Issue nr 351
Wednesday, June 11th 2025

Past Issues : https://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/ 

From the Editor

A different week with some interesting items featured throughout.

Not so many pictures from our local operators.

In this issue

Oxford congestion charge planned for city centre traffic

London: Harry Potter Film Locations Sightseeing Bus Tour

Richard Sharman's recent observations

Grahame Wareham recalls OBC 351

Amersham & District Motorbus Society at Dorking

London update Part 2 by Gavin Francis

Travels with Thomas Walker-Werth

Adrian Small - recent trips

Andy Millwood was at the Ribble bus event in Morecambe

London sightings

Colin Pidgeon from Southampton

Gordon Scott in Edinburgh

Keith Briant at Nuneaton

Tony Bungay in the Yorkshire Dales 

 

 

Oxford congestion charge planned for city centre traffic

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/25224685.plans-introduce-temporary-congestion-charge-oxford/

About us - Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel

http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/2092/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/2092/pub/2092/page/23/article/NaN

  Oxfordshire County Council has said it is considering charging drivers to enter Oxford City Centre, as part of temporary measures to reduce traffic. This is a major step for the city whichm will/ not pl/ease everyone.

Motorists would need to pay online or by phone and would have until midnight the day after they enter the city to pay. The charge would be payable all year round, including on bank holidays.

https://www.roads.org.uk/blog/oxfords-ground-zero 

London: Harry Potter Film Locations Sightseeing Bus Tour
London: Harry Potter Film Locations Sightseeing Bus Tour - Londoner Buses

Travel aboard the “MagicBus” and we’ll show you the essential Harry Potter filming locations in the city. There’s photo stops too, you can choose your Hogwarts House and there’s an interactive quiz.
Wands at the ready, first choose your Hogwarts House and then we’ll take you on a two-hour tour of the City’s most essential Harry Potter filming locations from Gringotts Wizarding Bank to Diagon Alley & Lambeth Bridge.
There’s photo-stops on route including the Leaky Cauldron and Great Scotland Yard & Horse Guards Parade – will you get flushed into the Ministry of Magic?

Time	Magicbus Route
1400	Depart Embankment eastbound. Turn left into Temple Place and left into Surrey Street. View Australia House (Gringotts bank interior)
1405	Turn right into Fleet Street past the Law Courts (Old Cock Tavern) (Poppin Court - Mary Poppins)
1410	Cross Ludgate Circus towards St. Pauls (Old Bailey) and (St Pauls steps) and into Cannon Street view The London Stone at (1419)
1420	Into Eastcheap (The Monument) onto Tower Hill
1423	Pass the Tower of London. Turn left into Minories, left into Aldgate High Street continue into Leadenhall Street
1430	Stop opposite The Leadenhall building (St Mary Annex - Stop Z) and park for 15 mins. Alight and walk to Leadenhall Market and view that and The Leaky Cauldron
1445	Depart and turn left into Gracechurch Street. Continue south and cross London bridge (1450). Pass entrance to Borough Market and turn right into Southwark Street (1455)
1500	Continue into Stamford Street and arrive at the BFI roundabout at Waterloo station. Straight across into York Road. At roundabout at the rear of Waterloo station cross into Lambeth Palace Road and pass St. Thomas’ hospital
1515	At next roundabout turn right and cross Lambeth bridge (scene of the Knight bus squeezing between two other buses)
1518	Turn right onto Millbank
1519	Arrive at Parliament Square and cross into Whitehall (North bound). Turn right into Whitehall Place and immediately stop on the left (1520). Alight and walk to the 2 entrances to the Ministry of Magic, one in Horse guards Avenue and one in Great Scotland yard
1535	Depart and turn left into Northumberland Avenue and immediately left again into Great Scotland yard and then right into Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square
1545	Into Cockspur Street and then into Lower Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus. Cross into Shaftesbury Avenue to Cambridge Circus (1550)
1552	Pass theatre showing The Cursed Child and turn right into Charing Cross Road towards Trafalgar Square (1557)
1558	Cross Trafalgar Square into Northumberland Avenue at the bottom view the tree in Embankment Gardens that inspired The Weeping Willow turn left onto The Embankment (1603) tour ends

Pictures by Nigel Eadon-Clarke and Gavin Francis

      
       
 


GF

A fascinating opportunity for a different sort of day.Ed.

