Earlier today at around 4pm I was in the Strand waiting in vain for a
heritage RM 15 to take me to the tower, however in the end I had to catch a
regular 15.

While en-route I noticed both a Roofbox RT and a RM on route 4 on it`s way
to Waterloo.

Does anyone know why these buses were operating on this route today?

"Robert McCall" wrote:

Earlier today at around 4pm I was in the Strand waiting in vain for a
heritage RM 15 to take me to the tower, however in the end I had to catch
a
regular 15.

While en-route I noticed both a Roofbox RT and a RM on route 4 on it`s way
to Waterloo.

Does anyone know why these buses were operating on this route today?

To mark the last day of step-entrance buses on this route, which I believe
is the last TfL service (other than the Heritage RMs) to go over to low
floor easy-access buses. Therefore quite a significant occasion - in a way,
even more significant than the end of the RMs in regular service.

Chris

As a matter of interest, apart from the Routemasters - which are the
oldest buses currently running on regular routes now?

Rob

wrote:

As a matter of interest, apart from the Routemasters - which are the
oldest buses currently running on regular routes now?

If you mean TfL tendered routes only, then I guess you're looking at the
earliest low- floor single deck Darts. For example, routes 370/373
(Romford-Grays) operate with P-reg Darts. 1996/97ish vintage.

The earliest low-floor double deck Tridents were on an S-reg plate, I think,
although they didn't arrive en masse until the T-reg era.

Chris

Chris Read wrote:
wrote:
As a matter of interest, apart from the Routemasters - which are the
oldest buses currently running on regular routes now?

If you mean TfL tendered routes only, then I guess you're looking at the
earliest low- floor single deck Darts. For example, routes 370/373
(Romford-Grays) operate with P-reg Darts. 1996/97ish vintage.

The earliest low-floor double deck Tridents were on an S-reg plate, I think,
although they didn't arrive en masse until the T-reg era.

Which means that London Buses has virtually replaced its entire fleet
in 8 years, something that has only happened once before, in 1947-54
with RTs and RFs. The average age of the fleet may now be lower than
it was in 1954; if so, it's the lowest it has ever been.

Colin McKenzie

In article , (Colin McKenzie) wrote:

Chris Read wrote:
wrote:
As a matter of interest, apart from the Routemasters - which are the
oldest buses currently running on regular routes now?

If you mean TfL tendered routes only, then I guess you're looking
at the earliest low- floor single deck Darts. For example, routes
370/373 (Romford-Grays) operate with P-reg Darts. 1996/97ish vintage.

The earliest low-floor double deck Tridents were on an S-reg plate,
I think, although they didn't arrive en masse until the T-reg era.

Which means that London Buses has virtually replaced its entire fleet
in 8 years, something that has only happened once before, in 1947-54
with RTs and RFs. The average age of the fleet may now be lower than
it was in 1954; if so, it's the lowest it has ever been.

They just don't make buses like they used to!

Actually the fleet in 1947-54 wasn't as young as that. You're forgetting the trolleybuses.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

"Colin McKenzie" wrote:

Which means that London Buses has virtually replaced its entire fleet
in 8 years, something that has only happened once before, in 1947-54
with RTs and RFs. The average age of the fleet may now be lower than
it was in 1954; if so, it's the lowest it has ever been.

It's even more dramatic than that.

I remember the first low-floor Tridents arriving at Barking Garage
(Stagecoach East London), in the T xxx KPU registration series. Within three
or four years, they were displaced away from London by newer Tridents, and I
now see T xxx KPU buses down on the south coast, and also in Cambridge, with
other parts of the Stagecoach empire.

Chris

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 20:11:37 +0000 (UTC), "Chris Read"
wrote:


wrote:

As a matter of interest, apart from the Routemasters - which are the
oldest buses currently running on regular routes now?

If you mean TfL tendered routes only, then I guess you're looking at the
earliest low- floor single deck Darts. For example, routes 370/373
(Romford-Grays) operate with P-reg Darts. 1996/97ish vintage.

Quite a few of these running on Metroline routes out of Willesden -
e.g. 302/245 etc.

Rob.
--
rob at robertwoolley dot co dot uk

In article , (Chris Read) wrote:

"Colin McKenzie" wrote:

Which means that London Buses has virtually replaced its entire
fleet in 8 years, something that has only happened once before, in
1947-54 with RTs and RFs. The average age of the fleet may now be
lower than it was in 1954; if so, it's the lowest it has ever been.

It's even more dramatic than that.

I remember the first low-floor Tridents arriving at Barking Garage
(Stagecoach East London), in the T xxx KPU registration series.
Within three or four years, they were displaced away from London by
newer Tridents, and I now see T xxx KPU buses down on the south coast,
and also in Cambridge, with other parts of the Stagecoach empire.

Stagecoach has a Cambridge Park and Ride fleet comprising those Tridents and some S-registration examples. I gather they are expecting to replace it fairly soon.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article , chris117
@btinternet.com says...

"Colin McKenzie" wrote:

Which means that London Buses has virtually replaced its entire fleet
in 8 years, something that has only happened once before, in 1947-54
with RTs and RFs. The average age of the fleet may now be lower than
it was in 1954; if so, it's the lowest it has ever been.

It's even more dramatic than that.

I remember the first low-floor Tridents arriving at Barking Garage
(Stagecoach East London), in the T xxx KPU registration series. Within three
or four years, they were displaced away from London by newer Tridents, and I
now see T xxx KPU buses down on the south coast, and also in Cambridge, with
other parts of the Stagecoach empire.

Chris






At least twenty still around at Upton Park operating on routes 101 and
104, travelled on T689KPU last week. Have seen several on the Cambridge
Park & Ride service which seemed to be those formerly at Leyton garage.
Incidentally Cambridge also have the odd one out, 17066 [T699KVX],
presumably so registered because T666KPU was deemed a 'cherished' number