News from Oxford
High Wycombe & the surrounding areas

update Monday, July 26th 1999 by Malcolm Crowe

Firstly I would like to 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.

To further comment on the traffic situation in Oxford, it is noted that the police are issuing notices to drivers ignoring the "bus gates" on the High Street. however other areas such as the Speedwell Street to Castle Street corridor is still being used by private cars, even though the signing is very clear. We understand that when all the appropriate buses are so fitted with transponders, the traffic lights will give precedence to the buses. This should improve bus flows throughout the City. Another current concern is in Cowley Road, where a rubbish skip, left at the road side in a no waiting area, has scored several hits on various items of traffic including the buses of the local companies ! Finally a hole appeared in the road just over Magdelen Bridge on the way to High Street, during one night last week and was still causing delays as late as Friday. At no time did the writer see anyone working in this hole !

On the Oxford Bus front, the new Volvo B10BLEs are now restricted to 52 road and the early y use of these new buses on other routes during the evenings should have now ceased.  The foreign students continue to add to the traffic flows and the double deck Olympian Q busters are doing good business on various routes including 2, 4, 15, 16 and 52 roads. It is also expected that 999 will return from High Wycombe and be used on 2 road on Q busting. The first time that this bus has seen Cityline service in Oxford since arriving with the company. It appears that the five new Volvo/Plaxton Excalibur coaches (14-18) are ready at the builders but will not enter service until September, taking their reserved V registrations. when the Volvos are often very heavily loaded. 227 has now been withdrawn prior to single door conversion and transfer with its sisters to Wycombe. However, although not in service, 950 is being retained as an engineering spare for the time being as the Dennis Tridents settle down in their new home.

Stagecoach Oxford has now placed further double deck M A N coaches in service with 57 and 58 entering service last Friday, albeit without full vinyls.  A surprise appearance of 34 on X31 took place on Friday morning, following an earlier journey worked by Olympian 516. Steve Annells E.mailed to say that he saw 528 operating 32A on Friday lunchtime. These really are most unusual workings, at least until now !!!    356 is presently being repainted and is one of the last of the Oxford fleet to receive Stagecoach corporate livery. This leaves only  324 and 329 at Oxford with 328, 333 and 346 at Witney. Also 362 may still be the old livery but this has yet to be confirmed. The total Oxford fleet is now 195, including 3 training vehicles, 3 delicenced vehicles,( 373, 500 and 839 ) and 4 Mercedes for disposal. Interestingly the open top Atlantean 500 has not reappeared this year and remains in store at Gloucester. Only 10 Volvo coaches remain on strength in this issue of the fleet list and some of these will by now have left the fleet following the arrival of more  M A N double decks. Finally, during a visit to Brighton, your editor was able to catch  Tube coach 46 operating a day excursion from Oxford and better still within yards in the coach park on Madeira Drive, B400UOD, a Laser bodied Tiger with its current owners, Bearwood coaches. Some of you will remember that this coach helped to launch the Oxford Tube back in 1987 !

Wycombe Bus should receive the ex Park&Ride Olympian 228 shortly and all the other four are now under conversion and preparation for service at Wycombe. The five ex London & Country Olympians 976-980 plus 999 are due to be returned to Oxford following the arrival of all of the 225-229 batch. Work is well in hand with the repainting of 229 into Thames Valley traditional livery complete with black lining out in Tilling fashion ! 227 remains in service at Oxford. This livery is to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of that company. 202 has returned off loan at Wycombe but , 778 and 780 remain.

Cambridge Coach fielded new 324, Volvo/Plaxton on the overnight service to Oxford on Thursday last week. This service lays over at Gloucester Green and it is unusual to see this latest batch in Oxford, certainly during daylight hours !  Also on overnight stop at the Green is a Rapson National Express coach on the turnaround of the 739 Inverness service. Oxford Citylink and The Oxford Tube run throughout the night and even the 0400hrs X80 Citylink departure to Gatwick via Heathrow is a busy service !

Please click here to see P&R Trident launch - Dateline Tuesday June 1st 1999

You can still view the Tube launch report here.

Oxford goes to the seaside !
Stagecoach Oxford ran an excursion to Brighton last Sunday using
new M A N coach 46. George Fair the Tube Manager was driving
with Marketing Manager, David Whitley in attendance.
46 is seen here in company with Kings Ferry Neoplans on Madeira Drive.

At the end of a "beautiful day", 46 starts it journey home to Oxford.

A nice surprise was finding ex Tube coach B400UOD on the sea front
at Brighton, one of the originals !!

Closer to home and brand new 57 pauses to pick up for London.
Seen here on High Street by Queen's Lane on Friday evening last.
I've been waiting for several weeks to catch one of the new ones
without livery and in service !!

Another "brush paint" job, Stagecoach 356 being garbed in corporate
colours in Oxford works. It is nice to see that both companies still rely
on traditional methods for painting.

Visitor to Oxford Bus was Brighton&Hove 503 a new Treg Volvo/Plaxton
Excalibur. The Brighton examples feature sunken toilets and centre
offside exit for continental use !

The three "N reg" Volvo coaches of Citylink are nominally spare coaches
and as such have non route branding. 58 operated the 0400hrs  X80 service
to Gatwick on 21st July and is seen here taking a rest before returning
to Oxford at 0700hrs the same morning.

"Q" busting Olympian style ! - 224 waits time in Castle Street before
working the 1720 to Blackbird Leys on Friday 23rd July.

Wycombe Bus 979 passes through the bus only lane in the centre of
High Wycombe last week. These buses are due to be replaced by newer
ex Park&Ride Olympians from Oxford.

Arriva 3126 leaves Wycombe, Newlands Bus Station on a late afternoon working
to Uxbridge last week. This Volvo B6 is branded for the Heathrow services
which would be its more normal haunt.

Cambridge Coach Services 320, Volvo/Plaxton Premiere 350
operates the 0500 departure from Oxford's Gloucester Green on
Saturday 24th July. The use of the newer coaches is because they
have toilet facilities, useful on the night service to Oxford.