First Eastern Counties - Alb 2

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1637) – First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 35926 (BN72 TVY) seen in Woodbridge working the 1550 service 63 from Framlingham to Ipswich. Service 63 only runs Mondays to Fridays with one morning return journey and one afternoon return journey (Ipswich-Framlingham-Ipswich). The bus is one of 17 low height Wright StreetDeck integrals delivered between September 2022 and February 2023 numbered 35910-35926. 35926 was the last to arrive in February 2023.

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1637) – First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 35926 (BN72 TVY) seen in Woodbridge working the 1550 service 63 from Framlingham to Ipswich. Service 63 only runs Mondays to Fridays with one morning return journey and one afternoon return journey (Ipswich-Framlingham-Ipswich). The bus is one of 17 low height Wright StreetDeck integrals delivered between September 2022 and February 2023 numbered 35910-35926. 35926 was the last to arrive in February 2023.

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1638) – First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 35926 (BN72 TVY) seen in Woodbridge working the 1550 service 63 from Framlingham to Ipswich. Service 63 only runs Mondays to Fridays with one morning return journey and one afternoon return journey (Ipswich-Framlingham-Ipswich). The bus is one of 17 low height Wright StreetDeck integrals delivered between September 2022 and February 2023 numbered 35910-35926. 35926 was the last to arrive in February 2023.

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1639) – First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 35926 (BN72 TVY) seen in Woodbridge working the 1550 service 63 from Framlingham to Ipswich. Service 63 only runs Mondays to Fridays with one morning return journey and one afternoon return journey (Ipswich-Framlingham-Ipswich). The bus is one of 17 low height Wright StreetDeck integrals delivered between September 2022 and February 2023 numbered 35910-35926. 35926 was the last to arrive in February 2023.

Friday 22 September 2023 (0841) - First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 32652 (AU05 MUP), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL new in August 2005, seen in Woodbridge when working a contracted service for Suffolk One Sixth Form College. This students only service is identified as service O5 and operates from Leiston (0745) to the College at Chantry, Ipswich (0915) travelling via Saxmundham, Wickham Market, Melton and Woodbridge. After leaving Woodbridge the route followed is along the A12 and A14 crossing the Orwell Bridge to reach the College from the Copdock exit of those trunk roads.

Friday 22 September 2023 (0841) - First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 32652 (AU05 MUP), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL new in August 2005, seen in Woodbridge when working a contracted service for Suffolk One Sixth Form College. This students only service is identified as service O5 and operates from Leiston (0745) to the College at Chantry, Ipswich (0915) travelling via Saxmundham, Wickham Market, Melton and Woodbridge. After leaving Woodbridge the route followed is along the A12 and A14 crossing the Orwell Bridge to reach the College from the Copdock exit of those trunk roads.

Friday 22 September 2023 (0841) - First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 32652 (AU05 MUP), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL new in August 2005, seen in Woodbridge when working a contracted service for Suffolk One Sixth Form College. This students only service is identified as service O5 and operates from Leiston (0745) to the College at Chantry, Ipswich (0915) travelling via Saxmundham, Wickham Market, Melton and Woodbridge. After leaving Woodbridge the route followed is along the A12 and A14 crossing the Orwell Bridge to reach the College from the Copdock exit of those trunk roads.

Friday 22 September 2023 (0841) - The picket fence encloses the frontage of the Adnams Brewery shop in Woodbridge. Adnams is a well known Suffolk brewer based in Southwold and has retail outlets in a number of East Anglian towns. First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 32652 (AU05 MUP), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL new in August 2005, seen as it worked a contracted service for Suffolk One Sixth Form College. This students only service is identified as service O5 and operates from Leiston (0745) to the College at Chantry, Ipswich (0915) travelling via Saxmundham, Wickham Market, Melton and Woodbridge. After leaving Woodbridge the route followed is along the A12 and A14 crossing the Orwell Bridge to reach the College from the Copdock exit of those trunk roads. The rear of the bus contains a full size advert for a Norfolk Broads holiday company.

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1644) - First Eastern Counties Buses 67763 (SN62 AUK) seen in Woodbridge when working the afternoon return of a contracted service for Suffolk One Sixth Form College (Ipswich Chantry to Leiston identified as service O5). It is an Alexander Dennis Enviro300 that had been new to First in Scotland in February 2013.

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1645) - First Eastern Counties Buses 67763 (SN62 AUK) seen in Woodbridge when working the afternoon return of a contracted service for Suffolk One Sixth Form College (Ipswich Chantry to Leiston identified as service O5). It is an Alexander Dennis Enviro300 that had been new to First in Scotland in February 2013.

