London Buses DAF Ikarus on the 726 at Croydon

Not the most attractive of vehicles and numbered by London Buses as DK 6 was this Ikarus bodied DAF at Croydon on the 726 from Heathrow to Dartford.

HT Scania 1682

In Eighties Leyland lost it's grip on some of it's key customers like the Danish HT of Copenhagen where as well as Volvo which it had always vied with Scania started to take chunks too. Looking very much like one of the former DAB Leylands was one of those swedish buses dating from about 1984-5. 

Western National ANA 92Y

Former National Bus coaches got spread far and wide by their new owners and this former National Travel NW ECW bodied Leyland Leopard found it's way to Tavistock on the edge of Dartmoor and in an area with it's narrow roads, stone walls and sharp bends it was perhaps not the most suitable vehicle for here. However it did look smart enough and the Western National livery of that time was fairly simple with a pleasant blue and white and agreeable to live with without the assistance of Ray Stenning to jazz it up with logos and bold branding.

Purple Motors of Bethesda UMG 230F

Purple Motors of Bethesda was one of the best known North Wales independents with roots going back to the 1920's In the early Eighties the fleet.contained only thirteen vehicles and despite half of them being Bedfords bought new there were some second-hand Leylands and AEC's too including this former Essex County Coaches Plaxton bodied Reliance.

B.V.G 1774 at Bahnhof Zoo

Before Reunification and the fall of The Berlin Wall the premier route in The West used to be the very frequent 19 which traversed the Kurfurstendamm and which also offered shoppers a cheap hop-on-hop-off cheap fare. But symbolic of the new order was the 100 which crossed the old divide bringing together the old city centre destinations like Alexander Platz and Unter den Linden in the East with the Reichstag and Bahnhof  Zoo in the West. Being a top tourist route usually mostly newer buses could be found on here but when it was busy it also saw the oldest and I enjoyed a ride on one of these MAN buses when only a couple were left in service, but like once familiar landmarks I miss them as fellow MAN 1774 of 1981 was so very typical of the fleet between the mid Seventies and early Nineties.

Warrington Dennis Dominator A746 GFY

A number of Municipal operators ran a few Dennis Dominators including Warrington which took four X and four Y-Reg buses with as usual here East Lancs bodywork. Following is a second-hand Daimler Fleetline for they had some from London or like this example from Greater Manchester.

Bedford OB BEP 882 at Wythall

To many mention old buses and they will immediately recall the very economical petrol-engined Bedford OB and with an elegant Duple Vista body like the second bus along, it was the classic early post war coach. As well as small country operators they also appeared in small numbers particularly in the big nationalised BTC companies fleets as they were ideal for local half-day tours particularly at the seaside.

Priory of Gosport Leyland Tiger

It's hardly surprising Victoria Coach Station in London has changed so much for there always seemed to be building work going on. Here in the Nineties a Plaxton Paramount bodied Leyland Tiger of Priory from Gosport breaks up the monotony of National Express white coaches.

Winterthur Articulated Vovo Bus 305

As well as narrow-gauge mountain railways and trams Switzerland still has a good number of trolleybus systems including Winterthur best known for it's 'Assurance' insurance advertisements. Here in 1989 was a Volvo articulated bus and a Saurer trolleybus in the background. It's easy to tell them apart as in the cantons trolleybuses don't have to carry registration numbers.

BNE 736N: R Bullock of Cheadle

From a frontal view alone one would never be able to guess whether this former Greater Manchester Northern Counties bodied bus negotiating the building work at Piccadilly for the tramway was one of it's vast fleet of Atlanteans or a slightly less numerous Fleetline. As it turned out like most of the Manchester Independents who had a go following Deregulation Bullocks went for the Daimler Fleetline so I knew already. But they were in good company as Mayne and Walls liked them too. Following former 7420 was GM 7916 an Atlantean with a Park Royal body and easy to recognise against the crisp angled NC bodied buses as it had a more rounded front dome

ORD 120R Reading Trasport MCW-Scania Metropolitan

Reading Transport has always had a look of it's own reflected in the vehicles it bought, but another characteristic was that it sort of glanced over it's shoulder and looked to see what London was buying for it often seemed to copy them, and a good example was this MCW Metropolitan double-decker which was hoped with a chassis and running units by Scania might be a better buy than what the lackluster  Leyland organisation had to offer. It's downfall though was over-sophistication and rust. Nevertheless not only did they buy  thirty-three of these, in 1983 they acquired another twenty-one from London Transport so perhaps they could still be a good bus if well looked after and loved . No 120 looked not only smart but still rather impressive as it sped off from Reading Station for Ereleigh Road.

London Transpot RT LUC 291

Elderly RT 2043 displayed at Alton this year as a new Putney Garage bus finds a young admirer in need of a photo.

A Green Line Olympian to Blythe

I used to go to Tyneside working quite frequently especially to Wallsend. But if time was at a premium which it usually was I didn't venture far off route perhaps stopping at Jarrow Bus Station and garage which was at the entrance of the Tyne Tunnel. But knowing I might retire soon I treated myself to a quick visit to Newcastle. I parked in the low town and paid for one-hour on a meter which should have been enough, but the heavens opened up and I had to scrabble for a few shots once the rain had stopped which is why perhaps I wasn't too worried about the odd car in the way. Still I quite like realistic truthful images as these tend to get more interesting as time goes on. I didn't have time to find another one of these Northhumria former Green Line ECW Olympian coaches so I did my best.

