School Bus Only

One advantage of having all all red livery is that Plymouth Citybus can put their ex London buses out on the road with little attention to the livery. They are though used on schools services, with large temporary destination displays commiting them to specific routes which does seem a bit too restrictive. I belive the plan is to eventually repaint them into standard livery but for the time being they will remain in full Go Ahead London livery. 450 was caught on camera last week by Richard Smith:
©Richard Smith

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Bumper selection of Blog Links today as I finally catch up after I accidenatlly cleared my Reader software. Its taken a few days but I am now back on top of things!

MANCHESTER VICTORIA ALTERATIONS A few pictures of the alterations at Victoria Station with one of the new tracks in place and in use. Still single line working.

First X4/X5: Timetables revealed First have released the timetable for the new X4 and X5 services, which will replace the current 4/4A/X4 services from Sunday 27th July. See the new timetable

Karlsruhe, Germany Karlsruhe, in Germany's Baden-Württemberg region, has blurred the distinction between its trams and railways. In Karlsruhe, the tram system is connected into the local rail network, pioneering the tram-train concept which has since been adopted by several other cities.

Council check: Nexus This week we take a look at how the councils of Tyne and Wear promote their local bus services through Nexus.

Continuing Consideration of Cornwall [2] On returning from St Ives it was time for a break. These little Optare buses are not designed for those "broad of girth" and there was a need for a little leg stretching;Continuing Consideration of Cornwall [3] Finding somewhere to turn full-sized buses around was a similar problem for Western National. The company built a two storey edifice almost cantilevered out from the cliffside quite close to the station approach road. Continuing Consideration of Cornwall [4] Advice was willingly and efficiently given and, although timekeeping could have been better, nothing was frighteningly late. Unfortunately the look of the vehicles was poor. Almost all vehicles working in the Penzance area were tired and tatty; some seemed to held together only by the paint as there were so many rattles. Continuing Consideration of Cornwall [5] At no time did any member of First's staff bother to come and tell the remaining waiting passengers what was happening. DISGRACEFUL, 0 out of 10. Not disgraceful because things went wrong, but disgraceful because nobody bothered to explain. A Tale of a Tub [1] The challenge, then, using the resources of the interwebnet, is to find out all about the "tub" bus service. How appropriate for the fat bus bloke! A Tale of a Tub [2] Yes, your knowledge of French may well be enough to spot the word "gratuit". The network of four routes (not pre-book services) is FREE for all residents. The card costs €3. Maybe fbb should stress that the correct phrase is "free at the point of sale"; taxation levels in France are high!

On The Yorkshire Buses coming to Channel 5 on 11th July! The eight part observational documentary or 'fly on the wall' series made by The Garden Productions follows the staff of family-run bus and coach company East Yorkshire Motor Services as they transport passengers in Hull, as well as towns and villages in the East Riding and North Yorkshire. Royal Norfolk Show 2014 part 1 ~ Coaches It is that time of year again - last week saw the ever popular Royal Norfolk Show take place at the Norfolk Showground just outside Norwich, as with last year our regular correspondent David Bell attended the event to observe the numerous visiting local coaches Royal Norfolk Show 2014 part 2 - Buses For the two day event Konectbus once again doubled the frequency of their service 4 (Swanton Morley - Dereham - Norwich) between the Norfolk Showground and Norwich bus station, amongst the vehicles employed on the extra workings was Mercedes Benz Citaro 0530G BD57 WCZ © David Bell. Bus & Coach Preservation Rally 2014 - photo special 1 In a new two part guest photo special Philip Slynn shares a selection of photographs taken at last weekend's Bus & Coach Preservation Magazine rally at the Hertfordshire showground...

Ipswich Museum Revisited I reported on my first visit to the splendid Ipswich Transport Museum (ITM) back in 2011 so it was time to take another look to see what's been going on since my last visit. I called in on Good Friday, back in April, en route to my other fascination, a speedway match between Ipswich Witches and Peterborough Panthers.

London’s lost bridge across the Thames at Blackwall For nearly 1,700 years, London’s only bridge across the Thames was the famous London Bridge, until Putney Bridge was constructed in 1726. Yet London very nearly had another bridge crossing the Thames, which may have been in fact constructed, at least in part before being abandoned. A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news Network Rail have accelerated their planned 12-month maintenance programme along lines served by FCC to three months, with upgrades to track, power supplies, signalling and drainage to be completed by the end of July. Big science opens its doors for tours Over a thousand scientists toil away at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and in August there is a chance to go inside and see what they do The fragment of London’s Roman Wall hidden in a car park Dotted around London can be found various remnants of the original Roman Wall that once encircled it, yet one fragment is rarely seen, despite being in full view of those who know where to find it.

LONDON - THE YEAR OF THE BUS CAVALCADE & DISPLAY Sunday 22nd June 2014 found Regent Street in Central London closed for one of the most interesting reasons in the history of the city's public transport. And a very good reason it was too, as around 50-odd examples of public transport were on display between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Blackpool and Huddersfield rail links into London planned Two new high-speed rail links from the north of England to London have moved a step closer. The Great North Western Railway Company (GNWR) said Network Rail had agreed to let them run direct trains from Blackpool and Huddersfield. New high-speed rail link needed to boost north of England A new high-speed rail link in the north of England connecting Manchester and Leeds could help to create an economic area to rival London, Chancellor George Osborne is to say. London’s buses go cash free from this Sunday London buses will stop accepting cash fares from Sunday 6th July, as Transport for London (TfL) moves to a cash free bus network across the capital. Windsor Link Railway funding on track Windsor Link Railway (WLR) wants to build a tunnel between Windsor & Eton station to Windsor & Eton Riverside station but permission alone is expected to cost between £3m and £10m. Dockland's Light Railway Franchise Awarded to Keolis Keolis will operate the franchise until April 2021, Transport for London (TfL) said. The transport group has an option to extend the franchise until 2023. Works to make Luton and Dunstable busway 'less noisy' begins A council is spending up to £6,000 trying to make a new £91m bus route quieter after residents complained about noise. It believes noise on the Luton and Dunstable guided busway comes from gaps between the concrete beams and is filling them with a flexible material. MICHAEL BANFIELD AUCTION The collection of a lifetime of cars and vehicle memorabilia has sold at auction for £3million. Michael Banfield, a founder member of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society, spent more than 50 years collecting buses, emergency vehicles and cars.