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1645) - First Eastern Counties Buses 67763 (SN62 AUK) seen in Woodbridge when working the afternoon return of a contracted service for Suffolk One Sixth Form College (Ipswich Chantry to Leiston identified as service O5). It is an Alexander Dennis Enviro300 that had been new to First in Scotland in February 2013.

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1632) – First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 44518 (YX09 ACZ), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200 bodied Dart new in May 2009, seen in Woodbridge. It was loading as the 1635 service 71 to Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath). Rock Barracks is home to two Royal Engineers units of the British Army on the former airfield site of RAF Woodbridge. This bus was active on various ‘Village Link’ services on both days of my stay in Woodbridge. The tracker on the ‘Bus Times’ website showed the following: Thursday 21 September 1245 Ipswich-Little Bealings 1327 (59) 1400 Ipswich-Rushmere St. Andrew 1428 (59) 1429 Rushmere St. Andrew-Ipswich 1455 (59) 1500 Ipswich-Rushmere St. Andrew 1528 (59) 1540 Kesgrave High School-Rushmere St. Andrew 1607 (972) 1635 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 1647 (71) 1650 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 1706 (71) 1710 Woodbridge-Felixstowe 1758 (73) Friday 22 September 0715 Woodbridge-Ipswich 0819 (70) 0830 Ipswich-Woodbridge 0904 (70A) 0905 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 0917 (71) 0920 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 0936 (71) 0940 Woodbridge-Old Felixstowe 1040 (73) 1042 Old Felixstowe-Woodbridge 1138 (73) 1145 Woodbridge-Ipswich 1219 (70A) 1315 Ipswich-Woodbridge 1430 (79) 1435 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 1447 (71) 1450 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 1506 (71) 1540 Kesgrave High School-Ipswich (St. Augustine’s) 1557 (979) 1710 Ipswich-Woodbridge 1744 (70A) 1745 Woodbridge- Orford 1821 (71) (terminated at Sudbourne Park Fiveways at 1821)

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1633) – First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 44518 (YX09 ACZ), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200 bodied Dart new in May 2009, seen in Woodbridge. It was loading as the 1635 service 71 to Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath). Rock Barracks is home to two Royal Engineers units of the British Army on the former airfield site of RAF Woodbridge. The destination screen when caught by the camera at this moment showed the ‘Village Links’ brand name before changing back to the actual service/destination details. This bus was active on various ‘Village Link’ services on both days of my stay in Woodbridge. The tracker on the ‘Bus Times’ website showed the following: Thursday 21 September 1245 Ipswich-Little Bealings 1327 (59) 1400 Ipswich-Rushmere St. Andrew 1428 (59) 1429 Rushmere St. Andrew-Ipswich 1455 (59) 1500 Ipswich-Rushmere St. Andrew 1528 (59) 1540 Kesgrave High School-Rushmere St. Andrew 1607 (972) 1635 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 1647 (71) 1650 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 1706 (71) 1710 Woodbridge-Felixstowe 1758 (73) Friday 22 September 0715 Woodbridge-Ipswich 0819 (70) 0830 Ipswich-Woodbridge 0904 (70A) 0905 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 0917 (71) 0920 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 0936 (71) 0940 Woodbridge-Old Felixstowe 1040 (73) 1042 Old Felixstowe-Woodbridge 1138 (73) 1145 Woodbridge-Ipswich 1219 (70A) 1315 Ipswich-Woodbridge 1430 (79) 1435 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 1447 (71) 1450 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 1506 (71) 1540 Kesgrave High School-Ipswich (St. Augustine’s) 1557 (979) 1710 Ipswich-Woodbridge 1744 (70A) 1745 Woodbridge- Orford 1821 (71) (terminated at Sudbourne Park Fiveways at 1821)

