Trivia : Open top buses that have appeared on non tourist services

[Simon75]

Are there many examples of open top services that have appeared on non tourist routes?

 

[150249]

Recently 15665 has been out on Stagecoach South West's 57 route and even made a guest appearance on the Exeter City route A

 

[Geeves]

Diamond had an open top ALX doing a tour of its commercial routes out of Bolton Last year.

 

[Cambus731]

Southend Transport Daimler Fleetline just arrived into Southend on the 1 from Rayleigh

Southend Transport Daimler Fleetline 915 JTD395P

10th July 1002

www.flickr.com

 

[rg177]

In July/August 2020, Toon Tour Plaxton Presidents would run on Go North East services 309/310/311 while the actual tour was suspended due to covid.

Open-top down the Coast Road (a 70mph limit motorway) was bracing, shall we say.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Are there many examples of open top services that have appeared on non tourist routes?

Do professional football club trophy parades count?

 

[WibbleWobble]

Open tops occasionally venture out on the Morebus m1 and m2, more so in the period between the convertible buses being deroofed and the summer timetable starting (this was certainly the case this year).

Before their demise, Yellow Buses did similar, with open tops running on their Poole - Christchurch 1 service (they had specific workings one year). Their Golden Tours deckers also appeared on regular services during the airshow in 2021 (as the tour was suspended).

 

[LAIRA]

Stagecoach 19571 has been working the P&R 200 in Plymouth this week. The top deck was sealed off out of use.

 

[Wolvercoter]

Recently 15665 has been out on Stagecoach South West's 57 route and even made a guest appearance on the Exeter City route A

I recall an open top running a single trip on Exeter route E last year (Exwick side). Usually Solos.

 

[richw]

Stagecoach 19571 has been working the P&R 200 in Plymouth this week. The top deck was sealed off out of use.

Low trees exiting Coypool meant the risk assessment didn’t allow the top deck to be used. The normal single decks brush the low hanging trees in the short bus lane

 

[Bristol LHS]

Stagecoach NE have a couple of elderly open-toppers that make sporadic and unadvertised appearances on the Economic services between South Shields and Sunderland (while an attractive coastal route, it’s a mainstream connection that exists all-year-round)

 

[RELL6L]

Stagecoach Lake District open toppers intended for the 599 certainly made a few appearances on the 555 earlier this year just prior to delivery of the new fleet. I think they covered the whole route.

 

[aliceh]

Many years ago, Wilts & Dorset put the odd open topper on the UniBus route B (grandfather of the U3). Used to enjoy getting that one home. In recent times I've seen them on the m2 and the 1a services.

If we're being super pedantic, you could argue that Purbeck Breezers 40 and 50 aren't fully "tourist" routes, especially in winter, as they provide an essential link from Swanage to Bournemouth and Poole. But I wouldn't possibly want to be that much of a pedant

 

[150249]

I recall an open top running a single trip on Exeter route E last year (Exwick side). Usually Solos.

Oh yes I remember that. I'm not sure if it was actually in service though

 

[Ken H]

Guide Friday used their open toppers on school services with the top deck sealed off. This was back in 1990's

 

[73001]

Slightly off topic but Peoplesbus ran their Routemaster (for weddings etc) on a morning school service earlier this year... there'd been a breakdown and it was absolutely lashing with rain. To save the pupils waiting in the rain, XVS830 ran a double crewed commercial service to Maghull High!

 

[Redmike]

Stagecoach Lakesider Volvo 13802 was running out of Hyde Road depot in Manchester back in 2017. I think this was about the time they were launched in service.

Stagecoach CNL BV17CTF

Stagecoach Manchester had Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire Lakesider BV17CTF 13802 down for the day running services 203, 192, 250 and 216.

www.flickr.com

 

[ALEMASTER]

Hulleys of Baslow indulge in this now and again, the open topper that runs on their "Breezer" service at weekends sometimes sneaks out onto regular services midweek, usually the 170 Chesterfield-Bakewell.

 

[Statto]

London Buses route 23 often used to see an appearance of an open top Routemaster, when Routemasters were allocated to that route.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Reading Buses' "Rooftop Bus" V524 ESC has been known to pop up on cross-town route Purple 17 in periods of prolonged nice weather.

 

[dazzler]

Back in the early 1980s and National Bus company days, York garage was short of working double deckers, so borrowed some from Southdown. Southdown sent a couple of spare open top deckers, which were very noticeable, due to York buses being red and white and Southdown being green and white. They wound up operating normal city services and we regularly got one of them on the number 4 route when coming home from school. It was quite breezy, especially in March...

 

[randyrippley]

read this recent thread

Snowbus

After the overnight snow Stagecoach Kendal sent out an open topper on the 555 which arrived in Lancaster around 08:00 today No idea if this was due to a positioning move, disruption - or whether someone in management thought it was a one-off attraction. The thought of riding it in the snow to...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Deerfold]

TJ Walsh's Benjy the open top minibus was regularly used on normal services, typically circulars from Halifax to Illingworth and Mixenden after the town centre tourist route it was originally used on was withdrawn.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Many years ago, Wilts & Dorset put the odd open topper on the UniBus route B (grandfather of the U3). Used to enjoy getting that one home. In recent times I've seen them on the m2 and the 1a services.

You've reminded me that the Evosetis have made appearances on the Unibus routes - I spotted them a couple of times on the U1 and U4 earlier in the spring.

 

[Gloster]

Occasionally Southern Vectis have used open toppers on some of the less busy school trips when it had a temporary shortage of vehicles, although I haven’t seen it for a while. The door between the covered section over the stairs should have been locked so that the horrors were corralled inside.

 

[800301]

Ensignbus of Purfleet have operated an open top trident over a few of their routes last year on the very hot days

 

[JD2168]

When Northern Bus existed in South Yorkshire running services between Sheffield & Dinnington in the 1990’s they ran Bristol VR open toppers at times on the routes.

 

[341o2]

Open tops occasionally venture out on the Morebus m1 and m2, more so in the period between the convertible buses being deroofed and the summer timetable starting (this was certainly the case this year).

Before their demise, Yellow Buses did similar, with open tops running on their Poole - Christchurch 1 service (they had specific workings one year). Their Golden Tours deckers also appeared on regular services during the airshow in 2021 (as the tour was suspended).

Also appearances on the 1 group, especially 1813

 

[Peter Philips]

I recall an open top running a single trip on Exeter route E last year (Exwick side). Usually Solos.

And a few years back I saw one of the Torbay open-top Tridents out on the 22 and 31 during vehicle shortages.

 

[andy1571]

Brighton & Hove used to put their open-toppers out on normal service on occasion. I recall having a spin on one of the TxxxRFG pair up to Woodingdean, for example.