|
| |
| November
2002 |
 |
Eastbourne
is known for its blue and white deckchairs and its blue rinses, but it
also has something else blue – its
bus fleet. The company – Eastbourne Buses – is partly owned by
the local council, and partly by Keolis, one of the major French groups.
In early 2002, a series of swaps occurred involving both vehicles
and routes. Firstly a
batch of six Optare Spectra double deckers was exchanged for ten Optare
Vectra single deckers from Reading Buses. Then Stagecoach South transferred four of its routes to
Eastbourne Buses as part of a rationalisation of its services.
This veritable Swap Shop of activity is summarised below.
|
 |
 |
| Both
Eastbourne and Reading operate batches of Opatre Spectras.
Above left: 70 (R870MDY) in Eastbourne on the former Stagecoach
route 52 in May 2002; above right: Reading Buses 713
(S881BYJ), a former Eastbourne vehicle at the Three Tuns terminus in
Reading in February 2002. |
 |
 |
 |
| Reading
bought a batch of 15 Excels from Cardiff in August 2000.
Less that 18 months later they transferred 10 of them to Eastbourne
in exchange for six Spectra double deckers.
Eastbourne 41 (R209DKG) is seen in its new home town in May
2002. |
Eastbourne
added several vehicles to their fleet to cover the routes inherited from
Stagecoach such as former Speedlink DAF SB220/Northern Counties 26 (P906PWW) in Golden Jubilee livery in
Tunbridge Wells in August 2002. |
Southdown
Stripes
|
| A Mark 1 Leyland National (34 PCD80R) of Southdown
operating one of the former routes to Polegate, seen passing Eastbourne
railway station in July
1992. |
 |
Keolis
are one of the three major bus groups in France who also partly own
Eastbourne Buses. The
group tends to own small operators such as SAP, whose Setras are seen at
their Vence depot in the Cote d’Azur on the public holiday for Pentecost
in June 2001.
|
| Swap
Shop |
| |
| Click to enlarge photos. |
| |
| Links |
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|
| |
| Routes
transferred from Stagecoach to Eastbourne |
| No. |
Route |
|
17 |
Eastbourne - Polegate |
|
51 |
Eastbourne - Hailsham |
|
52 |
Eastbourne - Tunbridge
Wells |
|
53 |
Eastbourne - Heathfield |
| |
| Vehicles
swapped between Reading and Eastbourne |
| From
Reading |
Optare
Excels |
To
Eastbourne |
| 951-60 |
R206-15DKG |
38-47 |
| From
Eastbourne |
Optare
Spectras |
To
Reading |
| 76-81 |
S876-81BYJ |
708-713 |
|
