From the Editor

Another interesting week with some great contributions.

Pulhams have taken over the H2 with new buses

In this issue

Oxford Bus Group has named Tom Large as Engineering Director

FirstGroup has completed the acquisition of the RATP Dev Transit London operation

National Express has marked the 100th anniversary of the first long-distance coach service

Grahame Wareham memories of 337

The story of the 280 by Tony Bungay

Bromley South with Gavin Francis

Australia Museum by Nigel Eadon-Clarke

Readers Write

Fleet News & Developments

Oxford gets new Levante III for the 737

Andy Millwood from the West Midlands

Oxford Bus Group has named Tom Large as Engineering Director

Mr Large joins the growing Go-Ahead Group subsidiary from Stagecoach West, where he held the same position, and has also worked in senior engineering roles with Arriva.

He will be responsible for almost 500 vehicles across the Carousel Buses, City Sightseeing Oxford, Oxford Bus Company, Pulhams Coaches and Thames Travel fleets, with a growing number of battery-electric buses among those.

Mr Large brings 15 years’ experience in the bus industry. He is a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Bath and will be based at Oxford Bus Company’s Cowley depot.

Speaking about the appointment, Oxford Bus Group Managing Director Luke Marion says: “Tom has a proven track record of delivering improvements and excellence to engineering and operational departments in public transport.

“We are pleased to welcome Tom to our senior leadership team during a time of considerable growth for the group. His leadership will be an invaluable asset to our existing senior management team and colleagues across the group. We wish Tom every success in his new role.”

Mr Large adds that integration of policies, procedures and working practices as the Oxford Bus Group expands will be a key part of his work, along with ensuring that its engineering capabilities grow in line with services.

“I am really pleased to join Oxford Bus Group during a period of significant growth both operationally and environmentally through our successful electric vehicle rollout,” he continues. It currently has over 100 of those with Oxford Bus Company, and more are to follow with Pulhams later this year.

“Oxford Bus Group is at the forefront of the localised rollout of electric-powered public transport vehicles. Through our commitment to sustainable travel, we will continue to shape our maintenance policies and procedures to ensure an environmentally friendly future for the public transport sector.”

FirstGroup has completed the acquisition of the RATP Dev Transit London operation

First Bus London born as RATP Dev Transit purchase completes - routeone 

Andrew Webb

First made a return to TfL services in London when it completed the takeover of most RATP London operations on 28 February.  Passengers on DXE30358 are probably unaware of the change in ownership as it passes Isleworth war memorial on 2 March still displaying RATP names.  RATP retain control of the Original Tour sightseeing business

National Express has marked the 100th anniversary of the first long-distance coach service

Gavin Francis was in Maidenh ead and caught up with three participants.

   
Seen on February 24th.

National Express marks 100th anniversary of Greyhound service - routeone  

Grahame Wareham

CBP Issue 337 

H337 MWL971 1948 AEC Regent II with Weymann H30/26R body. Renumbered H871 in 1952 and withdrawn in January 1960 passing to PVD (dealer) Dunchurch. H871 was resold to Smiths, Reading in February 1960 joining sister bus H870 MWL970 and both received rear platform doors making them H30/26RD. Interestingly both of these buses were hired back to COMS between (22/2/63 & 8/4/63 H870); and (22/2/63 and 11/3/63 H87)1 to help out with the vehicle shortage due to damage caused by engines freezing solid through lack of anti-freeze H871 MWL971 was later sold to Token, Thatcham as a non-psv in July 1963.

There's some photos I have just scanned that should of been put with last weeks article referring to H336 (H870)MWL970 which I have included. It does actually relate to this weeks (issue337) as well as both buses went to Smiths Reading and were hired back to COMS during the bad winter of 1963!

       
     

337  337RJO  1963 AEC Renown 3B3RA with Park Royal H38/26R forward entrance body. Withdrawn in November 1973 and sold to W.North (dealer), Sherburn in Elmet, Leeds and later sold to Lloyd, Shouldham, Norfolk in December 1973.It later passed to Hornsby, Ashby, joining 332 & 335, in 1976. It then passed to Quigley, Derby in July 1977 and ended its days operating with McEwen, Shirebrook in October 1978, They disposed of it for scrap sometime in 1981. 

   
 

       

Nice that the weather has improved after what seemed like endless cold winds! Although spring officially is a few weeks away yet.

The story of the 280 by Tony Bungay

As you know Oxford Bus Company announced a number of changes from this week, including changing the service 280 to 400.

As the 280 number has been in use for over 50 years on the Oxford - Thame - Aylesbury corridor, though latterly Oxford - Thame only, other then when Arriva renumbered the service in 2024 to withdraw totally after 7 months.

I decided to try and get a few photos a couple of days before the change. all taken in Thame, the 280 at least went out in some style as all the vehicles I saw were Electric and in some cases a year old or less! 

      
A couple of different views showing 724,742,763,769 and 770.

Note photo of  742 passing Redline repainted former University of Wolverhampton, also Wright bodied, with a sign offering at first glance Free Beer!!!

As a further to my other e-mail Malcolm, thought I would include some vehicles that have appeared in the past on Service 280. 

Service 280 and before that renumbering in the early 1970's was operated by City of Oxford Motor Services. At one time that company had a small depot in Thame, but also outstationed Buses at the United Counties Depot in Aylesbury. In the 1970's the frequency on the Oxford - Thame - Aylesbury route was generally half hourly and the service continued through the City centre and onto Kidlington, and in Aylesbury alternate journeys were diverted to serve a local housing estate. To distinguish between the journeys they were numbered 280/282.

