Western Greyhound 258 LFJ858W, Hayle

Western Greyhound 258 LFJ858W Bristol VRT/SL3 ECW. Parked up on Marsh Lane, Hayle behind the west Cornwall Shopping Centre on 12th June 2014. New to Western National as 1211 in Dec 1980, this vehicle was aquired from Emblings, Guyhirn in Sept 2009. 

First 33662 SN12AED, Falmouth

First Devon & Cornwall Alexander Dennis E400 33662 SN12AED is seen at Dracaena Avenue on the outskirts of Falmouth 30th April 2015. New to First Games Transport in March 2012 for use on Olympic Games duties, it is part of a batch of 9 that were transferred to FDC in August 2012 at the end of the Olympic games. Originally the batch were allocated to Plymouth but transferred to Cambourne in August 2014 when the former 41 and 88 routes were rebranded U1 and U2. Linking Falmouth with Truro and Redruth the routes serve the Penryn campus of Falmouth University. Formerly Falmouth College of Art it was granted full University status in 2012 and aims to become one of the top art universities in the world. The branding on the bus also names the University of Exeter in which Falmouth operates in a partnership. Note the slogan under the unibus branding - making it clear that services U1/U2 are available for everyone and not just university students!

Bristol - European Green Capital - 37007 WX55VHR

Bristol has been awarded the status of European Green Capital of 2015 - the first British city to be designated. As an official partner to the City Council, First have given 6 Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini's an allover green vinyl wrap (ex First London 32360 and native 37007/11-14). On Saturday 22nd August 2015, 37007 (WX55VHR) is seen heading past the Royal West of England Acadamy of Art and The Victoria Rooms at the bottom of Whiteladies Road. It is operating a shuttle service for the Bristol International Kite festival between Temple Meads, The Centre and Durdham Down where the festival has just moved to for the first time this year from it's previous home of Ashton court.

Vista Coachways, Yatton. Service 660 - Iveco Turbo Daily 59.12/Mellor B21D L932CTT.

Vista Coachways, Yatton, North Somerset commenced operations in 1988 with a restored Bedford OB that was originally bought by its proprietor Terry Jones in 1975. Originally offering private hires with this vehicle additional coaches and buses were purchased - and all presented to a high standard. In April 2004 Vista were awarded the contract to operate service 660 (North Weston/Portishead - Congresbury) on a Monday to Friday, extended to Monday to Saturday from April 2007. However, with the down scaling of the business the contract was eventually surrendered in April 2008 and the business ceased trading. The first three photos (not great quality, taken with a phone camera) show the company depot at Claverham Road, Yatton in June 2006. The final two photos show L932CTT, Iveco Turbo Daily 59.12/Mellor B21D named Exwick. This rare dual-doored minibus was new to Devon General in March 1994 as part of Harry Blundred's minibus revolution and acquired from Stagecoach Devon in March 2005. These photos show it at the North Weston, Portishead terminus of route 660 on 4th April 2008 in the last few days of trading. 

Old Buses, new colours. First Bristol VR's 38873 & 38895

The far end of Cornwall is often the place where older buses see out their final days. Indeed the Bristol VR saw regular service there until December 2006 with First Devon and Cornwall. Whilst most of them wore the blue and white of Western National or the early "Barbie" livery of First, some were repainted into more modern colour schemes. UAR595W was new to Eastern National in June 1981 as their 3105, transferring to Thamesway and then eventually ending up in Cornwall as First Devon & Cornwall 38895. By July 2005 it had become a Driver Training vehicle based in Plymouth and given a new livery to advertise itself as such. In 2006 it was transferred to Cornwall (possibly as a staff shuttle bus rather than driver training) and is seen here in Penzance on the 10th July 2006. This vehicle is recorded as being broken up for spares in September 2006. LFJ873W, new in Feb 1981 to Western National as their 1226 eventually become First Devon & Cornwall 38873. Fully renovated and repainted into "Barbie 3" livery in July 2006 it was allocated to special events duties - taking part in the final running day of Bristol VR's with First Devon & Cornwall in Penzance on 9th December 2006. By 2007 it had passed to the Western National Preservation Group and is seen here on the Bristol Vintage Bus Group running day in Brislington, Brisol on 12th August 2007. 

First Kernow Dennis Dart 46235 N235KAE.

The far west of Cornwall is often where old buses see out their final years. As far as First Group fleets (and their predecessors) go, First Kernow has an older than average age for its fleet with new purchases being rare and a lot of vehicles cascaded from other fleets. N235KAE (First 46235) is a Dennis Dart 9.8SDL/Plaxton B40F new in November 1995 to Badgerline as their 235. Transferred from Bristol to Cornwall in 2011, when this photograph was taken on 23rd March 2014 at the First outstation in Helston step entrance buses were already becoming a rarity in the FirstGroup fleets. This bus was placed in reserve during 2013 but returned to traffic in 2014 when various rail replacement contracts put pressure on the fleet. At the time of writing (October 2014) it has been reported that this bus has been stripped of fleet names and prepared for scrap.

Bristol Omnibus Co Bristol RE 1268 EHU369K. Service X8, Yate.

Along with many other NBC subsidiaries, Bristol Omnibus Co implimented a large-scale review of its services in the early 1980's as part of the in-house Market Analysis Project (MAP). Surveys undertook both on and off the bus gave a picture of what the public actually wanted from it's local services and this feedback helped shape the future bus network. The town of Yate (along with its neighbour Chipping Sodbury) were liked to Bristol primarily by service 329 (more direct along the A432) or service 328 via the villages of Iron Acton, Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne along the B4058. Following MAP a new limited stop service was introduced from Yate to Bristol that took the B4058 but without deviating from the road and then picked up the M32 Motorway at Hambrook for a fast journey into Bristol City Centre. Delivered new to Bristol Omnibus in January 1972 for use on Bristol City services, Bristol RELL3/ECW B44D 1268 EHU369K was converted to single door B50F layout during February 1982 for use on "Country" services and is seen in the short lived Yate outstation on the Yate/Chipping Sodbury border where Station Road Yate meets Bowling Hill Chipping Sodbury. A couple of hundred yards away from here on the Yate side of the border is the confusingly named "Chipping Sodbury" Cottage hospital - Birthplace of Harry Potter author J.K.Rowling.