Stevenage to lose it's SB 'SuperBus' services

[spuddie]

Just seen on the latest Intalink service changes that all the Stevenage SB routes are to be renumbered at the end of July losing their SB's...eg the SB1 becomes the 1.

https://www.intalink.org.uk/uploads/publications/1417.pdf

Under the Luton & District/Shires days their services were reumbered to just numbers but after Arriva took over Sovereign they changed the numbers back to SB's. Seems a shame as the SB1 has been that number since first introduced by London Country with yellow and blue SuperBus livered National's, Swifts and Merlins back in the 70's, it was the home of London Country's very first Leyland Nationals.

More info in this book: https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/embed?...linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_hFstzbRKMTEK5

 

[Busaholic]

Sorry, haven't read the links so hope this doesn't repeat information, but just to say the Blue Arrow service in Stevenage was the forerunner and this actually started in December 1969, the significance being that came prior to the splitting of London Transport so was under the aegis of LT Country Bus dept. I went on the first day, being a new LT employee on the bus side. The only time I've ever been to Stevenage!

 

[A0]

Just seen on the latest Intalink service changes that all the Stevenage SB routes are to be renumbered at the end of July losing their SB's...eg the SB1 becomes the 1.

https://www.intalink.org.uk/uploads/publications/1417.pdf

Under the Luton & District/Shires days their services were reumbered to just numbers but after Arriva took over Sovereign they changed the numbers back to SB's. Seems a shame as the SB1 has been that number since first introduced by London Country with yellow and blue SuperBus livered National's, Swifts and Merlins back in the 70's, it was the home of London Country's very first Leyland Nationals.

More info in this book: https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/embed?...linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_hFstzbRKMTEK5

There was a re-numbering done by London Country as well in the late 80s before the L&D takeover of Sovereign, they were re-numbered away from the 'SB' prefixes, and were numbered in a 1xx series - 121, 131 etc seems to ring a bell.

At that time I think the HCC contract routes retained their SB prefixes - from memory the SB10 operated by Chambers was one, the others would have been those with Jubilee SB7/8 ?

The problem with prefixes, particularly those where it is two character is you end up with 4 character route numbers e.g. SB10 which used to cause issues with the blinds.

 

[A0]

Sorry, haven't read the links so hope this doesn't repeat information, but just to say the Blue Arrow service in Stevenage was the forerunner and this actually started in December 1969, the significance being that came prior to the splitting of London Transport so was under the aegis of LT Country Bus dept. I went on the first day, being a new LT employee on the bus side. The only time I've ever been to Stevenage!

Don't worry - it hasn't changed much in 50 years - apart from the fact the buildings look tattier and more people seem to have tattoos.

And "Ted the Grass" aka Edward the Confessor next to the bus station is long gone - a place where all human life could be found.

 

[Busaholic]

Don't worry - it hasn't changed much in 50 years - apart from the fact the buildings look tattier and more people seem to have tattoos.

And "Ted the Grass" aka Edward the Confessor next to the bus station is long gone - a place where all human life could be found.

Is Barry Davies (if I remember the name correctly) still conducting buses there? Seeing 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush' made me immediately go out and apply for a bus conductor job: I thought I'd quite like some of that!

 

[Deerfold]

Is Barry Davies (if I remember the name correctly) still conducting buses there? Seeing 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush' made me immediately go out and apply for a bus conductor job: I thought I'd quite like some of that!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Evans_(actor) ?

 

[Busaholic]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Evans_(actor) ?

Barry Evans, indeed. I remember reading his obit somewhere (probably in the Independent) and was saddened to read of his later life.