 

Richard Sharman's recent observations

Pulhams have recently put two new ADL Enviro200MMCs into service on the H2 service, which coincided with the route change linked with Oxford Bus Company's 700 service from the 18th of May. 

80593 is pictured at Thornhill Park & Ride site and passing through Summertown on the way to Witney. 

The 700 now operates from Kidlington to Blackbird Leys via the hospitals, and no longer serves Thornhill Park & Ride. This increases the number of journeys along the 100 route from Blackbird Leys to the JR.

To replace the 700 service between Oxford hospitals and Thornhill Park & Ride, the H2 route has now been extended to service the Park & Ride site Monday to Friday, it retains the normal line of route at weekends, as does the 700.

 

This change has resulted in a Peak Vehicle Requirement increase on the H2, hence the additional vehicles, with at least six now used instead of four.  

The revised 700 service now means that Kidlington has a bus service to Cowley and Blackbird Leys, without having to change in the City. 80768 is seen passing through Summertown towards Blackbird Leys.

MCV Evora 80807 represents the more standard fare on the H2 service, with the heavy duty Volvo B8RLE chassis.  

Grahame Wareham for O&CBP Issue 351

L351 MWL985  1948 AEC Regent III with NCB L30/26R low-bridge body, renumbered L127 in 1952. Withdrawn 2/61 and sold to PVD (dealer) Dunchurch in May 161 passing to Churchbridge, Cannock as their #2 the same month and was withdrawn in June 1967 and presumably scrapped.

       

351 CFC351C  1965 AEC Renown 3B3RA with Park Royal H38/27F low-height forward entrance body. 351 was allocated to Thame depot for most of its early life and was converted to OMO in 1971 but its use as such was short lived due to acoustic problems with the communication with passengers during the taking of fares. 351 was re-allocated to Cowley Road Garage from 1974 and finally withdrawn in August 1976. It was sold for scrap to Paul Sykes Organisation Wakefield Road Barnsley being broken up by A. Barraclough Carton upon receipt.

       

351 R1OXF  2013 Volvo B5LH / Wright Gemini 2  H45/27F low-height body fitted with aircon in upper saloon. This was the first of a batch of nineteen buses with Wright's new low-height body and were series parallel diesel electric hybrids where the first gear selection put the bus into full electric mode whist the batteries had sufficient charge from the generator. Also attached to the engine was a manual six speed gearbox with a ZF I-shift automatic servo operated gearchange through the ZF ECU. The buses were quite slow on standing start compared with normal fluid flywheel start offs and in my experience were a bit of a pain at roundabouts when the engine cut out and decided to use the electric drive in first gear............I just looked the other way when the hooting started as there was nothing you could do about it. As these buses started to age after about five years the gear linkage from the servo unit started to wear and incomplete gear selection meant that gearbox teeth suffered meshing problems and dropped the drive out of the output shaft. New gearboxes were then the order of the day but they were a more labour intensive bus to operate than a conventional diesel Scania or ADL Enviro. When delivered 351-369 were all painted in City red and were initially shared between 2 and 5 road duties. During March 2021 351 was repainted into an ultramarine blue livery, along with 352 & 353, and rebranded for City 13 services then later for City 35. In 2024 the arrival of new Wright EV's and  meant that the B5LH's were to be cascaded to other Go-Ahead subsidiary operating companies Go-North West being the chosen operator of this type, however politics changed and First Group;s Queens Road depot operation swapped with Stagecoach and 351 and its sisters all became Transport for Greater Manchester buses and numbered in the Stagecoach series, 351 becoming 13176 still sporting its OBC City 35 blue at the time of writing. It was re-registered by OBC to OE62ZRF before departure up north.

     
 

Another detailed record of times past. Ed. 

The "Dorking Running Day" you're likely referring to is a classic bus running day hosted by the Amersham & District Motorbus Society at Dorking railway station. The most recent Dorking Running Day was on Sunday, March 27, 2022. The next Dorking Running Day is planned for Sunday, June 1, 2025. 

Nigel Eadon-Clarke

Nigel's pictures from Dorking Running Day Sunday, June 1, 2025. 

     
     
     
 

 A lovely turnout Ed.   

