Unfortunately you are both correct.
I live in the area and haven't seen any Arriva open-toppers since a few years before the pandemic.
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Best Open-Top Bus Route You've Been On
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I live in the area and haven't seen any Arriva open-toppers since a few years before the pandemic.
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peterblue
Member
There's nothing open top in Rhyl or Southport now.
The Keswick O/T 78 route is nice, although I would say the 77/77A via Catbells is more scenic than the 78 via the main road.
I would agree with TheGrandWazoo that the best O/Ts are the ones that First run in Somerset/Dorset/Devon/Cornwall. It's been a few years since I was last at Weymouth but I don't remember any of the Jurassic Coasters being open top. Is that a recent addition?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Weymouth's open top operations in Southern National days were Portland Bill and Bowleaze Cove. Under First, it dwindled to a one bus Portland operation. However, Portland was improved a few years ago and in 2021, the open top X52 from Wool to Bridport was introduced as an overlay to the existing closed top, year round services.
Goldfish62
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Pretty much unbeatable.
Mikey C
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The Needles Breezer isn't just a nice scenic journey, it's also a very useful public transport connection around the west of the IoW. Indeed it was by far the best way for me to get to my B&B from the Yarmouth ferry!
The New Forest Tour routes are very good. So far I’ve only done the green and blue routes around the Beaulieu and New Milton areas respectively, but hoping to do the red route which covers the northern half of the forest this year. There’s a bit of route that goes underneath the Ampress low bridge near Lymington, and hence you are instructed to remain seated!
One for the historians:
It would be around 1990. An open-top bus being used on a route passing through Rotherhithe towards London. I was on my way to work on a weekday morning around 8 am and seeing the open top bus approaching, I chose the bus over the tube (East London Line).
I caught it at Rotherhithe Station and left at Tower Bridge. It was a cold morning but I still sat on the top deck. I cannot recall the colour scheme; it might have been blue and not London Transport red.
Was the garage short of buses on the day or the week, and the open top bus hired in or substituted for what is a the fairly mundane service? Today the service is the 381.
Was the use of the open-top double decker bus reported in any of the bus magazines?
It would be around 1990. An open-top bus being used on a route passing through Rotherhithe towards London. I was on my way to work on a weekday morning around 8 am and seeing the open top bus approaching, I chose the bus over the tube (East London Line).
I caught it at Rotherhithe Station and left at Tower Bridge. It was a cold morning but I still sat on the top deck. I cannot recall the colour scheme; it might have been blue and not London Transport red.
Was the garage short of buses on the day or the week, and the open top bus hired in or substituted for what is a the fairly mundane service? Today the service is the 381.
Was the use of the open-top double decker bus reported in any of the bus magazines?
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Bungle158
Member
Has to be the Combined Red and Blue route ticket in Cape Town. A drive through the city and a run out along the peninsula. Spectacular scenery and comfortable buses.
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Those in the New Forest run quite nice routes.
Wychwood93
Member
Certainly agree - see: https://www.morebus.co.uk/about-NFT the map on the link shows where the routes overlap. Familiar territory for Mrs. Wychwood and myself as we live near Christchurch - trains to New Milton, Brockenhurst and Ashurst are handy.
IIRC you can also board the Green route from Beaulieu Road station, which might be worth a try if you enjoy ticking remote stations off the bucket list.
Wychwood93
Member
Thank you - forgot that one!
341o2
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New Forest Tour starts July 1, and finishes September 17th. The 1A to Somerford is hardly a scenic route, but the two newly branded Breezer buses (1812/3) have appeared on it, with open top.
I vote for Breezer 50, crossing the chain ferry, past Studland (but the ferry has suffered several breakdowns over the past few years, which means the 50 terminates at Studland and from Bournemouth runs to the ferry terminal at Sandbanks.
The best open top bus - the three converted Bournemouth trolleybuses, when Bournemouth was a nice town , before it became the dump it currently is
I vote for Breezer 50, crossing the chain ferry, past Studland (but the ferry has suffered several breakdowns over the past few years, which means the 50 terminates at Studland and from Bournemouth runs to the ferry terminal at Sandbanks.
The best open top bus - the three converted Bournemouth trolleybuses, when Bournemouth was a nice town , before it became the dump it currently is
Definitely one of the strengths of First especially in the south west is their commitment and passion of open top routes.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
They certainly have focused on that aspect. IIRC, the Kernow fleet was down to about 6 or 7 vehicles, Dorset had 2 vehicles, and there was nothing in Somerset. Compare that to now where Kernow has 22, Dorset has 12 (plus the three SD open decks), and 11 in Somerset (incl. Weston).
They did kiss quite a few frogs and not all turned into princes (e.g. Lizard, Exeter) but they've had some notable successes, not least Exmoor Coaster. Shows a level of entrepreneurial spirit and marketing flair that Arriva could never contemplate.
A few years ago I rode with Ulsterbus from the Giant's Causeway to Portrush via Bushmills - service 177 I think it was and a very scenic run along the Antrim Coast. My earliest memory is of the Weston-super-Mare sea front service using pre-war Bristol Ks and most recent is Stagecoach Devon 95 from Exmouth to Sandy Bay, both of these mostly urban.
