Page 10 - MBF Supplement Demo

Thames Gateway - Depots: Dartford (DT) /Grays (GY)
Routes 66 (Romford - Leytonstone) and 370 (Romford - Lakeside) have been re-awarded to this subsidiary with existing double deck vehicles (PVR 24) upgraded to Euro V. Additionally, Grays gains route 103 (PVR 14) from October, vehicle type as yet unknown.
Tillingbourne - Depots: Guildford (GF) /New Ham (NH) /Perivale (P) outstation.
Previously unreported is the loss of the Kingston University Contract which had been employing Surelines Volvo/ East Lancs 6821/2/33-5 on long term loan. The vehicles were returned to Sureline back in September 2016.
A new hourly Mon-Fri service X1 (Guildford - Horsham via Bramley) commenced in May (PVR 3) using a mix of Optare Tempos and Mercedes Citaros. The evening peak service on route 37 (University - Guildford) has been increased by 1 additional journey in each direction.
This report marks a welcome return of Countrybus to these pages after an absence of over five years.
In recent years, Countrybus has continued to expand and renew its fleet. There are now ten operational bus garages with an eleventh under preparation and due to open in the near future. Countrybus prefers local identities for most of its operations with only the original three London area garages (operating principally, but not exclusively TfL work) at Chessington (the headquarters), Sutton and Barnet marketed as Countrybus.
Other garages are at Thurrock (Thurrock & District), Chelmsford (Chelmsford & District), Manor Royal (Crawley & District), Harlow (Harlow Bus), Stansted (Stansted Bus - a small allocation operated as an outstation of Harlow despite its separate marketing), Benfleet (Southend & District) and Colchester (North Essex Traction). The last mentioned site is relatively small but is due to be reduced to outstation status with the forthcoming opening of a new garage in nearby Braintree. This will also operate under the North Essex Traction banner and will service an expansion of the network in the Braintree area in addition to acquiring some of Colchester's work.
TfL tendered work continues to form a significant part of Countrybus operations. Some routes have been lost to other operators in recent years including the 117, 290 and 383 whilst others have been won including the 20, 298 and 498. At present all services are operated with conventional diesel buses, but at
least two TfL routes may need converting to an alternative arrangement, possibly diesel-electric hybrid.
One of the most recent operations is that of Southend & District. Initially, three routes commenced operation in November 2013, the 320, 326 and 327. All were relatively high frequency double deck operated (apart from a partial single deck allocation on the 326). A fourth route, the 345, was added in September 2016 following retrenchment by another operator. This operates half hourly and links Southend with Basildon and uses a mixed allocation of single deckers and double deckers (although each tends to work specific diagrams in practice).
Long standing commercial service 84 (New Barnet - St Albans) was deregistered in early 2016, largely as a result of traffic congestion in St Albans which was making the service difficult to operate reliably. Hertsway (qv) stepped in to operate the service and made a number of changes at the St Albans end of the route.
Countrybus has modified its fleet in accordance with various DDA deadlines. Smaller step entrance single deckers were swept away by the January 2015 changes which meant the end of Countrybus' once large fleet of 'high floor' Dennis Darts, mostly single door 9.8m versions with the attractive, if somewhat boxy, Plaxton Pointer body. These mechanically fairly simple vehicle had been the backbone of the single deck fleet with their size making them very versatile with a fairly high seating capacity. Unfortunately they were not universally accessible and their ride quality was somewhat compromised by their rudimentary leaf spring suspension. In practice, most of these step entrance Darts had been replaced long before the deadline.
Fortunately, the January 2016 deadline for DDA compliance of large single deckers had little effect on Countrybus as these had always formed a small minority of the fleet and all were made compliant in advance of that date.
The biggest upheaval was the requirement for all double deckers to be DDA compliant (if used on conventional 'open' services) from 1st January 2017. This saw the end of the popular Leyland/Volvo Olympians. Most examples had been removed from all day service some years ago. The remaining Volvo Olympian/ Palatine 2s at Crawley & District for school services were replaced by a pair of East Lancs bodied Volvo B7TLs spare from the deregistering of the 84.
This left V147 (R554LPB), a low height Volvo Olympian with Northern Counties Palatine 1 H82F bodywork at Stansted Bus for school bus 1 (Takely - Saffron Walden) where it was retained as it was
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Countrybus Christopher Hatley