London Update May 5^th (Part 2) by Gavin Francis

The 297 dropped me off at Ealing Broadway, this is not the easiest place to get good pictures particularly when the sun is shining with the overhanging trees.

   
Ealing Broadway is another place where electric buses are becoming more common. First BCE 47068 on Rte 65,
Transport UK 1708 on Rte E7 and First BE 37095 on Rte 226.

   
The old order is still represented with Metroline in the form of TE 1444 on Rte E9, VW 1064 on Rte E2 and VW 1373 on Rte E1.

   
National Express run a feeder service for University of West London into Ealing Broadway Station.  
3 buses in use were SK15HBF, YX19OTU and of local interest BF68ZFA which was originally used by Stewarts of Reading on their local Bath Road, Slough route.

It was then onto the District and Piccadilly Lines to Hounslow East and a walk to the Bus Garage.

Many years ago the forecourt of Hounslow Bus Garage was also the Bus Station but now it is only used as a standing area for buses between services. Three of the big London groups are represented there, Metroline, First and Transport UK.

   
Metroline Buses VWH 2346 (Rte 222), VWH 2282 (Rte 81) and VWH 2283 (Rte 120)

     
First Buses shown are VH 45298 (Rte 203), BE 37070 (Rte 235), VH 45256 (Rte 423), VH 45345 (Rte 116) and finally LT 669 still show RATP ownership.

   
Transport UK 2417 (Rte  H32), also on Rte H32 LT 152 and 3001 (Rte 111)

      
 LT 152, Oxford Street, Kings Cross and Marble Arch.

This is a complete change of career for LT 152 as it started life on Rte 10 as a crew operated bus and is seen in Oxford Street on 9^th April 2015 and shows the rear door open. Like similar routes Rte 10 was changed to be one person operated and LT 152 was used as an overall wrap bus. It was used twice for Coca-Cola the first time at Kings Cross on 8^th December 2015 and again at Marble Arch on 12^th September 2016. It was also used to promote Kettle Bites and again is at Marble Arch this time on 23^rd May 2016.

Training buses are regularly seen all over London and in this case RATP 90013 is shown.

Finally it was back on the Piccadilly Line to Ruislip and home. 

Travels by Thomas Walker-Werth

 I visited Leighton Buzzard yesterday evening to see the new Centrebus-operated "Buzz" local routes, Red Rose's new routes 150 and 165, and the renumbered Arriva X2 (formerly F70), all of which changed this weekend.

Photos here: https://mktom.smugmug.com/2025/June-2025/UK-Bus-Other-Transport-June-2025 

(you're welcome to download as many as you like for the site, with a link so people can see the rest)

 

Adrian Small's recent trips

Stratford-upon Avon and Leamington Spa 

    Ridley's, Leamington Spa

      
YT09 YHO Scania N270UD/East Lancs, seen in Stratford-upon-Avon, originally Nottingham 968.

       - 
YX70 OLR Alexander Dennis E400MMC seen in Stratford-upon-Avon. 

    Stagecoach Midland Red

        -
80073 (SK74 AOL) Alexander Dennis E40EV on route X19 in Stratford-upon-Avon.

         -
80056 (SK74 BEJ) Alexander Dennis E40EV on route 15 in Leamington Spa.

       
80065 (SK74 BFM) Alexander Dennis E40EV on route 58 in Leamington Spa.

        -
63000 (YD21 NGE) Yutong E10 working for NAtionbal Grid, at Leamington Spa Railway Station. 

Maidenhead 

    Thames Valley

        7 -
668 (YX17 NXA) Alexander Dennis E20D on the Foundation Park shuttle in their livery. 

    Carousel

       
80514 (YX70 OLO) Alexander Dennis E20D on route 127 in the 'Country' livery

      
80541 (YX69 NRV) Alexander Dennis E20D on route 7A, originally Nottingham 309.

        
80540 (YX69 NRU) Alexander Dennis E20D on route 9, originally Nottingham 308.

Croydon 

    Go-Ahead London

       
WVL339 (LX59 DDY) Volvo B9TL/WT on route SL7 in Superloop livery. 

    Arriva London

       
ENX18 (LJ12 BYD) Alexander Dennis E20D on route SL5 in Superloop livery.

       
- ES145 (LY24 FWN) Wright StreetDeck Electroliner on route 50.