The at Lichfield825: Now that was a Midland Red Route.

Sadly not much is left of the old Midland Red, most of the garages have gone as have the bus stations, anyway at least the way they used to be. Of course there are still a few reinforced concrete bus stop poles around. But a decent reminder is those few bus routes which have not changed. The 825 going between Stafford and Lichfield is a good example but the actual route has been altered and it's fortunate that D7,D9 and the D10's double-deckers no longer work it as they would not get much further than Great Haywood from Stafford. The Sixties built bus station in Lichfield is still very much the same though where an Arriva Wright bodied VDL was seen although Volvo's are more common on this route.

A low height Metrobus with Yorkshire Traction

The MCW Metrobus was very common and gave Leyland a good run for it's money. But a low height Metrobus was something quite different as I think they only built one small batch of complete vehicles for Yorkshire Traction, I guess they were hoping to steal some of those large NBC orders as even if there were no low bridges the low height of the Leyland Olympian made it less prone to tree damage etc. It materialised just as the NBC was being sold off and for a time new bus orders dried up so it did not come along at a good time. No.716 was just leaving Leeds for Barnsley when still quite new.

Long Queues at Exeter Paris Street Bus Station

I've heard that like Bretonside Bus Station in Plymouth, Exeter Paris Street has gone too. I've visited here many times and I always liked it and especially in the days when the lower coach station was properly open and one was free to roam. Stagecoach buses impress with their newness but there is not much variety in this highly standardised fleet of Alexander-Dennis Enviros.

Bound for Putney Bridge Station, London Buses DMS 130 at Victoria

With so many views and vehicles to choose from photographing buses in a city like London should be doddle but it isn't. just sheer fatique is one factor but then there is the light source to worry about as well as deep shadow, traffic and people getting in the way. I tended to just take them anyway and especially with black and white one can do a lot to enhance a photo in the darkroom or I do now Photoshop on the computer.  This one is Daimler Fleetline CRG6 DMS 130 with a Park Royal body and is in all-over-red livery which thankfully didn't spread to the Routemaster fleet.

9091 WY or me Haunted by Beautiful Girls

Terrible isn't it how whenever I try to take a good three-quarter bus photo an attractive lady steps into view. After all how could I have known she would step out from behind the Wallace Arnold Plaxton Paramount bodied Volvo B10M down at Plymouth Hoe. Answers on a post card please lol.

A Covet Setra in Trieste

A dual-entrance Setra coach in Trieste has to compete with the cruise ships for our glances down by the quays at Trieste. I don't suppose they have many bus spotters in Italy as those long numbers are rather tiny almost useless.

Atlas Royal Tiger Doyan A200 RUR

We are more familiar with the Leyland bodied version of the top of the range coach the Doyan but a number also received Plaxton Paramount 3500 bodies like this example seen in East Anglia, possibly Bury St. Edmunds.

First Leicester Street Deck SK16 GVD

A First Leicester Wright Street Deck bus departs from the new Haymarket Bus Station.

Chase Bus Service Leyland National AYR 309T at Walsall

One of the interesting things about Deregulation was the number of Independents that sprung up with quite a strong sense of identity which included vehicle choice. Chase Bus Services was one of the last strongholds of the National B Series and Mark1  running a sizeable fleet at the time when they were starting to get rare. This example came from London Buses and was seen in the old Walsall Bus Station. Other distinctive local Independents became a final refuge for other equally smartly turned out endangered vehicles such as Warstone's Green Bus which had over the years operated a wide variety of old Leylands, everything from Leyland PD3's and Tiger Cubs to Atlanteans. And whilst on the subject of the Atlantean not too far from Walsall North Birmingham ran a smart fleet of NC bodied Manchester Standards. These operators were the survivors and once they had been bought out the bus scene seemed very dull as the major operators had finally got rid of the competition. Ironic really as that was the opposite to what Deregulation was supposed to do but I'm afraid politicians are not paid to think things through.

MAP: On The Buses with Doctor Beeching

Most bus enthusiasts of a certain age will remember M.A.P a kind of Doctor Beeching knife job on all the NBC bus services that were not viable. Rural East Anglia and Lincolnshire would have been rich pickings for the red pen but at least it found employment for a former Trent MCW bodied Leyland Atlanteen 67 ACH seen in Newark. I'm not sure if it was used as a mobile office or just display and information unit. One good thing about MAP, they didn't rip up all the roads the empty buses once used too, but on the other hand it might have been a bit of blessing for our congested towns.

Leicester AEC Renown East Lancs of 1965

Taking part in the Leicester historic buses running day from Birstall Park and Ride.

Arriva 4687 i Liverpool

Once central  Liverpool was almost exclusively worked by double-decker buses but over the years this has eroded to where they had become the obvious minority on the streets. But in recent years their numbers have increased again but I still have to turn around to take a second look. An Arriva Alexander-Dennis Enviro seen in Liverpool in 2016.

Ulsterbus

This Alexander (Belfast) bodied Leyland Leopard now preserved by local operator Select sometimes appears in Stafford. Here it stands at Pitcher Bank along with some much newer buses but I have to confess I know which one I find the most attractive.