Go Ahead: Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach

Tuesday 28 Sept 2010 (1305) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 720 (YP09 HWG), a Scania Omnicity integral new Dec 2008, seen at Churchill Square, Brighton. Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. James Hannington was the first bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa who was martyred in 1885 while trying to open up a route into what is now Uganda. Born in Hurstpierpoint in 1847, he came from the same family that started the former department store in Brighton. He left school at 15 to work for his father’s counting house but six years later decided on a church career.

Tuesday 28 Sept 2010 (1317) –Two Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) in Churchill Square, Brighton. 624 (YN04 GJU), an East Lancs bodied Scania Omnidekka new in Feb 2004 passes 884 (T672 KPU), one of the seven secondhand Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Tridents added to the fleet in Sept 2005 which had been new to Stagecoach East London in 1998/1999. Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. Eric Courtney-King was a businessman owning a chain of dry cleaning shops in the Brighton area. He was a local Justice of the Peace, a prominent member of Rotary and a Freemason. He established many old people’s lunch clubs in the area and helped start the Brighton Festival along with others. He was Chairman of Brighton and Hove Albion, the town’s football team, in the 1960s. David Sheppard Cricketer/Lord Sheppard of Liverpool, who died aged 75 of cancer in 2005, was captain of Sussex and England at cricket. After he retired from the game he achieved even more eminence as Anglican Bishop of Liverpool and a reforming member of the House of Lords.

Tuesday 28 Sept 2010 (0855) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) favours Scania buses in their fleet. This view in Castle Square shows 626 (YN04 GJY), an East Lancs bodied Omnidekka dating from Feb 2004, and 52 (YN58 BCF), an integral Omnilink single decker dating from Sept 2008.

Tuesday 28 Sept 2010 (1306) – Two Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) Scania Omnicity integral double deckers pass in Churchill Square. Facing the camera is 715 (YP09 HWB) (new May 2009) as 720 (YP09 HWG) (new Dec 2008) heads the other way. Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. 715 is named after Marie-Antoine Careme, born in Paris around 1784, who was head chef at the Prince Regent’s kitchen in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. He was formerly chef to the Emperor Napoleon and cooked for the Tsar of Russia. He was an early exponent of haute cuisine and known as ‘the King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings’. The company is very marketing conscious and their buses carry varied marketing messages on the sides and rear. One campaign contains an ‘and sign’ (ampersand) carried through from the sign as used in the company name ‘Brighton & Hove’ as may be seen on 720 in the background.

Tuesday 28 Sept 2010 (1319) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 608 (GX03 SUU), an East Lancs bodied Scania Omnidekka new in June 2003. B&H is very marketing conscious and a number of buses carry side displays of this kind from the ‘I’m on the bus’ series which feature a quoted message from either passengers or company employees. In addition, most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area.

Monday 27 Sept 2010 (0848) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) operated four Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated buses transferred from Go-Ahead London mainly used on peak hour workings of the busy service 25 serving the University sites. 103 (BX02 YZP), built in 2002 and added to the B&H fleet in the Spring of 2010, was seen at Old Steine.

Monday 27 Sept 2010 (1648) – A Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) East Lancs bodied Scania OmniDekka passing the gardens of New Steine as it travelled along St. James’s Street. Branded for service 1 (Mile Oak-City Centre-Whiteoak).

Sunday 26 Sept 2010 (1440) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 617 (GX03 SSZ), a Scania N94UD OmniDekka with East Lancs body new June 2003, seen at Devil’s Dyke, the terminus of service 77. Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. Douglas Reeve was a local organist, born in Brighton, who played the organ at Brighton cinemas and The Dome Concert Hall for many years and from where the BBC broadcast regular performances. Devil’s Dyke is located about five miles (8 kilometres) outside Brighton. The Dyke valley is the longest, deepest and widest ‘dry valley’ in Britain. Legend has it that the Devil dug the chasm to drown the parishioners of the area known as The Weald. In reality the land is thought to have been shaped over 10,000 years ago by erosion carving out the chalk based landscape. The National Trust maintains this natural environment which is popular with walkers and for the pursuit of outdoor activities. Hang gliders and paragliders take advantage of the high ground and thermal draughts, high ground which also provides stunning countryside views.

Thursday 5 July 2018 (1847) – Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company 425 (BF12 KWZ) seen in Tunbridge Wells as it arrived from Brighton on ‘Regency Route’ branded service 29, a journey of two hours or so. It is a Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL new in March 2012.

Friday 6 July 2018 (0744) – Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company 423 (BF12 KWY) seen in Tunbridge Wells as it arrived from Brighton on ‘Regency Route’ branded service 29, a journey of around two hours or so. It is a Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL new in March 2012. Note the novelty bicycle shaped frames to prop and lock normal bicycles. They commemorate the 2007 Tour de France cycle race which passed through the town in July that year.

Friday 6 July 2018 (0746) – Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company 423 (BF12 KWY) seen in Tunbridge Wells as it arrived from Brighton on ‘Regency Route’ branded service 29, a journey of around two hours or so. It is a Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL new in March 2012. The rather grand Classical style building behind the bus is a former Congregational Church and Lecture Hall built in the mid 1800s. In 1980 it was bought by Cotswold Outdoor for use as their local branch - a rather grand shop indeed!

Friday 6 July 2018 (0756) – Delivery trucks and council service vehicles were providing the bus drivers with a veritable obstacle course through the main street in Tunbridge Wells. On the left is Arriva 4217 (KH61 KHB), an Optare Versa new in November 2011, operating service 7 to Maidstone. On the right is Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company 423 (BF12 KWY), a Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL new in March 2012, operating the ‘Regency Route’ branded service 29 to Brighton.

Friday 6 July 2018 (0756) – Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company 423 (BF12 KWY) seen in Tunbridge Wells bound for Brighton on ‘Regency Route’ branded service 29, a journey of around two hours or so. It is a Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL new in March 2012.

Friday 6 July 2018 (0757) – Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company 423 (BF12 KWY) seen in Tunbridge Wells bound for Brighton on ‘Regency Route’ branded service 29, a journey of around two hours or so. It is a Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL new in March 2012.