News

This page gives up-to-date major news items to supplement our monthly newsletter, •The London Bus• (TLB). Items noted here will be incorporated in the next issue of TLB in greater detail. News updates will usually be weekly, by Sunday evening, but if major stories arise we will attempt to announce them sooner. Reports more than a month old and already reported in TLB are deleted. Reports for the TLB Editors and communications to Society Officers can be sent by e-mail to "lotsed@tesco.net". TLB covers the operations and vehicles of around 120 companies working local bus services in Greater London and the Home Counties in the region roughly bounded by the old London Transport country-bus operating area. Each issue is typically 40 pages containing references to around 300 routes and 1000 vehicles, together with the business and political news, the publicity output of the companies, forthcoming exhibitions and rallies, and much more. To get the full picture, why not join now? Go to the Membership Page for details.

Forthcoming Conway Hall meetings

Meetings are held monthly (except August) and usually commence at 19:30. Doors open 18:00 with sales stands available from 18:30. Meetings usually finish by 22:00. There is no charge.

Conway Hall is located at Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL.
Nearest Underground station: Holborn (Central and Piccadilly Lines)
Buses: 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 59, 68, 91, 98, 168, 171, 188, 242, 243 & 521 stop nearby.

The London Bus (TLB)
TLB 538 was posted on 16 June. The closing date for reports for TLB 539 is 3 July and it is due for posting on 14 July.

London Bus Magazine (LBM)
LBM 147 - Spring 2009. Main articles are 'Trolleybus memories', a vignette of street scenes along the routes and a tour over the network in 1961. Plus recollections of SMSs, sides blind displays and 'Not in the usual service' .

New sales items from LOTS

NEW SUP-24D London's Service Vehicles - full current fleet list and allocation (much new info)
NEW SUP-36Y London's Major Bus Operators - Fleet Allocation to Garages, June 2009.
NEW SUP-37V Greater London (TfL) area - Route Working Index, 30th May 2009.

Each of these three SUPs is priced at £3.50. This reflects an increased amount of information as well as increased postal and printing costs. Eight colour pictures on each issue are a bonus and two issues have more pages.

Orders can now be sent to LOTS Postal Sales at Unit N305 Westminster Business Square, 1-45 Durham Street, Vauxhall, London SE11 5JH.

See the Sales Page for full list of sales items.

Forthcoming events are now shown after Latest News

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Timebus would like to hear from enthusiastic members to conduct Routemasters on summer Saturdays. Working to/from South Mimms, usually on private hire in London. Training provided. Please contact us via employment page at www.timebus.co.uk

Sunday 28 June

1) Introduction of new buses into service in London continues to lag well behind actual deliveries with, at this weekend, just under 100 new buses at various locations still awaiting commissioning. Of Arriva's 18 E200s (ENL 30-48), at least four are now running on the 184 at Wood Green; at First at Greenford about ten 8.9m E200s are now running on the E5/E10 but none yet of the 10.2m versions for the E7/E9. Still only about half-a-dozen of First's E400s at Greenford for the E1/E3 are actually running. Conversely, London General now has 18 of its SOEs in service all at Merton while, at Stockwell, already 10 of the new E400s (batch E100-128) is now in use on the 345.

2) Metrobus has four of its Scania/ Olympus in use on the 75 but Selkent now seems to have all but two or three of its Scania d/ds (up to 15096) in service. Indeed the delivery of Polish built Scania d/ds has speeded up with London United SP 56-67 (for Fulwell) now in the UK as well as the first eight of the batch for East London at Bow (15097+). The latter are due to take up the 205 in late August so are well early.

3) Arriva the Shires has its six VDL SB200/ Pulsar2 buses now on the SB1 at Stevenage and these are now route branded. The twenty Enviro300s for routes 300/301 are all delivered and some of them have entered service, also from Stevenage Garage. More Enviro300s have followed for the MK Metro subsidiary. At Arriva Southern Counties, news of the arrival at Northfleet of E200s for route 499 and Solos for route 414 is still awaited. The latter at least are known to be running late in delivery.

Friday 19 June

There are no significant news items to report this week. The next regular update will be on Sunday 28 June.

