Bedford (via St. Neots) - 2016

Friday 7 October 2016 (1316) – Grant Palmer of Flitwick SK52 OJC seen leaving Bedford bus station. It is a Plaxton Pointer Dennis Dart new to Lothian Buses (59) in December 2002.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1311) – Grant Palmer of Flitwick YT51 EAJ seen leaving Bedford bus station. It is a Plaxton Pointer Dennis Dart new to Connex London (DP8) in January 2002 and later operated by Western Greyhound in Cornwall.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1053) – Grant Palmer of Flitwick YT51 EAJ seen in Bedford. A Plaxton Pointer Dennis Dart new to Connex London (DP8) in January 2002. It was later operated by Western Greyhound in Cornwall.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1053) – Grant Palmer of Flitwick Y547 XAG, a Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart, leaving Bedford bus station on circular service 27 via the villages of Cardington, Great Barford, Renhold, Wilden etc with a total journey time of around 67 minutes. It was new to London United (DPS547) in June 2001 and still retains the dual door London layout.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1140) – Grant Palmer P720 GND crossing the bridge over the River Great Ouse working from Bedford town centre to Ampthill via its home base of Flitwick on service 44. It is an Alexander bodied Volvo Olympian new to Greater Manchester Buses (South) in October 1996.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1126) – Coming into Bedford town centre on service 44 from its home town of Flitwick is Grant Palmer P720 GND, an Alexander bodied Volvo Olympian new to Greater Manchester Buses (South) in October 1996. Turning into St. Paul’s Square close to the statue of John Howard (1726-1790), a local philanthropist and prison reformer.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1345) – A very well kept Plaxton Derwent bodied Volvo B10M bus of Chiltern Travel of Blunham, Bedfordshire caught from my seat on board Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54310 (YX64 WCO) in Great Barford. H151 SKU is now 26 years old, new in October 1990 to Smith of Alcester for its ‘Your bus’ operation. (Before passing to Chiltern it had been operated by Stuart’s of Carluke and had been registered 162 BDA along the way).

Friday 7 October 2016 (0950) – Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54315 (YX64 WCZ) seen in St. Neots. This was one of a batch of Plaxton Elite bodied Volvo B11R placed in service on the re-branded Cambridge-Oxford service X5 in early January 2015. I had arrived on this coach from Madingley.

Friday 7 October 2016 (0951) – Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54315 (YX64 WCZ) seen in St. Neots. This was one of a batch of Plaxton Elite bodied Volvo B11R placed in service on the re-branded Cambridge-Oxford service X5 in early January 2015. The rear panels of the coaches contain pictures of some of the locations served by the service. I had just arrived on this coach from Madingley.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1019) – Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54308 (YX64 WCM) seen in St. Neots. This was one of a batch of Plaxton Elite bodied Volvo B11R placed in service on the re-branded Cambridge-Oxford service X5 in early January 2015. I boarded this coach bound for Bedford.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1053) – Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54308 (YX64 WCM) seen in Bedford. This was one of a batch of Plaxton Elite bodied Volvo B11R placed in service on the re-branded Cambridge-Oxford service X5 in early January 2015. I had just arrived on this coach from St. Neots.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1316) – Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54310 (YX64 WCO) seen in Bedford bus station. It was one of a batch of Plaxton Elite bodied Volvo B11R placed in service on the re-branded Cambridge-Oxford service X5 in early January 2015. I was about to board this coach for my journey back to Cambridge.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1320) – Bedford bus station. Right is Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54310 (YX64 WCO) seen in It was one of a batch of Plaxton Elite bodied Volvo B11R placed in service on the re-branded Cambridge-Oxford service X5 in early January 2015. I was about to board this coach for my journey back to Cambridge. In the background is Grant Palmer of Flitwick Y546 XAG, a Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart, which was new to London United (DPS546) in July 2001 and still retains the dual door London layout.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1317) – Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54310 (YX64 WCO) seen in Bedford bus station. It was one of a batch of Plaxton Elite bodied Volvo B11R placed in service on the re-branded Cambridge-Oxford service X5 in early January 2015. I was about to board this coach for my journey back to Cambridge.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1010) – Stagecoach East (Cambus) 54309 (YX64 WCN) seen in St. Neots. This was one of a batch of Plaxton Elite bodied Volvo B11R placed in service on the re-branded Cambridge-Oxford service X5 in early January 2015. The rear panels of the coaches contain pictures of some of the locations served by the service.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1144) – Stagecoach East 18060 (AE53 TZM), a Transbus built Plaxton President bodied Dennis Trident new in November 2003, in St. Paul’s Square in Bedford with the steeple of the Church of St. Paul dominating the background. It was working service 9 to the residential village of Shortstown to the south east of the town. Shortstown was established in 1917 to house the workforce of aviation company Short Brothers that built airships at nearby Cardington. Stagecoach’s town services in Bedford are branded ‘Bedfordbus’.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1137) – A Stagecoach East Alexander ALX400 bodied double decker travelling along the Embankment in Bedford seen from the bridge over Bedford’s main river, the River Great Ouse. Also a swan passing The Swan.

Friday 7 October 2016 (1132) – Stagecoach East 19891 (AE11 FUH) leaving the bridge over Bedford’s main river, the River Great Ouse, on its way into the town centre. The bridge carried the original A6 London-Carlisle trunk road through the town. An Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400 bodied Trident new in June 2011. Stagecoach’s town services in Bedford are branded ‘Bedfordbus’.