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Liveries
New images and
brands
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- National Express
220 (YX15OYO), a Dennis Enviro 200MMC and 6701
(YX15OXT), a Dennis Enviro400MMC in the new West Midlands
liveries at Showbus in September 2015.
- First 63263 (SN65OJM), a Streetlite in
Royal Route livery for the 38 service from Edinburgh to Stirling,
seen in Edinburgh in December 2015.
- Stagecoach split the 700 Coastliner route from
Brighton to Portsmouth into three distinct sections in 2014.
They have also revamped the route branding as demonstrated in
Littlehampton in June2015 by 15588 (GX10HAA), a Scania
Enviro400 heading to Arundel and
27653 (GX10KZF), a Dennis Enviro200 heading to Chichester.
- Transdev Yorkshire Coastliner 428 (BF62UXY),
a Wright bodied Volvo in the updated livery in Whitby in January
2016.
- First re-launched the X4/X5 service from
Portsmouth/Gosport to Southampton via Fareham using a fleet of new
Streetlites in dedicated Solent Rangers (sic) livery such as
63307 (SN65OLM) seen in January 2016 at the temporary stances
at Portsmouth Hard while the bus station is being rebuilt.
- Stagecoach has introduced the Kings City brand in
Winchester with a fleet of new Enviro200MMC's such as this example
seen in the outskirts in November 2015.
- First in Southampton has rolled out several
routes using red-liveried vehicles such as 69400 (HY09AZJ) a
Wright bodied Volvo seen in the city centre in January 2015.
This is part of a more general campaign by First to re-introduce
local liveries to key operating areas.
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Express
UK and Europe
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- Megabus has started
running internal services in Germany and also Italy.
Their 56013
(M-EG4013), a Van Hool TX27 Astromega,
is seen in Berlin ZOB heading for Dortmund and Koln in May 2015.
These vehicles are registered in three countries - 9 in Belgium, 11
in Germany, and 7 in Italy.
- The big news from the deregulated German express
coach market was the merging of the two major operators - Flixbus
and Meinfernbus. See here outside Dresden station
(re-designed by Norman Foster) is HEF-TR204,
a Setra S516HD, formerly of Flixbus heading for Saarbrucken in May
2015.
- Deutche Bahn operate a small
express network to complement their rail services.
Marketed as IC Bus their vehicles appear across the border in
Holland and the Czech Republic and now England with their recently
introduced service from Dusseldorf to London. IC Bus 288 (14-BFL-2),
a Setra from Arriva Touring
in Groningen, is seen in London VCS in May 2015.
- Bruce of Airdrie has started an express service
from Edinburgh to Glasgow that competes with the well established
Scottish Citylink route. Registered as a stage carriage
service it can senior citizen pass holders unlike its rival.
Their 357WMX (previously
FJ57KHW), a Scania/Irizar tri-axle is seen in St Andrews Bus Station
Edinburgh in December 2015.
- Stagecoach continues to flirt with high floor
coaches. They have recently upgraded the X74 from
Glasgow to Dumfries with
Volvo B11R Interdecks such as
54259 (YY65SXW) seen at
Dumfries depot in December 2015.
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- Uno has continued
its expansionist policy by starting to operate a Green Line service
- the 797 from London to Stevenage. Its 315 (BF59NHX),
a Mercedes Citaro, is seen at the university campus in Hatfield (Uno's
original home) in October 2015.
- Continuing its bid for world domination, Uno is
now operating a red London bus route - the 383 from Barnet to
Woodside Park. Seen in Barnet in December 2015 is their
603 (YY15NKD), an Enviro200.
- Metroline has some two-door Streelites such as STL1470 (SL15ZGR)
seen at the Brookfield Centre in Cheshunt in January 2016.
- Arriva EMC2 (LK64DWJ), an electric Optare Metrocity,
is seen at Croydon depot in January 2015.
- Metroline has adopted a suburban version of its
London livery for more rural services. Their DEL855 (LK08DWJ),
an Enviro200, is seen
at the Brookfield Centre in Cheshunt in January 2016.
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Max/Sapphire
Arriva at its best
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- What is the
difference between Sapphire and Max ? Only Arriva knows.
Regardless both brands are on the rampage with more routes and
vehicles in 2015. Arriva 7531
(NK64EES), an Enviro400 is seen in Berwick-On-Tweed on Hogmanay 2015
on the X18 service to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.
- There are two Max/Sapphire routes that serve
Whitby - Arriva 7404 (NK64FSL), a Wright bodied Volvo, is
seen on the scenic X93 to Middlesbrough in January 2016.
- Also in Whitby in January 2016 is Arriva 1563
(NK14GFE), a Streetlite on the 4 to Loftus.
- The 280 Oxford to Aylesbury service was upgraded
to Sapphire in 2014 using refurbished Enviro400's. These
have been joined by a new batch of Enviro400's such as 5469 (SN15LPZ),
seen in Thame in September 2015.
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Small Change
Takeovers and Failures
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-
Whippet the long established Cambridgeshire independent was
bought by the Australian transport company Transit Holdings who own
Tower Transit in London. Their H13WCL, a Wright/Scania formerly
of Apcoa, is seen in Cambridge in September 2010.
- The demise of major Cornish independent Western Greyhound
was a sudden as it was unexpected in early 2015. Latterly it
was being run by Michael Bishop formerly of Velvet. One
of their former vehicles P936MKL, a Northern Counties bodied
Volvo, is seen in Truro in February 2015 just before the end.
- Whittle Coaches of Kidderminster have been sold
by East Yorkshire to Johnson Brothers. Their 24 (W466UAG),
a Plaxton bodied Dart, is seen in Bewdley in September 2009.
All their local service registrations were cancelled in January
2015.
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