Recent content by dlp_888

What a mess. The whole operation right now just screams low-budget, cheap. Look at the state of their ex-Trent Optare Tempo SR's with leftover bits of route branding (another idea that never worked), and their ex-London Scania double deckers with faded green/purple (vile) paintwork, many of...

Never one to complain about bustimes.org (i've been using it since it's very early days), but i do feel the addition of Flickr photos on the fleelist page is a bit unnecessary. Similarly the "special features" category (also "Name" and "Previous reg" etc.), all of which just cause bickering...

47680 is a recent transfer in from Colchester. 67752 and 67774 both off for MOT (plus a backlog of engineering work) explains some of the odd vehicle workings at the moment. A "non P&R branded" bus being allocated Ipswich Park & Ride work will quite often happen so that a certain bus with...

Bringing this one up-to-date once more (12/01/23). A further 6 Wright StreetDecks have now arrived with First Eastern Counties for allocation to Ipswich depot for the "Ipswich Reds" fleet. These are registered as follows: 35915 BN72 TVJ 35921 BN72 TVT 35922 BN72 TVU 35923 BN72 TVV 35924 BN72...

StreetDecks 35912 (BN72 TVD) and 35913 (BN72 TVE) arrived at Ipswich depot this afternoon (after initial delivery to Norwich), with a third due to be collected this evening. There will be one StreetDeck parked at Ipswich's Old Cattle Market bus station throughout tomorrow for driver training...

Yes and yes, although the 4 is just the Sunday service. Contracts transfer from Ipswich Buses to Ipswich Reds on 30/31 October 2022. The 14 will likely work-in with the recently gained 975 (Felixstowe-Nacton/Levington/Waldringfield-Kesgrave) school contract - i'd be expecting an additional...

Just bringing this one up to date a touch more. The new Wright StreetDecks for First Eastern Counties "Ipswich Reds" fleet started to arrive yesterday (20/09/22), with initial delivery to Norwich for certification, vinyl application etc. See link below for photos...

9 due. 5 have already made the move - they'll be painted and refurb'd before entry into service.

Ipswich needs Volvo saloons to operate the "mainline 66" Ipswich-Martlesham Heath service that has a short section of guided busway through Kesgrave - only Volvo or Scania chassis can be equipped with guidearms/guidewheels. The current vehicles that operate this route, 05-plate B7RLEs...

The remaining Streetlites are due for Solent, aren't they? I read somewhere that they're expecting some (20?) by the Spring to upgrade the Eclipse network, releasing E200MMCs for use elsewhere.

The (long overdue) network review in 2018 was a step in the right direction, however it didn't go far enough - there are still some obvious gaps in the network where areas are poorly connected, often this results in the need to "change buses" in the town centre which could so easily be avoided...

Cut the route into two - Ipswich Buses operating a 91 Ipswich-Hadleigh, and Chambers (based in Sudbury) running the Sudbury-Gt Cornard-Hadleigh section (maybe as a "791"?), with buses timed to connect at Hadleigh Magdalen Road. The Ipswich Buses part would certainly fit in nicely with their...

Ipswich update at 06/08/20. Transfers out: Enviro 200 44908/44909 to Norwich Transfers in: 43846 Dart/Plaxton MPD from Chelmsford (as a spare for short-Enviro 200s 44928/45119). Repaints: B7TL/ALX400 32492/32493 in "Stowmarket Swift" branding https://flic.kr/p/2jr8KDJ B7RLE 66959 in...

Another vote for the Optare Delta... https://flic.kr/p/nadwzy also the Optare Spectra. https://flic.kr/p/i5Dup4

12 of Ipswich Buses Roe-bodied Leyland Atlantean's managed just under 24 years service, purchased new in January 1977 and being replaced by Dennis Dart/East Lancs Spryte's in November 2000. Real solid, reliable machines they were - could easily have lasted a lot longer, as was proven by open-top...