Here is the latest fleet news from Reading Buses.


Reading Buses
21 was delivered on 6 March and entered service on 17 March.

The next batch of Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV’s have been delivered pending expected entry into service in April, with details as follows:

Fleet	Registration	Chassis No	Body No	Livery	Delivered
25	RG25 ZEB	SFD212AR1SGD10587	R406/01	Yellow 26	25/03/2026
26	RG26 ZEB	SFD212AR1SGD10588	R406/02	Yellow 26	25/03/2026
27	YX26 JZG	SFD212AR1SGD10589	R406/03	Yellow 26	26/03/2026
28	YX26 JZH	SFD212AR1SGD10591	R406/04	Yellow 26	26/03/2026
29	YX26 JZJ	SFD212AR1SGD10592	R406/05	Yellow 26	26/03/2026
30	YX26 JZK	SFD212AR1SGD10593	R406/06	Yellow 26	27/03/2026
31	YX26 JZL	SFD212AR1SGD10594	R406/07	Yellow 26	27/03/2026
32	RG26 BUS	SFD212AR1SGD10590	R406/08	Generic Silver	28/03/2026

 

[crablab]

Well, there are electric buses on the 26 today...just not any of the ones listed above!

 

[cactustwirly]

Hmm something going on as there's only 1 E400 out and all the spare EVs out on the 26

 

[crablab]

They're so quiet & vibration free you really notice how abysmal the road surface is.

 

[cactustwirly]

They're so quiet & vibration free you really notice how abysmal the road surface is.

Through Southcote? Feels like they've tarmacked over concrete slabs
Part of the Meadway in Tilehurst feels the same

 

[Fletcj10]

They're so quiet & vibration free you really notice how abysmal the road surface is.

Friar Street & Station Road is my favourite it's like the surface of the moon!

 

[AlastairFraser]

Through Southcote? Feels like they've tarmacked over concrete slabs
Part of the Meadway in Tilehurst feels the same

I think all the old borough roads near council estates were originally concrete, it's the same around Hartland Road in Whitley.
Southcote (especially around Coronation Square) is all RBC built I think, as is the Dee Park estate near Meadway.

 

[crablab]

Friar Street & Station Road is my favourite it's like the surface of the moon!

It's a real shame they spent all this money on new vehicles, which are promptly shaken to pieces navigating the town center. Friar Street is really, really bad now.

Bath Road is getting worse too.

 

[cactustwirly]

It's a real shame they spent all this money on new vehicles, which are promptly shaken to pieces navigating the town center. Friar Street is really, really bad now.

Bath Road is getting worse too.

RBC are awful for road maintenance, quite a noticeable change when you cross over the border to West Berks

 

[Forty29]

Threaten to withdraw service's down Friar Street unless road repaired. Might shake the council up a bit( though probably not)
Or send them the bill for repairs to buses.

 

[Goldfish62]

Threaten to withdraw service's down Friar Street unless road repaired. Might shake the council up a bit( though probably not)
Or send them the bill for repairs to buses.

Except the council is the sole shareholder of Reading Buses.

 

[andyb87]

In which case, if the GM sees fit, he can raise it at board level and the councillors on the board can react as they decide. It means that the operator has more potential influence than a private concern would have. If he pushes the case and gets no political support there is not much more anyone can do!

 

[Goldfish62]

In which case, if the GM sees fit, he can raise it at board level and the councillors on the board can react as they decide. It means that the operator has more potential influence than a private concern would have. If he pushes the case and gets no political support there is not much more anyone can do!

Reading Borough Council is predicted to go Green from Labour in the May elections. If that's the case there'll be a whole new board to deal with.

 

[317 forever]

Reading Borough Council is predicted to go Green from Labour in the May elections. If that's the case there'll be a whole new board to deal with.

The Greens will surely favour the electric buses for being zero emission so best for the environment.

 

[Mark L]

Reading Borough Council is predicted to go Green from Labour in the May elections. If that's the case there'll be a whole new board to deal with.

Only one-third of the council is up for re-election. The polls suggest that labour may - just - fall short of maintaining overall control.

 

[Goldfish62]

Only one-third of the council is up for re-election. The polls suggest that labour may - just - fall short of maintaining overall control.

Thanks.

 

[Mark L]

Thanks.

As the political makeup of Reading council has a direct bearing on Reading Buses (the council is its sole shareholder) it’s probably within the forum’s rules to report that Labour has retained control. It did however lose four seats. The Greens gained three.

