Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated - Sunday 19th March 2000

Please note that any comments made in this news page are those of the Editors' and in no way constitute 
any official points of view from the bus companies mentioned,  or indeed any other official body. 
As a news page we reserve the right to make valid comments as seen from an editorial point of view.

Problems with the pictures ! - sometimes it seems that the pictures do not load.
I have found a solution which does work normally - 
RIGHT CLICK ON THE PICTURE AND THEN CLICK ON "SHOW PICTURE"
Good luck !

The centre of Oxford continues to be very congested with many various roadworks both in the city centre and on the approach roads. The worst of the congestion is on the road through Headington towards Gypsy Lane and Brookes uni. Here delays are being caused to all services using that road and some London coaches are diverting inbound via Marston Ferry Road and St Giles. Carfax continues to be badly affected by an enormous hole which has moved to the other side. I climbed Carfax tower to get some high level shots and these proved most interesting. The Oxford Bus fleet has fleet number on the roofs of most vehicles and the bus wash does clean ALL the bus. Stagecoach on the other hand seems not to wash the roof on its buses ! 

Fleet News week ending 19/3/00

City of Oxford Motor Services.

Another new arrival this last week was new coach number 19, a Volvo B10M/Plaxton Excalibur and the first of four. The rebranding is now near at hand and I should able to report fully in next week's issue of this news page.

628 is still in the paintshop and should emerge late next week. It will be in full fleet livery vice the Citylink advertising livery which it has carried for over 12 months now.

Olympians 204 and 207 left the Cowley Road Depot for the last time on Saturday morning. It is understood that they have gone to Jeff's Coaches.

Unusual workings this last week have seen Metrorider 782 on both the 13C and 16 roads. With 783 withdrawn the chance of a Metrorider in all day service is remote but varying demands have caused this to occur during recent weeks. Dart SLF 408 was also seen on the 17th on 51 road. 

Other news of ex Oxford Olympians is that ex 205, formerly with Worths of Enstone has been sold on to Confidence of Leicester. It joins ex Worths A118PBW, a Leyland Tiger/Plaxton 3500 new to Oxford as their 118. 

Stagecoach Oxford.  

Dart 728 was seen on the 27 route on Saturday which is more normally the haunt of the Volvo/Plaxton Paladins.

Talking of the Paladins, these are now going through the two year repaint programme with 905 and 906 already completed.

Wycombe Bus Company.

Noted  on Saturday awaiting delivery Wycombe were 525 and 529 in Cowley Road. ex 712 Mercedes was also being cleaned, it seems prior to sale.

Arriva serving The Shires.

Some of the variety to be seen in Oxford is recorded in this week photo corner. 

I will be pleased to receive your reports for this section
Please send your reports to MalcolmHC@aol.com and thank you for all your sightings, they are most welcome.

  PHOTO CORNER
If anyone else has a digital camera and wishes to submit photos for this page please send them to the above email.

The newest bus in Oxford this week, was Volvo B10M nr 19.
Registered W19OXF, this coach will enter service on Thursday 23rd March.

Roadworks at Carfax continue to cause delays and difficulties. 
The hole in the road has moved east and the overall confusion and
congestion has to be seen to be believed.
An Arriva Olympian on the 280 is followed by a Tube and thereafter
a Volvo B10BLE on 52 road of Oxford Bus.
The view from the top of Carfax Tower is worth the effort !

Oxford coach 52 displays its roof advertising plus the anomaly of the fleet number 152
on the rear near side corner of the roof. It has been 52 for sometime now !!

On Saturday Olympian 204 left Oxford for a new home, believed to be Jeff's.
Here it is seen with fleet names removed, awaiting its new owners.

As mentioned in the news above, 782 worked hard for its living this week, 
with nearly a whole day on 16 road last Monday !

Work is in hand to repaint 628. This bus had carried a Citylink advertising livery
for sometime now. It will now have standard livery and is seen here with work
progressing in the Oxford Bus paintshop. how nice to see the art of brush painting
still being carried out. 

A late afternoon shot of Park & Ride Dennis nr 115, pausing at Canterbury Road
on its way from Peartree to the city centre.

On a more murky day, Stagecoach Olympian 516 is seen coming down from Headington, 
on its way to Brookes University. It is the designated bus for this service but lost its 
advertising vinyls on repaint some few weeks ago.

Seen at Oxford Station, Arriva Dart 2142 lays over between journeys on the 261. 

Surprise performer on the Thames Travel X39 was this Ford M86JTA.
It did not appear on Saturday and it is not known if this is a new fleet addition.
It carried a sticker in the nearside window stating ownership !

Finally the last two Darts are ready for Wycombe and 525 and 529 await collection 
by Wycombe Bus.  Withdrawn Mercedes 710 is seen alongside. 
The Darts should be at Wycombe by now.

 If anyone has any further news please email below.

Malcolmhc@aol.com 

It adds to the interest of the page which I'm sure everyone appreciates.

You can still view 
the Tube launch report  
and 
the Oxford Bus P&R Trident launch - Dateline Tuesday June 1st 1999  
Click above

THE OXFORD BUS MUSEUM