DSCN6521 Mulleys Motorways CN56 FDU at Rattlesden

Friday 5 December 2014 (1206) - Mulleys Motorways CN56 FDU seen on Rising Sun Hill overlooking the village of Rattlesden when working the 1145 service 386 from Stowmarket to Bury St. Edmunds. New to Bebb Travel of Llantwit Fadre, South Wales and latterly operated by Veolia Transport Cymru. As January 2015 approaches, when the Disability Discrimination Act requires buses to be fully accessible, so the Mercedes-Benz Vario buses normally used on these services will be obsolete. Whilst the three steps of the rugged Vario can be difficult for the elderly that use these services, the model has proved its worth on the rural lanes - many of which are lined with high grass bankings contribute to body damage. (To see a photograph of a Burtons Coaches Mercedes-Benz Vario photographed in almost the same spot nine years earlier see: www.ipernity.com/doc/davidslater-spoddendale/39082316/in/album/686381 )