Buses | 2013 Review - Part 1

	Photo Transport
	Home of bus, tram, ferry and lorry photographs


	Home \| Buses \| Ferries \| Lorries \| Trams \| Coaches \| Trains \| Transport \| \| Covers \| Search \|

February 2014

	2013 Review Part 1
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx	A look back at some of the news and events in the UK bus industry during 2013

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Routes and Operators

Routes and Operators
A selection of stories involving operators and routes in 2013:

Munro who had operated many services in the Borders went out of business in July, with most of their services passing to Perrymans on re-tender

First extended their Swansea to Bristol Greyhound service to Bristol Airport

Simultaneous with Stagecoach starting their Gold branded service from Torquay to Plymouth, First Devon and Cornwall stopped operating their route.

Kent Top Travel, owned by Kent County Council, went out of business in October with the Canterbury Park & Ride services passing to Stagecoach

Having bought McColls which served Dunbartonshire, McGills closed the operation in 2013

Newport Buses started operating the Chepstow town services in 2013

First sold their operations in London to several operators including Tower Transit

First finally gave up operating in Northampton. This timetable point was photographed in Saturday 23 July 2005 and was perhaps symptomatic of their problems.

First continued to rid themselves of unwanted operating units by selling the Leominster services to Diamond

Stagecoach completed the takeover of Chester services from First

Clips

>>> PLAY >>>	>>> PLAY >>>	>>> PLAY >>>

Clips

Arriva introduced gas buses into Runcorn and Darlington

Lothian were one of several operators to take the surprisingly attractive Volvo 7900 hybrids in 2013

London continued to roll out Borismasters with high profile route 24 being one of the first recipients

Round-Up

Round-Up

First continued to introduce local identities in this case the unmistakable York

Stewarts of Mortimer gained the Thames Valley Park shuttle service from Reading Buses

East Lothian Buses has placed its first new vehicles in service in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Coach Lines have two of these unusual MCV bodied VDL SB180s

x		Retro Liveries


		Retro Liveries Stagecoach Wales has painted this Volvo PS in original stripey livery First Berkshire is operating its small fleet of former London Mercedes Citaros in Bracknell in Beeline colours Go-Ahead has painted several vehicles in traditional OK Motors livery for use on the Bishop Auckland to Darlington service










x		London Open Top

		London Open Top Golden Tours has a batch of MCV bodied Volvos for London tours Even more unusual open toppers are operated by Big Bus Company in the shape of an amazing 20 vehicles from the Chinese manufacturer Anhuui Ankai










	xi	Preservation	xi

		Preservation There was a National Bus Company running day and display in Winchester on a glorious May Bank Holiday Monday Each year there is a Royal Blue run which in 2013 followed the coast route from Ramsgate to Portsmouth. Unfortunately it was the dullest weekend of the summer so the fine Bristol RE's and MW's were not bathed in sun


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx	All photos taken in 2013 apart from Munro (2009), Northampton (2005), Kent Top Travel (2011) and First Devon & Cornwall (2005)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

	Part 2 to follow next month

Links

Anhuui Ankai

xxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx	Like the above ? Then these may be of interest .. Photo-Transport has been publishing themed articles about Public Transport for over 10 years. If you enjoyed the above article you may be interested in these articles which were first published in February 2013 and March 2013.
		2012 Review Part 1	2012 Review Part 2

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxixxxx	FAQ \| Contact \| References

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx