Bendy buses in the UK

[Mb3245]

I'm hoping to complete an up to date list, of all the routes/operators/places where bendy buses are operating (or have previously operated) in the UK.

I'l start off:
- Brighton : B&H bus company, route 25/X25, fleet of around 15-20 2007/08 Mercedes Citaro.

 

[overthewater]

Aberdeen has some on route 1/2 Not sure how much longer.

 

[THarris123]

I'm hoping to complete an up to date list, of all the routes/operators/places where bendy buses are operating (or have previously operated) in the UK.

I'l start off:
- Brighton : B&H bus company, route 25/X25, fleet of around 15-20 2007/08 Mercedes Citaro.

Bath - U1 First use 2 W reg Bendies and 3 55 reg Bendies (all B7LA) at peak hours
Cardiff - 3 55 reg B7LA Bendies are due to move their for an airport service run by First
Leeds - First still have FTRs, but are off the road
Manchester - First have Scania Bendies
Cornwall - a few Bendies used by First on Eden Project (3 Citaros I think)
Ravenhill/Swansea - First use FTRs on Uni services
Aberdeen - First have quite a few B7LAs up there
Air coach - First have Citaro Bendies for use on Air coach services

 

[GusB]

I remember artics being introduced by Grampian Regional Transport/First Aberdeen, mainly used on routes 1-4 (later 1 and 2)

K1GRT, Mercedes O405G
W2-7FAL Volvo B7LA
SV05DXC-Y Volvo B7LA

I'm not sure how many are left in service these days (I believe the Merc has been preserved).

Don't forget some of the earliest Artics in the UK, built for South Yorkshire PTE
DAK301-4T, MAN
C101-113HDT, Leyland DAB

These weren't technically legal in the UK at the time and SYPTE was granted special dispensation to run them. As far as I remember, I think the drivers needed to be HGV qualified.

 

[Volvodart]

Aberdeen has some on route 1/2 Not sure how much longer.

NO there is no plan to get rid of them before you start a runour.

 

[Dhassell]

Bath - U1 First use 2 W reg Bendies and 3 55 reg Bendies (all B7LA) at peak hours

They where replaced late last year with E400MMC's on the U1 and AXL400's on the U5

 

[Robertj21a]

Arriva - 6 on Leicester routes 80/A

 

[GaryMcEwan]

McGills still have 6 I believe in use on service 38 which were originally with First London. They did have more but the first batch they got have been withdrawn now I think.

3610 (LK05FCA)
3611 (LK05FCU)
3612 (LK05FCV)
3613 (LK05FCZ)
3614 (LK05FDF)
3615 (LK05FDJ)

 

[Swanny200]

The First Aberdeen/Grampian Mercedes bendi I'm sure is at the Grampian transport museum in Alford, I remember travelling on it once, one of the first Wright bodied bendies but a rarity in that it was a Merc chassis, not sure there were many Merc/Wright combinations after that were there?

 

[Robertj21a]

Luton, Parkway - 1 on GoAhead (ex-First) service to airport.

 

[GusB]

The First Aberdeen/Grampian Mercedes bendi I'm sure is at the Grampian transport museum in Alford, I remember travelling on it once, one of the first Wright bodied bendies but a rarity in that it was a Merc chassis, not sure there were many Merc/Wright combinations after that were there?

K1GRT was bodied by Alexander, but it was followed up a year later by a batch of rigid Mercs which carried Wright Cityranger? bodies (L501-14KSA). The M, N and P-reg batches were bodied by Optare. I hadn't actually realised how many they had until I looked up the list!

 

[causton]

In Hatfield, Uno have a couple that they use on the university shuttle service, they occasionally escape onto other services as well.

 

[BBC]

They where replaced late last year with E400MMC's on the U1 and AXL400's on the U5

Don't they still use them at peak times? thats what iv heard !

 

[Swanny200]

K1GRT was bodied by Alexander, but it was followed up a year later by a batch of rigid Mercs which carried Wright Cityranger? bodies (L501-14KSA). The M, N and P-reg batches were bodied by Optare. I hadn't actually realised how many they had until I looked up the list!

I always thought Alexander bodied it on behalf of Wright, as it is an Alexander Cityranger when the Cityranger was a Wright product, also sure it alsuisse (sp?) construction which Wright had the licence for at the time.

 

[ooo]

Until last year CT Plus operated some ex London Citaros on the Portway and Brislington Park and Ride however these have now been replaced with First operated Enviro 400 Mmcs

 

[mlambeuk]

York uses citaraos on Park and ride routes 2, 3, 8 and sometimes 7.

