NML 623E |
Eastern Counties run three RMLs
in the Great Yarmouth area during the summer months. RML2623
is in "Flying Banana" livery and was seen at the
Showbus rally in September 2006. |
CUV 151C |
RM2151, owned by Awaydays, is used
on the "Holt Flyer" between Holt Station (of the North Norfolk
Railway) and Holt town centre, where it was photographed in
April 2006. Photo by Terry Gower. |
JSJ 746 |
Lothian Transport owned Edinburgh
tour operator Macs Tours runs a number of open-top AEC Routemasters
acquired from the Arriva Original London tour fleet, alongside
Olympians from the Lothian fleet. Number 4 in the Macs Tours
fleet, former ERM90 was seen ascending to The Mound in April
2007. |
792 UXA |
RM787 was converted to open top after withdrawal from London
service and used for a couple of seasons as a special events
vehicle in the Quantock Motor Services fleet. It was pictured
on the lengthy Minehead-Lynmouth-Ilfracombe service in the
summer of 2005. Photo by Bob Wingrove.
RM787 is now running open top tours of York with York Pullman.
A picture of it in London service in 2003 is on Routemasters
in London page. Quantock still run between Minehead
and Lynmouth with a convertible open-top Scania and are
well known for their classic bus running days.
|
NMY 634E |
One of the former BEA Routemasters
used originally for passenger transfers between Heathrow and
central London, and later on a variety of duties in the London
Transport ancillary fleet, former RMA50 was seen working for
Lothian subsidiary Macs Tours in livery for the Britannia
Tour in July 2003. This bus is now in the Ensignbus fleet.
Photo by Stephen Gow. |
CUV 106C |
The Big Red Bus Company ran RM2106
in full LT livery on their summer Sunday and bank holiday
service between Seaton Sands and Beer during 2006 and 2007.
Proprieter Pat Avery provided this photo of it in the summer
2006 season. It has now passed to Alpha Bus Company and is
in use for wedding and private hires. Photo
by Martin Fowler. |
214 CLT
|
Halifax Joint Committee made a
name for themselves as operators of Routemasters in the Halifax
area. Dennis Darts and Metrobuses are now the mainstay
of the fleet. Former RM1214 was pictured in April 2000. This
vehicle has now been sold, although RML2327 was acquired at
the end of 2004. |
650
DYE |
Reading Mainline ran Routemasters
in Reading for a six year period, the last two years until
July 2000 under Reading buses control. The vehicles themselves
came from various sources including Scottish operators and
Southend, and many returned to London as part of the TfL refurbishment
programme. Former RM650 was seen at work in May 1999
and had even managed to keep its original registration number.
|
AST 415A |
A rear-view shot of no. 12 as it
loads in St. Marys Butts in January 2000. This was one of
those acquired from a Scottish operator and retained the Scottish
registration mark it received while there. It was running
on Line A to Turnham Farm, which was withdrawn a month later
as the run-down of Mainline got under way. For more Reading
Mainline pictures see the Mainline last day feature on the
features page. |
XVS 319 |
Another user of Routemasters was
Southend Transport. Following takeover by British Bus and
passing into the control of London & Country they were
rapidly withdrawn and many in fact passed to the Reading Mainline
fleet. Here Southend number 106, former RM... is seen in the
resort's bus station on a local service to Canvey Island.
Photo by Ian Banks. |
USK 625 |
Routemasters continued in service
with Stagecoach at Perth until 1997. Number 605 (RM980), having
lost its original registration number and received a dateless
Scottish one, was seen in the city in August 1996. This bus
is now preserved and is pictured on the Preserved
AECs page. |
EDS 50A |
One of the Perth Routemasters was
transferred to Western and worked alongside Volvo Olympians
in a version of A1 livery. Numbered 1101, it was seen at Kilwinning
on the former A1 main road service in August 1997. This bus
is now retained only for special operations and is usually
kept at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum at Lathalmond. |
SWT
Routemasters |
South Wales Transport hired RM26
from Strathtay Scottish in 1989, due to a shortage of vehicles,
and then repeated the exercise five years later by hiring
RML2735 directly from London Transport. Hugh Jones captured
both events ans the pictures are featured on mike Morant's
PSV Archive pages. Photos by Hugh Jones. |
WLT 367 |
Clydeside were also an avid user
of Routemasters, and some of these survived merger with Western
and the second demerger to remain in use at Paisley into the
mid-90s. RM367 was seen at Johnstone in September 1986, shortly
after making the trip north from London. |
WLT 512 |
United Counties managed to get
hold of some Routemasters even before passing into the Stagecoach
empire, and made sure that passengers would have no doubt
about what sort of bus they were travelling on. Former RM512,
numbered 701 by United Counties, was seen at Kempston on the
cross-Bedford service in March 1988. |
RCN 699 |
Stevensons of Uttoxeter always kept an interesting fleet,
one of which was this former Northern General front-entrance
Routemaster seen at the Spath depot in September 1986. Shortly
after the picture was taken this bus was sold to Stagecoach
and ran in their Magicbus fleet from 1986 to 1991, when
it was sold back to Go Northern for preservation. It is
now registered PCN 762 having lost its original registration
while with Stagecoach.
The remaining Stevensons operations, centred on Burton and
Swadlincote, are now a part of the Arriva Midlands operation.
|
FPT 593C |
Seen with Northern General in National
Bus Company red is Routemaster 3107 alongside 3145 which had
a London registration and acted as a demonstrator for four
years before being purchased by Northern. Photo
courtesy of Northern Routemasters, www.northernroutemaster.co.uk |