Flange Squeal
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Assuming the "Hants & Surrey Bus Blog" open top bus compilation is correct, it would appear that Arriva are absent from open top operation on a national basis. It also only makes mention of the Tenby open topper, with the Swansea Bay News quoting the following regarding Mumbles:
Hants & Surrey Bus Blog open top list: https://handsbusblog.wordpress.com/open-top/
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Thanks for the update on First Cymru. To be honest, they are still dropping journeys around Bridgend (just had a check on their twitter) so not running the Porthcawl route does make sense.
CBlue
Member
At a guess, either Ensignbus or Cityrama would have operated that. Both ran normal tendered London Buses service routes alongside tour routes around that time.
I've done that one in the daytime
I realise I have joined this discussion very late but my top 3 are:
1) Exmoor coaster
2) Keswick to Borrowdale 78
3) Lands End coaster
Combination of scenery and operations, I do like the routes which are genuine A to B people carriers as well as the pure ‘tourists’.
Not done Weymouth to Bridport on an open top, worth a try. I did even get the family on a return trip on a VR Weymouth to Portland Bill many years ago and that was very good.
1) Exmoor coaster
2) Keswick to Borrowdale 78
3) Lands End coaster
Combination of scenery and operations, I do like the routes which are genuine A to B people carriers as well as the pure ‘tourists’.
Not done Weymouth to Bridport on an open top, worth a try. I did even get the family on a return trip on a VR Weymouth to Portland Bill many years ago and that was very good.
Goldfish62
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Agreed, and certainly in the case of 2 and 3 above they are important local bus services in their own right.
80073
Member
Another late entry. From a nostalgic point of view, my choice has got to be the Eastern National and Southend Corporation Transport routes 67 and 68 running along the Southend sea front in the 1960s.
If I was fortunate, one came along to take me to West Leigh School along London Road, Leigh. Us boys would always try to grab leaves from trees along the route! This was a worry for our mothers in case we got pulled from the bus! And, of course, there was the game of seeing if you could touch the Pier Bridge.
I also got a thrill from see on TV 'topless' buses, from Southend and elsewhere, at horse races, where they served as mini-grandstands.
I was delighted to come across the attached photo from Mike Beamish's website at mikesbuspages(used with permission). It was taken in 1963 outside Highlands Methodist Church where my parents were married and I attended Cubs and then Scouts. Happy Days!
If I was fortunate, one came along to take me to West Leigh School along London Road, Leigh. Us boys would always try to grab leaves from trees along the route! This was a worry for our mothers in case we got pulled from the bus! And, of course, there was the game of seeing if you could touch the Pier Bridge.
I also got a thrill from see on TV 'topless' buses, from Southend and elsewhere, at horse races, where they served as mini-grandstands.
I was delighted to come across the attached photo from Mike Beamish's website at mikesbuspages(used with permission). It was taken in 1963 outside Highlands Methodist Church where my parents were married and I attended Cubs and then Scouts. Happy Days!
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It also culminates in some impressively high-risk driving around hairpin bends up to the top of the Needles and back down again; superb! Another vote from me!
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kijeta
Member
Apparently Cardiff Bus just purchased an open top Scania for their 99 route this summer, no more borrowing from Reading!
Bertiethebobby
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Recently been on the Exmoor Coaster from Lynmouth to Minehead and return.
Some pretty impressive driving, especially through the narrow roads and the steep hills, not to mention the 2 hairpins on Porlock hill.
My question, do the buses just rely on normal brakes and engine braking. It stayed in a very low gear when going downhill, the engine revving quite high,
I'd always assumed that automatic geared buses disengaged when on the overrun but this didn't. I'm just wondering if they have been modified for the route, I couldn't detect any exhauster braking as some lorries and coaches have.
The brakes smelt pretty hot at the bottom of Porlock hill I have to say!
Also when ascending the steep hlls the engine kept trying to change up to the next gear which then slowed the bus down and it immediately changed down again and so on. I assume that there's no facility for the driver to override it to stay in a lower gear when ascending hills.
I didn't get a chance to speak to the drivers to ask them.
Some pretty impressive driving, especially through the narrow roads and the steep hills, not to mention the 2 hairpins on Porlock hill.
My question, do the buses just rely on normal brakes and engine braking. It stayed in a very low gear when going downhill, the engine revving quite high,
I'd always assumed that automatic geared buses disengaged when on the overrun but this didn't. I'm just wondering if they have been modified for the route, I couldn't detect any exhauster braking as some lorries and coaches have.
The brakes smelt pretty hot at the bottom of Porlock hill I have to say!
Also when ascending the steep hlls the engine kept trying to change up to the next gear which then slowed the bus down and it immediately changed down again and so on. I assume that there's no facility for the driver to override it to stay in a lower gear when ascending hills.
I didn't get a chance to speak to the drivers to ask them.
I was sent a photograph a year or two back (when the service was first launched, I believe) of one of the vehicles being stranded roadside with overheating front brakes; ISTR it was an Omnidecker. Whether modifications have since been carried out it would be interesting to know, but in answer to your question there will be a ‘retarder’ linked to the footbrake, but entirely separate to the brakes, and it is this which would provide the majority of the speed control on a long downhill section.
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