July 13th 2018

10/7/2018

Information posted on July 13th 2018 at 18:50
✤National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands tells us that keen-eyed locals in the Black Country will have noticed a distinctly different bus livery that might take them back in time to the 1960s.
In a nod to Walsall’s transport history, National Express West Midlands fleet number 4601 has been repainted and is now touring the streets with a stunning blue and yellow Walsall Corporation livery.
The new fixture in the local bus operator’s fleet is a timely introduction, with the region’s heritage and culture currently being celebrated during this month’s bostin’ Black Country Festival.
Originally a two-tone blue, Walsall Corporation changed its livery to a simpler blue with yellow bands, which was then known as the Corporation’s final livery up to October 1969 when the Corporation bus fleets of Walsall, Wolverhampton, West Bromwich and Birmingham were absorbed into the then-newly formed West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive.
In 1986 WMPTE transferred its vehicles and services to West Midlands Travel, which was subsequently bought by National Express in April 1995.

✤Stagecoach Oxfordshire
Our friends at the Oxford & Chiltern Bus Page report that Van Hool Astromegas 50285 and 50286 have been made surplus with the Oxford Tube operation here and are being transferred to Stagecoach West Scotland. They also report that similar 50237, on loan here from Stagecoach South Wales, has not been used to date.

✤Stagecoach East Midlands
Major repairs have been completed to ADL Enviro 400MMC 10735 and it has returned to service at Hull. Tridents 17724/27 have been sold whilst similar 17710/12 will be taken out of service at Hull and used for component recovery. As a result 18039 from the Reserve Fleet has returned to main fleet use at Hull. At Gainsborough 18038 has been delicenced for repairs with 18053 being returned to main fleet use from the Reserve Fleet.
Being transferred from here to Stagecoach South West are former MegabusPlus Volvo B7Rs 53603 and 53604.
Reported by the company as delicenced at Grimsby is Enviro 200 37207.
Following conversion for driver training duties Dart SLF 34473 will be allocated to Lincoln and 34475 to Hull. Both now carry training livery and await application of branding.

✤Stagecoach South West
Further Stagecoach South Scania/Enviro 400s to enter service here are 15805 (on July 10th) and 15600 (on July 11th) with 15804 also due to enter service imminently. All are being allocated to Exeter.
The transfer of Enviro 200MMC from Plymouth to Exeter is currently still to take place and will do so once Dart 35243 is returned to use at Plymouth.

Information posted on July 13th 2018 at 22:10
✤Stagecoach Manchester
We have been advised that Reserve Fleet Enviro 200 36422 is expected to join the allocation at Sharston, whilst Stockport-allocated 36484/85 and 37034-37 are due to be taken out of main fleet use and allocated to the Reserve Fleet.