places with old buses?

[Charlie2555]

At what places in the UK am I likely to see lots of old buses? By this I really mean anything pre-1997 and preferably step entrance buses. As most of you probably know, there is a deadline for all buses to be fully accessible to all which means the withdrawal of step entrance buses. I'm making it an aim to photograph as many if these old step entrance buses as possible before they disappear forever.

So really, any suggestions of where I am likely to see lots of old buses in regular service? Ones you can travel on are always nice! What companies out there have fleets which are particularly ageing? Like I said earlier, I mean pre - 1997 or step entrance buses of any date.

Thanks very much, I appreciate it!

 

[northwichcat]

GHA Coaches have a number of elderly buses but the older ones are mainly restricted to school/college services*. A548 HAC seems to be their oldest bus. Fleet list here: http://www.ghacoaches.co.uk/fleet_list.asp

* Although saying that some of those services are commercially operated and the timetables are publicly advertised e.g. http://www.ghacoaches.co.uk/Timetables/016MF12A.html so maybe they would allow non-scholars to travel on them even though the service wouldn't usually be much use to non-scholars.

 

[CC 72100]

So really, any suggestions of where I am likely to see lots of old buses in regular service? Ones you can travel on are always nice! What companies out there have fleets which are particularly ageing? Like I said earlier, I mean pre - 1997 or step entrance buses of any date.

Thanks very much, I appreciate it!

Having been down in Cornwall recently, I can certainly vouch for the fact that first keep hold of their vehicles till the death. Plenty of R/S/T reg buses, some deckers (ex-London) which still had their double door arrangement, a few Merc Varios/Plaxton Beavers etc. Not too sure how many were step entry though...

 

[83G/84D]

Having been down in Cornwall recently, I can certainly vouch for the fact that first keep hold of their vehicles till the death. Plenty of R/S/T reg buses, some deckers (ex-London) which still had their double door arrangement, a few Merc Varios/Plaxton Beavers etc. Not too sure how many were step entry though...

First Devon & Cornwall have a couple of old Vario's still going with a small number of step Dart's,ex London Tridents as well as elderly Olympians and some early Solo's.

Western Greyhound, despite their recent losses, still have some oldish Vario's and Summercourt Travel / Travel Cornwall have an old mixed fleet of vehicles.

Further afield First Hants and Dorset still have some older vehicles as do bristol & bath for the time being.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Cotswold Green seem to have quite a few older step-entrance buses, mostly single deckers and midibuses. The easiest place (with a railway station) would probably be Stroud. Or else (without a railway station) Cirencester.

When I was in Wolverhampton at about this time last year, several local independents (including the notorious Banga Bus, but several others as well) seemed to be running...well, old bangers, actually.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Green Bus Company, up until last month, ran MCw Metrobuses on service 558 Dudley to Wolverhampton Monday to Friday

 

[CROMPTON 33]

renown bexhill east sussex . all old buses p reg and over. stagecoach in hastings and eastbourne have N reg double deckers p reg single deckers in service.

 

[Ivo]

The oldest we have here are from early 1994, but you wouldn't know from their registrations (they're from Northern Ireland). There are about 20 Step Darts left between Bath and Bristol.

There are older buses in Weston-super-Mare; Crosville run several open top buses (e.g. Olympians) from the 1980s and earlier! A joy to behold...

 

[martinsh]

When I was in Wolverhampton at about this time last year, several local independents (including the notorious Banga Bus, but several others as well) seemed to be running...well, old bangers, actually.

Situation not much changed now. Besides Banga there is Travel Express who specialise in G & H reg Carlyle bodied step entrance Darts !

 

[90sWereBetter]

Nightingales Coaches still run a few Merc 709Ds on weekday services here in Lowestoft, many moons since First got rid of all theirs.

Still some P and R-reg Darts in service with First, but their days are very much numbered, as First have bought a load of Darts from the Isle of Jersey (WITH VIRTUALLY NO LEGROOM INSIDE WHATSOEVER ) and drip-feeding them into service. I'm surprised they've managed 15 years in service, because they are absolutely knackered inside, outside, and mechanically.

Other than that, there's a few Olympians that occasionally turn up on the Martham service, which includes the very last UK registered Olympian, W437CWX.

Is it wrong that I still consider R-reg to be quite new? Maybe it's because I remember these Darts in service when they were brand new. Maybe I'm just being old again.

 

[Charlie2555]

Wolverhampton sounds really good. I'm going up to Northamptonshire next week so I'll try to visit there. Where's the best place in Wolverhampton to see old buses? Is there a bus station?

 

[34D]

Halifax is worth a look too. Few HJC metrobuses and leyland olympians, couple of first Volvo olys

 

[anthony263]

First Cymru have a plaxton pointer step entrance dart operating around Port Talbot mostly on service 8 Margam - Port Talbot - Sandfields and service 1 Port Talbot - Brynbyddan.

First Cymru until last summer had Bristol VR MOD 571P operating the open top service to Mumbles sadly this bus has disapeared a few members on this forum missed out last summer. First Cymru still have the Volvo Olympians operating some of teh bus services to Neath College which can be used by the general public and they do occasionally appear on services from Glyneath/Ystradgynlais to Swansea

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Wolverhampton sounds really good. I'm going up to Northamptonshire next week so I'll try to visit there. Where's the best place in Wolverhampton to see old buses? Is there a bus station?