Friday 22 September 2023 (1751) – First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 44518 (YX09 ACZ), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200 bodied Dart new in May 2009, seen in Woodbridge working the last trip of the day of service 71 to Orford (although the tracker on the ‘Bus Times’ website showed it terminating at Sudbourne Park Fiveways at 1821 about a mile short of Orford). Commercially operated service 71 runs from Woodbridge to Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) with the Monday to Friday schedule comprising six journeys each way. However, the last trip of the day extends to the village of Orford close to the Suffolk coast with financial support from Suffolk County Council (likewise the first trip of the day starts at Orford). On Saturdays the service only runs between Woodbridge and Rock Barracks with five outward and four inward trips. No service is provided on Sundays. Rock Barracks is home to two Royal Engineers units of the British Army on the former airfield site of RAF Woodbridge. This bus was active on various ‘Village Links’ services on both days of my stay in Woodbridge. The tracker on the ‘Bus Times’ website showed the following: Thursday 21 September 1245 Ipswich-Little Bealings 1327 (59) 1400 Ipswich-Rushmere St. Andrew 1428 (59) 1429 Rushmere St. Andrew-Ipswich 1455 (59) 1500 Ipswich-Rushmere St. Andrew 1528 (59) 1540 Kesgrave High School-Rushmere St. Andrew 1607 (972) 1635 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 1647 (71) 1650 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 1706 (71) 1710 Woodbridge-Felixstowe 1758 (73) Friday 22 September 0715 Woodbridge-Ipswich 0819 (70) 0830 Ipswich-Woodbridge 0904 (70A) 0905 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 0917 (71) 0920 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 0936 (71) 0940 Woodbridge-Old Felixstowe 1040 (73) 1042 Old Felixstowe-Woodbridge 1138 (73) 1145 Woodbridge-Ipswich 1219 (70A) 1315 Ipswich-Woodbridge 1430 (79) 1435 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 1447 (71) 1450 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 1506 (71) 1540 Kesgrave High School-Ipswich (St. Augustine’s) 1557 (979) 1710 Ipswich-Woodbridge 1744 (70A) 1745 Woodbridge- Orford 1821 (71) (terminated at Sudbourne Park Fiveways at 1821)

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1624) – First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 44518 (YX09 ACZ), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200 bodied Dart new in May 2009, seen during a break in Hamblin Road, Woodbridge. This bus was active on various ‘Village Link’ services on both days of my stay in Woodbridge. The tracker on the ‘Bus Times’ website showed the following: Thursday 21 September 1245 Ipswich-Little Bealings 1327 (59) 1400 Ipswich-Rushmere St. Andrew 1428 (59) 1429 Rushmere St. Andrew-Ipswich 1455 (59) 1500 Ipswich-Rushmere St. Andrew 1528 (59) 1540 Kesgrave High School-Rushmere St. Andrew 1607 (972) 1635 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 1647 (71) 1650 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 1706 (71) 1710 Woodbridge-Felixstowe 1758 (73) Friday 22 September 0715 Woodbridge-Ipswich 0819 (70) 0830 Ipswich-Woodbridge 0904 (70A) 0905 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 0917 (71) 0920 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 0936 (71) 0940 Woodbridge-Old Felixstowe 1040 (73) 1042 Old Felixstowe-Woodbridge 1138 (73) 1145 Woodbridge-Ipswich 1219 (70A) 1315 Ipswich-Woodbridge 1430 (79) 1435 Woodbridge-Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath) 1447 (71) 1450 Rock Barracks (Sutton Heath)-Woodbridge 1506 (71) 1540 Kesgrave High School-Ipswich (St. Augustine’s) 1557 (979) 1710 Ipswich-Woodbridge 1744 (70A) 1745 Woodbridge- Orford 1821 (71) (terminated at Sudbourne Park Fiveways at 1821)

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1628) – Sign on First Eastern Counties Buses (Ipswich Reds) 44518 (YX09 ACZ), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200 bodied Dart new in May 2009. From 1 January 2023 the Government launched a scheme to encourage people back to using buses following the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government website contained the following resume: Quote The £2 bus fare cap was launched on 1 January 2023. The scheme supported bus operators to implement a £2 cap on eligible single tickets for adults. The aims of the fare cap were to save passengers money and encourage more people back on the bus. The aims of this evaluation were: • to find out the extent to which the bus fare cap achieves its aims of saving bus passengers money and encouraging greater bus usage • to understand how the fare cap is experienced across the country by bus users and non-users The report includes baseline trends from the period before the £2 bus fare cap scheme was introduced, including trends in bus usage and the cost of bus travel. Observations from the first month of the £2 bus fare cap scheme include: • take-up of the scheme varied by region, rurality, household income and car ownership • awareness of the scheme was high with national news acting as the main channel for raising awareness • early evidence suggests a potentially positive impact on patronage and the cost of living The evaluation is ongoing and further findings will be published when completed. We commissioned Frontier Economics and SYSTRA to complete the evaluation on our behalf. Published 17 May 2023 Unquote

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1640) - First Eastern Counties Buses 69547 (BF12 KWH) seen in Woodbridge as it worked the 1605 service 64 from Ipswich to Aldeburgh. It is a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B7RLE that carries a heritage livery as employed by the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company following privatisation. It also carries a fleet number (VW547) in ECOC style from the same period. It was new to First Hampshire & Dorset in March 2012.

Thursday 21 September 2023 (1640) - First Eastern Counties Buses 69547 (BF12 KWH) seen in Woodbridge as it worked the 1605 service 64 from Ipswich to Aldeburgh. It is a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B7RLE that carries a heritage livery as employed by the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company following privatisation. It also carries a fleet number (VW547) in ECOC style from the same period. It was new to First Hampshire & Dorset in March 2012.