 

[Flange Squeal]

The 'Coach & Bus Week' magazine YouTube channel has a video entitled 'Irizar UK in Blyth' which shows some brand new Irizar coaches branded for Reading Buses' Newbury & District subsidiary's Heathrow to Basingstoke 730/731 route. Visible in opening scene and at 8 seconds in.

 

[nctd2306]

With the recent high temperatures, has anybody had the chance to experience the air-conditioning on the new EV buses? They supposedly have heat pumps although I'm still a little bit sceptical as to how effective/reliable these will be in practice. I hope somebody on here can prove me wrong!

 

[Thames99]

With the recent high temperatures, has anybody had the chance to experience the air-conditioning on the new EV buses? They supposedly have heat pumps although I'm still a little bit sceptical as to how effective/reliable these will be in practice. I hope somebody on here can prove me wrong!

I've found them pretty warm and although there is some perceptible airflow from the vents it doesn't feel cool as I was expecting. It is more like the forced ventilation on some London buses - is it really true aircon?

Route 15 has the repainted gas buses in service today (27th May) and the route 16 electrics are due out on Monday 1st. The only E400s left then will be a handful of buses on 23 and 24 until their repainted replacements are back.

 

[Jimini]

With the recent high temperatures, has anybody had the chance to experience the air-conditioning on the new EV buses? They supposedly have heat pumps although I'm still a little bit sceptical as to how effective/reliable these will be in practice. I hope somebody on here can prove me wrong!

Complete bus novice here, but Reading resident and heading into the town centre later on this afternoon. Are the buses on the 17 route the new EV ones? I'll probably give it a whirl later if so and report back!

 

[Edvid]

Are the buses on the 17 route the new EV ones?

Yes they are.

 

[Jimini]

Yes they are.

Nice one, cheers. Too hot to be getting on a little orange!

 

[Mark J]

Don't forget the Reading Buses open day is coming up!

Reading Buses Open Day 2026

We’re excited to announce that our open day will be returning once again for 2026! Taking place on Sunday 28 June at our Great Knollys Street depot; the open day is free to attend and promises to be a great day out for everyone. Our 2026 open day will be helping to raise funds for our Charity of...

whatsonreading.com

 

[Mollman]

I've found them pretty warm and although there is some perceptible airflow from the vents it doesn't feel cool as I was expecting. It is more like the forced ventilation on some London buses - is it really true aircon?

Route 15 has the repainted gas buses in service today (27th May) and the route 16 electrics are due out on Monday 1st. The only E400s left then will be a handful of buses on 23 and 24 until their repainted replacements are back.

Do you mean route 26 electrics?

 

[Goldfish62]

I've found them pretty warm and although there is some perceptible airflow from the vents it doesn't feel cool as I was expecting. It is more like the forced ventilation on some London buses - is it really true aircon?

I think it's more than the old London bus air "cooling" system, but not full aircon. As far as I'm aware the only buses with full aircon in the UK are BYD (and possibly Yutong?).

 

[Tramtrain]

Wokingham Council has posted some very vague proposals that are to be put to tender for new services. Doesn’t seem very ambitious to me. The consultation feedback seems to suggest current services are well used, but outside of routes 3/4 in Wokingham Town that never looks to be the case.

They are proposing some kind of express service from Coppid Beech Park and Ride to Twyford Station. I can’t see many people driving to the P&R (in the wrong direction for a lot of people) and then waiting for an infrequent bus to then get a train. There is a definite demand for connections to Twyford station but I’d have preferred to see a service taking in more of Wokingham so people can catch a bus near home and travel direct to the station.


Procurement Proposal
Local Bus Service Improvement

 

[markymark2000]

Wokingham Council has posted some very vague proposals that are to be put to tender for new services. Doesn’t seem very ambitious to me. The consultation feedback seems to suggest current services are well used, but outside of routes 3/4 in Wokingham Town that never looks to be the case.

They are proposing some kind of express service from Coppid Beech Park and Ride to Twyford Station. I can’t see many people driving to the P&R (in the wrong direction for a lot of people) and then waiting for an infrequent bus to then get a train. There is a definite demand for connections to Twyford station but I’d have preferred to see a service taking in more of Wokingham so people can catch a bus near home and travel direct to the station.


Procurement Proposal
Local Bus Service Improvement

They propose to retender the 127 Saturday service despite it largely duplicating commercial routes. This tender should have been removed or significantly amended a long time ago (and based off the usage stats they are giving, it's suggesting a usage of around 4 people per trip. 2,500 per year, over 52 weeks of the year, over 10 trips per day of operation, it's hardly worth running)