MAP changes in 1977 saw this arrangement being changed and all journeys became 280, either about this time or later the continuation to Kidlington ceased also.

In January 1982 the frequency from Oxford to Aylesbury was cut to hourly although there were additional short 280 workings to Thame from Aylesbury which combined with the alternate hourly 260 service via Long Crendon to Thame gave a half hourly frequency overall.

Most of the journeys to and from Oxford were operated from Cowley Road Depot, as I was informed that it was an increase in the fee for garaging vehicles at United Counties Aylesbury Depot that had led to these changes.

With the setting up of and later splitting away of the country routes of City of Oxford to South Midland, they operated the short 280 workings as well as the 260 and a few either early morning or late evening journeys to Oxford.

This arrangement continued to Deregulation when City of Oxford operated all journeys to and from Oxford. some numbered as 2, as once again the City service was extended to serve Thame and Aylesbury.

South Midland continued to operate the Thame 260/280 short workings for a year, running them out of Bicester depot. They withdrew from doing these journeys in 1987 with Luton and District (Aylesbury Bus) taking over these journeys.

In the early1990's evening and Sunday journeys on the 280 were operated by Motts Travel (Yellow Bus) operation.

     
Two of the photos here show the SN15 Plate Enviro 400's  a day or two after being put on the 280 in the then new Sapphire Branding.

In 1995 in an exchange of services between what was now LDT the Shires and Go Ahead who now owned City of Oxford. The whole operation of service 280 to Oxford passed to Aylesbury and the Vale.

A few years later having been acquired by Cowies the whole company was rebranded as Arriva. the first appearance of the new Arriva livery in Aylesbury was when a batch of Route branded Volvo Olympians with Northern Counties Bodywork were delivered.

As an aside to this piece service 260 which served a number of villages near Thame did have some journeys extended onto Oxford in the 1990's, again this come into Arriva operation, renumbered 110 it initially in part was operated by Redline who later operated the whole service.

Arriva in 2015 gave the 280 more upmarket Sapphire Branding with brand new Enviro 400, renumbering the service X7 in January 2024, announcing closure of Aylesbury Depot and withdrawal from the 280 5 or so months later! With the Oxford Bus Company announcing their introduction in June 2024 of a partial replacement numbered 280 in June 2024. 

Enclosed are photos of some vehicles that have appeared on this Service. any other readers who have additional photos or information or indeed corrections where needed are most welcome, 

Photos of Leyland Olympian/Alexander 232 need to be credited as The Bus Archive   

 

     

   

And one in Kingsbury Square Aylesbury at a publicity launch for the upgraded 280, a complete contrast to what happened 9 years later!

Incidentally probably the last time there was ever a Bus in Kingsbury Square! a previously very popular location for Bus photographs if the Sun was in the right place!!!! 

     London operations    

Bromley South with Gavin Francis

On Wednesday 27^th I went to Bromley South.

   
Route 138 changes operator from Metrobus to Stagecoach on Saturday 15th March and SE 267, 165 and 174 show the old order.

   
The Superloop Routes are proving very popular and the SL5 is no exception. Arriva ENX 6, ENX 8 and ENX 14
all look a bit weary and hopefully will be upgraded sometime in the future !

   
Go-Ahead are now running the Chinese BYD class on Rte 320 and these are shown by EBD 22, EBD 34 and EBD 28

 
Stagecoach repainted MMC 11066 and named it Selkent Diplomat last year and it was operating on Rte 261.

   
The most distinctive new buses in the area are the Irizar trams on Rte 358.
Personally I think they look terrible, more like something you would ride on at a Florida theme park.
I cannot see them lasting the rigors of London bus operation. Ie 6 and ie 8 show the new order
but even with the full allocation in stock they still have to be supported by E200s in this case SE 138.

Andrew Webb

Six new advert campaigns have taken to the capital's street in the past three weeks.  A trio of these are illustrated in these views taken on a sunny Old Kent Road on St David's Day.

 
Go Ahead's LT855 carries this advert for Vodafone. 

 
DKNY's latest campaign is 'New York Stories' - as seen on Transport UK's LT618

Also on the route was LT759 promoting Velo nicotine pouches which appears to have avoided the TfL ban on advertising tobacco and e cigarettes.
At the start of February a campaign for HSBC lasted a matter of days before being swiftly removed. 

The campaign has now been relaunched with Metroline's LT764 being one recipient. 
Seemingly identical to the previous campaign, it completes a trio of adverts on route 390 at Tottenham Court Road.

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From Nigel Eadon-Clarke

Brigit's Afternoon Tea Bus continued to offer new themed tours of London and the most recent was ‘Love Hearts’ to commemorate Valentine’s Day.

   
Nigel Eadon-Clarke was in Semley Place, Victoria to record the branding.

Australia Museum 

In January Nigel Eadon-Clarke made the long trip to Australia and included in his schedule was a trip to Sydney Bus Museum on Australia Day 26^th January 2025.

 

 
Gavin's pictures of these buses in London service.

Amongst the exhibits there are RT 3708 and RM 1708. The pictures show them leaving the museum for a road run. Also my not great quality picture of RT 3708 taken in Greenford in March 1976 and RM 1708 at Archway, I do not have a record of the date I took this one.