Sunday 14 June

1) Further to the Stansted Transit demise, the present arrangements with Excel covering (mostly with híred vehicles) routes in the Harlow and Bishop's Stortford areas should continue for about four weeks. In any case, ST had lost a number of their routes in an Essex tendering round due at the end of August, but in fact several of the successful operators should now take up their contracts early in July instead.

2) The first examples of the next batch of Trident/E400s (E 100-128) for London General route 345, and of Scania/ Olympus (870-899) for Metrobus routes 75 and 54, have started to be delivered to London. Indeed, the first buses in those batches has entered service. Meanwhile, many other new bus deliveries to Arriva, First, Selkent and Go-Ahead remain in store at various locations awaiting ticket machine and iBus fitment.

3) At long last some of the Volvo B5L hybrids at Arriva London North have started to run in service on route 141 in the past week. However, doing a recent round-up of the various hybrid operations, and other than the E400Hs on the 16/24/482 the daily run-out never reaches 50% and is often less, while and several batches still don't work at weekends. The 'original d/d hybrid' HEV 1 has moved from Arriva (Wood Green) to East Thames Buses (Mandela Way) for a six-month stint.

Forthcoming events

Note that all other events are publicised as a service to the readership, on behalf of organisers; LOTS has no involvement or responsibility for any event noted. We usually confine ourselves to those events with an expected London bus interest or within easy access from the London area. All special operations that may be listed below are subject to vehicle availability on the day and passenger carriage may be at the discretion of the vehicle owners and crews.

UPDATED Saturday 4th July: Potters Bar Bus Garage Open Day on Saturday 4th July between 10am - 4pm. All proceeds to charities, including those supporting Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation. Admission will be by programme, priced at £1.50, available on the day at the garage door. Bus display inside, plus a variety of stalls (*LOTS included*) selling transport items, and a selection of hot and cold food and drinks will also be available. There will be free rides around the town which, subject to availability, and the weather!, will include rides on Metroline's open-top Routemaster. There is also a 'Running Day' to support the event and a souvenir guide, including maps and timetables, at £6 per copy.

UPDATED Sunday 5th July: North Weald Bus Rally (**LOTS Sales Stand present**). Bus 339 from Epping Station from 1010, x10mins to 1050, then x20mins to 1550. Admission £8 (includes 339s), accompanied children free entry. Buses will also run to Ongar (railway collection).

From Information supplied by NLTS and LBC, an excursion service (718) by the London Bus Company will operate to the event. The price is £12 which includes admission and a day rover. Accompanied children free. Calling at Victoria Wilton Road stop H (0920), Westminster Stn stop H (0925), Embankment Stn (0927), Blackfriars New Bridge Street stop J (0930), Farringdon Road (near Station) stop A (0932), Angel Islington, Upper Street stop Y (0937), Highbury & Islington Stn stop A (0942), Holloway Road stop T (0945), Finsbury Park Stn stop G in Station Place (0950) then non-stop (via Tottenham Hale, Forest Road, Woodford Wells, Epping Forest, Epping Town, Hastingwood Roundabout) to North Weald Aerodrome (arr. 1040). Return from North Weald at 1700

Sunday 12th July: Country Bus Running Day at Sevenoaks.

Sunday 19th July: Alton, bus rally at Anstey Park.

Sunday 2nd August: Bus Rally at Gosport, Stokes Bay.

Sunday 9th August: Bus Rally at Herne Bay, William Street in Town Centre.

Sunday 16th August: Hemel Hempstead, Bus Running Day from the Bus Station.

Sat/Sun 15/16th August: Bluebell Railway, Sheffield Park, Sussex, Vintage Transport Rally.

B/Hol Monday 31st August: Cobham Bus Museum event, with a circular service to National Trust properties at Hatchlands and Clandon Park.

Brighton & Hove will be running some special tours over the summer on their recently acquired RML2317 which has now been repainted into 1935 Thomas Tilling livery. Typically charging a flat fare of £10 for a day's tour across some of their most popular routes around the city and beyond. Full details can be found at http://history.buses.co.uk/history/fleethist/rml2317.htm Additionally, it is booked to operate on the 473 East Grinstead- Kingscote Station service on 27/28June, 16Aug, 24/25Oct, 15Nov, plus live positioning journeys (as 472) from and to Brighton, Old Steine stop F 0845, via Lewes Bus Stn 0915 and Uckfield 0935 on those days.