 Bromley 

    Go Ahead London

       
EBD33 (LF74 UAL) BYD B11 on route 320. 

    Stagecoach London

        5 -
LT120 (LTZ1120) Wright New Routemaster on route SL3 in Superloop livery.

      
80410 (SK25 AOL) Alexander Dennis E40EV on route SL3 in Superloop livery.

        -
80403  (SK25 AOC) Alexander Dennis E40EV on route SL3 in Superloop livery. 

    Go-Ahead London

       
IE12 (LJ74 BRZ) Irizar ie-Tram on route 358.

        
IE7 (LJ23 FHU) Irizar ie-Tram on route 358.

A most interesting report. Ed.

Andy Millwood was at the Ribble bus event in Morecambe 18th May

Doncaster Corporation AEC Regent V

Barrow 169 Leyland PD2

London Transport RT 

West Yorkshire Road car Bristol KSW6B

Blackpool Corporation Leyland PD3A

Ribble The White Lady 17012

Clyde Lodekka

Fishwick Atlantean

Morecambe and Heysham AEC Regent

Ribble Leyland

This brings back memories for your Editor who drove in the north west in the 1960s. Ed  

  Coach Visitors to Oxford 

David Beynon

OMC Global YX24OVW seen in Magdalen Street on June 9th. 

     Fleet News and developments   

Tony Bungay

 I was High Wycombe today, upon boarding a Bus there I looked round
and saw that Arriva is still on display despite exiting the area nearly 11 months ago!

Grahame Wareham with other OBC Group news 

I had occasion to visit Thames Travel at Didcot this week and noticed three Mercedes Citaro's parked in the yard together with the remaining ex London General/Metrobus Euro 6 '65 plate Citaro 0295's awaiting their trip to Hants & Dorset trim for refurbishment, (MEC53;55;59;66;67 & 69). Two of these three were of the 09 reg. plate batch (MEC7 & MEC20) similar to the 876-883 batch at Carousel, which originally operated in London Red Arrow on the 507 service, also three further members of the batch are now OBC driver trainers 964-966. The third Citaro is a 0295 Euro 6 version that was originally new to APCOA Luton Airport Parking as their B3 and registered BX64WHK. It was newly repainted in red livery. I did not notice these until I got home and downloaded my pictures as it was p*****g it down with rain when I photographed them and hadn't really noticed what I had taken!  Perhaps Luke will enlighten us!  I'll send my pictures under separate mail. 

Also 912 has received its new fleet number 80912 since last week so I think the TT fleet renumbering has now been completed. Withdrawn 246 & 865 were awaiting disposal, Once again a lot of good work being carried out there with depot building alterations also taking place for the ever expanding fleet which is quite a tough operation compared with the more mundane streets of the City. The presentation of the many differing liveried vehicles seems to be getting better and those that I travelled on were very tidy inside and out. Once again staff were happy and helpful.

Still in service in Wycombe the two Versas have been put up for sale with Chartwell.

One presumes the ex London Citaro 295s will/ replace man y of the older buses at the op/erator.

Charles Powell 

   
Latest addition which I picked up from the paint shop on June 3rd.

Peter Edgar on Pulhams H2  

Pulhams service H2 now runs from Whitney to Thornhill Park and Ride as opposed to Brookes University. I understand this change was made approximately three weeks ago. 

 
Photograph taken today ( 04/06/25 ) at Thornhill park & Ride.

 
including Courtney, Newbury & District & Thames Valley

Reading - Martin Dowling

Reading Buses have got further Zebra funding to increase their order of 24 Enviro400EV buses to 32.  The first batch of 24 are due to enter service this summer to electrify routes 17 and 21 and will have aircon which will be very welcome.  The extra 8 will go to route 26 and will arrive next year. 

Details from Route One

https://www.route-one.net/news/reading-buses-takes-enviro400ev-orders-to-32-with-further-batch/ 

The first three buses have arrived in Reading for driver training and entry into service in August.  In Buszone's monthly update from Robert Williams, he gives the fleet numbers and registrations as follows.  MRD 1 was originally used for the mayor of Reading's official car and has then been used on various buses. 

The new AD Enviro400EVs will be allocated fleet numbers 1-24 and registrations MRD 1, RG02-24 ZEB. Delivery of the first three is expected during June to commence driver training, with entry into service currently pencilled in for August. Expect to see 201 the current holder of registration MRD 1 allocated a ‘60’ registration by the DVLA shortly. 