 

[GusB]

I always thought Alexander bodied it on behalf of Wright, as it is an Alexander Cityranger when the Cityranger was a Wright product, also sure it alsuisse (sp?) construction which Wright had the licence for at the time.

That may well have been the case - I really couldn't be 100% sure. I had assumed that the Alexander offering was based on their Strider body, which was being fitted to other chassis at the time. I hadn't even noticed until now that Alexander and Wright had used the same Cityranger name! (I've also just realised that we're talking about events from 25 years ago - where has all the time gone?!)

On another note, it's interesting that McGills should be running artics - the original McGills of Barrhead used a few of the ex-South Yorkshire Leyland DABS for a time, although I have no idea which services they were used on.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Cardiff has some for the 6 (601-604) and the 17/18 (605-619).

 

[KendalKing]

Aberdeen has some on route 1/2 Not sure how much longer.

I thought that E500's, had replaced the Bendis, last year.

 

[KendalKing]

Leeds - First still have FTRs, but are off the road
Manchester - First have Scania Bendies
Cornwall - a few Bendies used by First on Eden Project (3 Citaros I think)
Ravenhill/Swansea - First use FTRs on Uni services
Aberdeen - First have quite a few B7LAs up there
Air coach - First have Citaro Bendies for use on Air coach services

The Manchester ones are based at Bury, and normally used on service 135 Bury - Manchester, and sometimes on the 471 Bolton - Rochdale.

Please note, that Bury depot is due to close in April, and the Bendis move to another depot.

 

[urpert]

There are a couple of ex-London Citaro Gs on the Waddesdon Manor car park shuttle.

 

[tbtc]

Since the OP mentioned previous routes, I've listed a few below (also, GoAhead ran/run a few around Gateshead)

Leeds - First still have FTRs, but are off the road

The original (T-reg?) bends were used on the 1 from Beeston to Holt Park.

ftrs were initially used on the 4 from Seacroft to Pudsey

Don't forget some of the earliest Artics in the UK, built for South Yorkshire PTE
DAK301-4T, MAN
C101-113HDT, Leyland DAB

These weren't technically legal in the UK at the time and SYPTE was granted special dispensation to run them. As far as I remember, I think the drivers needed to be HGV qualified.

Originally used on the 500 ("City Clipper") - and presumably the 700 ("Early Bird" - though I was never up early enough to see it in those days!).

The service was later replaced by the 501 (Sheffield - Meadowhall) which became the 501/502 (Batemoor - Sheffield - Meadowhall).

Rotherham did use bendis on the 69 (Sheffield - Rotherham) and I think there was a period of using them on the Sheffield - Dearne Valley routes (X91?) but that's kind of before my time.

 

[Deerfold]

Bradford used bendies on the 607 Holme Wood to Thornton and 617/618 Holme Wood to Allerton for several years until 2004.

 

[randyrippley]

Lancaster
Years ago Stagecoach used their first three there on City-University services. For one day until the council and police told them to get rid..........
They couldn't cope with the tight turns on the one way system and caused a fair bit of damage to the street furniture.
Arrived on the friday, were used on the saturday (University introductory week - busiest weekend of the year for Lancaster traffic), banned on the sunday, sent to London on the monday

 

[Busaholic]

The routes they were used on in London were, in no particular order, the 507, 521, 436, 453, 12, 18, 25, 38, 73, 149, 207, 29.

 

[Volvodart]

I thought that E500's, had replaced the Bendis, last year.

Just the non DDA ones and one which just made the DDA requirements by age but was beyond economic repair.

 

[90sWereBetter]

NXWM had a large fleet of Mercedes and Scanias. The Mercedes ones have long since gone (they were T reg iirc), but I think the Scanias are still in service. Anyone confirm?

 

[Greenback]

There are some bendy buses parked up in Llanelli. Only last week I was asked as I was walking nearby if I knew how to contact the company because the man who approached me wanted to buy some! I had ot check I hadn't picked up a First Cymru coat by mistake, it seemed a bit random

 

[Swanny200]

I'm surprised the Grampian Merc bendy was only a one off, I'm not sure in total how many actual Wright/Volvo bendi's were made either, I know the citaros were made in their hundreds (unless Mercedes had been making it for so long that Wright felt it was too late in the game for them and stopped) I think the Wright FTR was the last one they made?

 

[GusB]

Have a look on Bus Lists on the Web under the chassis lists section. There aren't separate lists for the artics, but if you click on the B10L and B7L lists you'll see there are quite a few.