News from Oxford
High Wycombe & the surrounding areas

update Sunday 19th September 1999 by Malcolm Crowe
updated 21st September 1999 to include Jersey Electric Buses ex Oxford Bus !

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.

Please note, I am using Thumbnails for the pictures. This speeds up the download time.
To see a picture full size, just click on the thumbnail.

This week I had the opportunity to work into Victoria on the X90 after midnight. It was an eerie experience as there were just a few National Express coaches on overnight layover plus a couple of foreign coaches and a KMP from Llanberis. The whole of the coach station was closed down and it seems that the only operator during the quiet hours is Oxford Citylink. What is even more amazing is that just up the road at Grosvenor Gardens the Tube service to Oxford also runs throughout the night ! Does anyone know of another comparable service to the Oxford route ? With up to 9 coaches per hour, 5 of which are 65 seat double deckers, the Oxford-London service must be the world's most intensive express service. 

Last week I mentioned Thames Travel who operate the X39 Oxford-Henley service. Two Varios are the regulars on this route, V309 and 399 SVV . These buses have now received full vinyl's for the service but eluded me last Saturday as I had hoped to bring you a picture of same. Better luck next week , I hope !

Oxford Cityline surprised one of my readers by fielding not one but two NC Volvos last Friday evening on the 52 road. 645 and 656 were the buses in question and as Neil Gow points out , it was most unusual before the advent of  the new Volvo B10BLEs, until Friday it was now unheard of ! Oxford Bus are indeed very fussy about using the correct vehicles on each route. Their belief, which I can understand, is that passengers get very used to the same type of bus on a route and it brings a consistency to the operation. I have often commented upon the use by Stagecoach of branded route vehicles in a haphazard way, such as Orange top Blackbird flyers on Wantage or Didcot routes ! We it does at least bring variety and a certain spice to our hobby !

This week has seen 608 out shopped from works looking very smart. Work is now in had to repaint Wycombe's Olympian 239 into company livery, this bus having been replaced by 227, see last week's report. Work continues on the London Darts bound for Wycombe but these are not ready yet.  I understand that the Volvo/Plaxton coaches 50-55 will be returned to Plaxtons for some work to be carried out and we should see them returning to service in an as new condition. Citylink 63 was still giving good service on Saturday as can be seen in our picture below. Indeed as mentioned before backs seem often neglected and I will try to get more for the record.

Stagecoach had a full service last Saturday and I include a few interesting photos with 522 in George Street on the 100 to Witney, showing off its FoxFM advert. It is being passed by an NC/Volvo, squeezing past an Oxford Park&Ride. 

Stagecoach Swindon use Dart/Alexander Dash's into Oxford on the 60 from Swindon and here we see 903 arriving in Gloucester Green. 

A surprise last Saturday from Arriva Wycombe was the use of their dedicated Sainsbury/Mercedes bus on the 300 to Oxford. More usual fodder is this Volvo B6 3115 which is seen loading for its return to Uxbridge.

The new Citylink Volvos are now in full service and we see 17 en route from Heathrow, still awaiting fitment of its destination box in the nearside front window. A neat card has to suffice for the time being.

Finally I can now bring you some photos of the Oxford Electric Metroriders, which have migrated to Jersey CI. only three of the four buses are in use, with the fourth being used for spares.

I hope that we can keep you up to date on developments and I would like to thank and credit Ian Moignard who has kindly provided the above three Metrorider photos. 

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

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THE OXFORD BUS MUSEUM