5 minute walk from the train station

 

[martinsh]

Halifax is worth a look too. Few HJC metrobuses and leyland olympians, couple of first Volvo olys

HJC are no longer running local bus services

 

[richw]

Pretty much all of First Kernow (now trading as of approximately 6 weeks ago as First Devon, Cornwall and Somerset!) double deckers down here are between K reg and T reg (most T reg are on private plates (Irish style)
Western Greyhound have bought out loads of their previously decommissioned vehicles which are older varios. Summercourt Travel have a wide variety of old buses (now t/a Travel-Cornwall)
Group Travel have a load of old step buses on their contracts as well (mainly supermarkets)

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Helms of Eastham/Aintree coachline around the Ellesmere Port/South Wirral area (Hooton, Willaston, Neston). They do have a number of new buses, but have a lot of old ones. They use the old ones mainly on school routes, I travel on one nearly every day. They range from ****ty olympians to really old B-reg ex Chester bangers. They are quite old and literally falling apart!

 

[northwichcat]

to really old B-reg ex Chester bangers.

You mean like this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisbell50000/6721855777/

I remember travelling on buses similar to that operated by First Bus around 8 years ago and thought that First Bus were squeezing the last ounce of life out of them.

But it's not in as bad as their Leyland National: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcw1987/5458622876/

 

[David Goddard]

There are (or at least were last summer) former P plate Volvo Olympians operating Open Toppers in Cambridge and Stratford upon Avon

New for this year, Stagecoach 16588 operates into Reading every schoolday:

1110 Aldershot to Reading arr 1230
1310 Reading to Swallowfield and return add 1400
1410 Reading to Swallowfield and return add 1500
1510 Reading to Fleet arr 1559

 

[martinsh]

Wolverhampton sounds really good. I'm going up to Northamptonshire next week so I'll try to visit there. Where's the best place in Wolverhampton to see old buses? Is there a bus station?

You can't miss bus station from rail station. But beware -

1) bus sta is useless for phtography
2) not all routes serve bus sta

When are you planning to be in Wolves ? I'll send you a PM

 

[Liam]

Arran - All step entrance buses.

 

[GazUk]

Stagecoach In Rugby have a few N and P reg double and single deckers doing the typical school services, sometimes they do break out onto a regular service though, i saw a N reg double decker on the 63 rugby to leamington route last week.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Arriva have a few P reg Olympians operating around Maidstone and a T reg dual door Trident.

Prestonbus have a few J reg Olympians though not out to play so regularly.

Classic Bus North West operate older vehicles on their route 22 in Blackpool.

..anywhere that First are thinking of pulling out from (Northampton, Leicester etc ) they tend to wheel in old crocks to cover services.

 

[northwichcat]

..anywhere that First are thinking of pulling out from (Northampton, Leicester etc ) they tend to wheel in old crocks to cover services.

It's the same where Stagecoach and Arriva plan to withdraw from areas, although I don't think Stagecoach or Arriva are planning any mass withdrawals on the same scale.

 

[Charlie2555]

Arriva have a few P reg Olympians operating around Maidstone and a T reg dual door Trident.

Prestonbus have a few J reg Olympians though not out to play so regularly.

Classic Bus North West operate older vehicles on their route 22 in Blackpool.

..anywhere that First are thinking of pulling out from (Northampton, Leicester etc ) they tend to wheel in old crocks to cover services.

So is First actually going to pull out of Northampton and Leicester? What kind of buses might I find there, do you know?

 

[MK Tom]

So is First actually going to pull out of Northampton and Leicester? What kind of buses might I find there, do you know?

See the First sell off thread for info on that, but Northampton still have three Volvo Citybuses (one in the older than old First livery and another with an East Lancs body) and Stagecoach have a ton of Olympians still kicking around Northampton and Bedford.

For a real treat can I recommend Aylesbury on a school day? You'll get about thirty olympians of varying ages and one or two other types as Bucks CC operate a network to ferry Grammar School pupils into town from neighbouring counties. Arriva still have a few Olympians there too, N-reg Northern Counties and S-reg Alexander Royale ones, and at the Arriva depot you'll find preserved G654UPP. Also High Wycombe is the centre of another such network and there are a few grandads still hanging on in the Carousel fleet.

 

[deltic1989]

(including the notorious Banga Bus, but several others as well)

I Googled that....You do not want to know what came up......(note to self. Safe Search ON while kids in room).

To add something useful to the discussion. Stagecoach East Midlands (Referring to Lincolnshire as aopposed to other areas covered) last I was in the area had maybe a dozen L reg Volvo Olympians scurrying about, but they seem to be going in favor of the standard issue Enviro 400.

 

[34D]

Helms of Eastham/Aintree coachline around the Ellesmere Port/South Wirral area (Hooton, Willaston, Neston). They do have a number of new buses, but have a lot of old ones. They use the old ones mainly on school routes, I travel on one nearly every day. They range from ****ty olympians to really old B-reg ex Chester bangers. They are quite old and literally falling apart!

You must be about the only person who claims to be interested in buses who apparently doesn't seem to like the older vehicles?

Bizarre. Your quote "literally falling apart" is nonsense, as the vehicle will receive a thorough check-over every six weeks from a person assessed as competent.

 

[Antman]

Although many have been withdrawn recently Arriva Southern Counties still have some P reg Darts and Olympians in all day service.

Stagecoach East Kent have a few 'oldies' as well.

 

[tbone]

Transdev York have quite a fleet of elderly deckers. It's not uncommon to see their Pullam/ Unibus deckers on the 844 betweek York and Leeds (ironically they're not allowed on the unibus route because they aren't step entrance). They've also got a comprehensive step entrance school fleet as well as a fair few elderly sightseeing buses.

In Derby, elderly deckers can often be seen running services for Notts and Derby. I think on Fridays during term time the Unibus decker runs on the 6 in Derby, the rest of the time it's on a run to the Buxton campus. The 17/17a and 73 aren't strangers to deckers.