No 3 has got vertical stripes based on Reading University's graphic showing global warming.  This is similar to the stripes on a single decker gas bus 431 - photo in this article

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-62433832

Dave & Deric

Here are the changes listed on the Stagecoach West Period 1 Fleet Card dated 23/05/2025 (but only just received). The changes affecting Oxford (Thames Transit) depots being shown in yellow as usual.

It should be noted that the Tridents shown above as moving to Reserve are still currently in use.  

It should also be noted that the new ADL Enviro400 EVs (80229-80245) recently delivered for Cheltenham, as detailed by Adam Harber last week, are not so far shown on the Fleet Card. 

  London operations 

Andrew Webb

The Regent Street shop for Tommy Hilfiger is advertised on this new wrap being applied to New Routemasters.  Two members of the Go Ahead fleet illustrate the advert at Trafalgar Square on 7 June. 

 
LT456 shows the offside, whilst the nearside is seen on LT479. 

Recognising the growing popularity of women's football is this advert for Euro 2025 host Switzerland. 

 
Stagecoach's 11343 is the first recipient, seen at Aldgate on 7 June.

Colin Pidgeon from Southampton

Swindon's Bus Company latest vehicles transferred from The Blue Star operation at Southampton

 
2742 & 2743 have entered service this week.

Gordon Scott

Merlin Coaches ESU 812 ex Stagecoach West Scotland 50275 -
YJ14 LFM Van Hool Astromega new to Oxford taken at George iv Bridge Edinburgh. 

New to Ember SG25HZJ Yutong GTe14 second order and new routes Edinburgh to Fort William
and Aberdeen to Inverness shot taken in Princess Street Edinburgh.

Big Red Bus hits Edinburgh.McGill,s has now painted this orange fleet of open toppers into Big Red Bus Edinburgh Tour
seen here in Princess Street Edinburgh ADL Enviro 400 8930 - LJ09 CAX. 

Keith Briant at Nuneaton today

Stagecoach Midlands Yutong 73040 (YK74 PKX) awaiting its next duty in Nuneaton bus station.  

Stagecoach Midlands Enviro200s 37043 (YX63 ZWL) and 37073 (YY63 YRV) in Nuneaton bus station.  

Arriva Midlands Optare Solo 2525 (YJ09 MJK) is seen leaving Nuneaton bus station on service 7A to Hinckley and Burbage.  

Only 10 Mercedes-Benz Citaros remain in service with Arriva Midlands, all allocated to Arriva Midlands North at Tamworth. Their days are now numbered and they are looking rather down at heal. They are still regular performers on service 65 Tamworth to Nuneaton and 3006 (BJ12 YPP) in rather faded traditional Midland Red livery is seen in Nuneaton bus station loading for Tamworth. It's named after driver Andy Smith who retired in 2020 after 50 years service with Midland Red and it's successors. A tribute to him appears on the Arriva website. 

https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/andy-smith-of-arriva-midlands-set-to-retire-after-50-years-of-service

Tony Bungay

I was on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales last week. Much of the area while very scenic, can be fairly remote. Even so managed to get a couple of pictures of some aspects of the Bus network. 

 
Caught this Keighley Bus Company Mercedes Mini in the picturesque village of Malham
 working DalesBus 864, which operates Sunday and Bank Holidays.

Seen having just arrived and later heading back to Bradford. Malham is famous for the large Limestone Cliff Face known as Malham Cove. 

The other Mercedes mini is again a Keighley Bus Company vehicle publicising the companies APP. 

Works into Grassington over the attractive stone bridge on Service 72 from Skipton.

Also on the 72 route but near it's Terminus in Grassington the Yorkshire Dales Centre and car park.
Regret in both instances here the Destination did not register..

Until probably 35 years ago or so, the bus would have terminated at the Royal Mail building in the background, except then the same building was a small Bus Depot for The West Yorkshire Road Car Company, of which the Keighley Bus Company is one of the remaining modern day parts, 

For anybody interested or unaware, Grassington is the location for the latest remake of all creatures great and small. 

Maany years ago in the'50s I went to this area on a Ribble PD3 then new. Ed.