Transbus Enviro 200 prototype buses.

[railwaytrack]

Does anyone know what has happened to the five unique Transbus Enviro 200 prototypes? Is there any way to find out where they are or if they are scrapped?

Five of them were built in total:

• 101 - unregistered vehicle - diesel - sold to someone in Ireland but has now disappeared

• 102 - unregistered vehicle - hybrid - was seen at Redhill Bus Rally but has now disappeared

• 103 - GX56 BKY (S13 ETC) - diesel - was used by Buses Excetera but has now disappeared

• 104 - GX56 BKZ (S12 ETC) - hybrid - was used by Buses Excetera but has now disappeared

• 105 - SN54 GRU (S40 ETC) - diesel - was used by Buses Excetera but has now disappeared

Has anyone got any information on the current status of these five? Is there any way to check if a vehicle has been scrapped or still exists? I know that after Buses Excetera went bust almost all of their vehicles just disappeared with very few sold on to other operators so i wonder if they just sent them all to scrapyards? But i remember the last time the three vehicles that Buses Excetera had were seen was a few years before they went bust and they were all sitting at the back of a depot for a while in poor condition so maybe the three Buses Excetera examples (103/104/105) still exist rotting away in a yard somewhere?

There is a rumour that three people have told me that 102 (the unregistered one that was seen at Redhill Bus Rally many years ago and then never seen again) has actually been preserved. Three people have told me this including one Alexander Dennis employee. So maybe 102 does still exist. But i am not 100% sure. But if it has been preserved why is there zero information or photos of its preservation online? Can anyone confirm whether 102 is actually in preservation?

The first one built 101 is even harder to find out any information about. There is zero photos of it online. All that i know is that i was told it was sold to someone in Ireland many years ago but i am not sure what it was sold for or if it still exists. So who knows about this one.

If anyone has any information about these that would be great to know. These buses were really so unique and interesting. I hope that they still exist.

 

[Snow1964]

It’s over 3 years since Buses Etcetera ceased trading (was March 2019)

I have checked my LOTs fleet books for 2016, 2017, 2018 and none of those appear in buses etc fleet list, so at least 6 years since they disappeared

But it was heavily involved with Coaches etc and Atbus and all sorts of links were shown by the traffic inspector when they were struck off in July 2019. The companies were insolvent and wound up so there is a chance the buses were sold for scrap or parts. The strange interlinked set up is clear in the traffic commission summary (a long report which I have linked)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/821150/Written_Decision.pdf

 

[jammy36]

• 103 - GX56 BKY (S13 ETC) - diesel - was used by Buses Excetera but has now disappeared
Currently carrying S13ETC and listed as SORN by DVLA, last new logbook issued 19 March 2014

• 104 - GX56 BKZ (S12 ETC) - hybrid - was used by Buses Excetera but has now disappeared
Currently carrying S12ETC and listed as SORN by DVLA, last new logbook issued 19 March 2014

• 105 - SN54 GRU (S40 ETC) - diesel - was used by Buses Excetera but has now disappeared
Currently carrying SN54GRU and listed as SORN by DVLA, last new logbook issued 27 December 2016

The current vehicle tax status of the three Buses Excetera ones in red from DVLA. All three are recorded as 5900 cc diesels.

 

[railwaytrack]

It’s over 3 years since Buses Etcetera ceased trading (was March 2019)

I have checked my LOTs fleet books for 2016, 2017, 2018 and none of those appear in buses etc fleet list, so at least 6 years since they disappeared

But it was heavily involved with Coaches etc and Atbus and all sorts of links were shown by the traffic inspector when they were struck off in July 2019. The companies were insolvent and wound up so there is a chance the buses were sold for scrap or parts. The strange interlinked set up is clear in the traffic commission summary (a long report which I have linked)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/821150/Written_Decision.pdf

Many thanks for the information. Thank you for linking that document. That is very interesting to see. I have had a quick look through it but i will read it fully this evening as it is 40 pages long. I was always confused with how the companies were linked. Buses Excetera, Coaches Excetera, Surrey Excetera, Atbus, Velvet Buses, Western Greyhound, were all linked. In the early days i am pretty sure they had links to Countryliner and Sunray Travel too until they both went bust.

Well it seems unlikely the three buses still exist. Maybe they are still sitting in a yard somewhere. I checked the old Betchworth depot and the old Merstham depot and they are not in there. So who knows where else they may be if they do still exist.

I think finding information about these is like finding a needle in a haystack. It will be very difficult to track these down what happened to these unless i can find the right people.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Apr 2022 ==

The current vehicle tax status of the three Buses Excetera ones in red from DVLA. All three are recorded as 5900 cc diesels.

Many thanks for the information. I seem to remember being told the two hybrids were both converted to pure diesel. So all five are pure diesel now.

So to clarify if a vehicle has already been scrapped would it show as "SORN" or "UNTAXED" when you search? Or can scrapped vehicles show as either?

If the three Buses Excetera ones still exist and i am able to find them then i would seriously considering buying them for preservation.

 

[Snow1964]

The current vehicle tax status of the three Buses Excetera ones in red from DVLA. All three are recorded as 5900 cc diesels.

Just to be clear, SORN is not transferable, it is like vehicle tax, the new owner would need to apply for SORN status, even if previous owner had them SORN

SORN status doesn’t need to be renewed each year, but lapses if the vehicle is exported or scrapped (assuming the DVLA get notified)

I do not know if the DVLA ever validates its records against Companies House strike offs, or if a vehicle could be dumped, still recorded as SORN, and be registered to a now defunct entity.