Trivia - longest time without a brand new bus

[scosutsut]

I've been wondering how long can a decent sized operator (or operating company of a larger organisation) go without getting a brand new bus delivered?

Qualifying criteria:
Operator/operating company must have at least 20 vehicles, in an effort to exclude smaller operators.

The company must have existed and operated consistently, but change of parent company/ownership is ok.

If they've never received a new vehicle state how long have they been in operation to provide context.

The example that got me thinking about this was Midland Bluebird's recent Yutongs are I believe the first brand new vehicles in something like ~9 years? I am ready to be corrected on that one however.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I've been wondering how long can a decent sized operator (or operating company of a larger organisation) go without getting a brand new bus delivered?

Qualifying criteria:
Operator/operating company must have at least 20 vehicles, in an effort to exclude smaller operators.

The company must have existed and operated consistently, but change of parent company/ownership is ok.

If they've never received a new vehicle state how long have they been in operation to provide context.

The example that got me thinking about this was Midland Bluebird's recent Yutongs are I believe the first brand new vehicles in something like ~9 years? I am ready to be corrected on that one however.

First Buses of Somerset received e200 44924 in 2009 and then no new buses until 2025* (* - they did receive some First Glasgow Streetlites on loan and diverted on delivery to cover the Taunton Park and Ride for a few weeks until some hired fleet could be sourced)

Arriva North East is an interesting one. Whilst the company is referred to as one business, the Ashington and Blyth depots are Arriva Northumbria and that company received some new e200mmc and e400mmc to Ashington (and Jesmond just before closure). The e200mmc and a few e400mmc were transferred after a few months south of the Tyne (Arriva Durham County) but whilst nearly new, I think it might be 2017 since a brand new bus was delivered there.

 

[matchmaker]

I've been wondering how long can a decent sized operator (or operating company of a larger organisation) go without getting a brand new bus delivered?

Qualifying criteria:
Operator/operating company must have at least 20 vehicles, in an effort to exclude smaller operators.

The company must have existed and operated consistently, but change of parent company/ownership is ok.

If they've never received a new vehicle state how long have they been in operation to provide context.

The example that got me thinking about this was Midland Bluebird's recent Yutongs are I believe the first brand new vehicles in something like ~9 years? I am ready to be corrected on that one however.

66 plate Enviro 400MMC are the most recent I think, although I don't know if they were new to First East Scotland or to McGills.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I’d have probably suggested someone like Carousel, but even they seem to have more modern kit than I realised now (mostly OBC cast offs still, though…)

 

[Worm]

First Manchester, I don't remember anything new between 2013/14 and 2024 when they handed over to the Bee Network aside from TfGM buses used on the guided bus way.

 

[MotCO]

Did Silcox of Pembroke Dock ever have any new vehicles?

 

[Omnidekkalover]

I suppose First South Yorkshire hasn’t had anything brand new since 2018 if memory serves me right. (Excluding the 22 plate streetlites and street decks as they were first new to Portsmouth and weston super mare respectively.)

 

[Djb1]

First Manchester, I don't remember anything new between 2013/14 and 2024 when they handed over to the Bee Network aside from TfGM buses used on the guided bus way.

Similar for Arriva Manchester i think, unless some of the mellor strata’s were new to them.

 

[erskinebus]

Happy to be corrected, but I think that Arriva Scotland West went from 1999 V-plate B10BLEs (which quickly were moved to Newcastle) to 2007 57-plate B7RLEs for the Glasgow Airport service, with the exception of a pair of 2004 Wright Cadets for a tendered service?

 

[buslad1988]

Ipswich Buses last brand new buses were in 2016 with nothing ordered since; with no plan of that changing in the short term. Only second hand/dealer stock has appeared since then.

 

[Teapot42]

I was wondering if TM Travel had ever had new buses, but it looks like they had three 65 plate Solos. Prior to that seems to be some 63 plate Versas, then some 07 plate Centros maybe?

Either way, they mainly get cast-offs, to the point where locals joke they don't actually have a livery as you are lucky to see two buses in the same colours.

 

[Omnidekkalover]

Although you might as well call first South Yorkshire a moving gallery of various first liveries

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

First Manchester, I don't remember anything new between 2013/14 and 2024 when they handed over to the Bee Network aside from TfGM buses used on the guided bus way.

Those Vantage B5TLs were purchased by First not TfGM

 

[florence]

Similar for Arriva Manchester i think, unless some of the mellor strata’s were new to them.

The Mellors were all new to Macclesfield depot if I recall correctly - being moved on when Arriva pulled out of Cheshire East.

 

[Andyh82]

There must be various secondary companies that piggy back on the main operator and just receive cast offs

Carousel and Thames Travel that mostly get Oxford cast offs
Notts & Derby and TM Travel that mostly get Trent Barton cast offs
Damory that get cast offs from elsewhere in Go South Coast

Before they received the MMCs, I’m assuming new buses were fairly thin on the ground at First in Cornwall (Kernow/First SW/First D&C/Western National etc). They are thin again now but did receive the new Mousehole minibuses and have got the electrics coming)

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

There must be various secondary companies that piggy back on the main operator and just receive cast offs

Carousel and Thames Travel that mostly get Oxford cast offs
Notts & Derby and TM Travel that mostly get Trent Barton cast offs
Damory that get cast offs from elsewhere in Go South Coast

Before they received the MMCs, I’m assuming new buses were fairly thin on the ground at First in Cornwall (Kernow/First SW/First D&C/Western National etc). They are thin again now but did receive the new Mousehole minibuses and have got the electrics coming)

Carousel has some new 25 plates Enviros and has also had the Pick Me Up Sprinters delivered new.

 

[JD2168]

Stagecoach Barnsley depot hasn’t had brand new buses since late 2017 with the E200 MMC’s for the 1

I was wondering if TM Travel had ever had new buses, but it looks like they had three 65 plate Solos. Prior to that seems to be some 63 plate Versas, then some 07 plate Centros maybe?

Either way, they mainly get cast-offs, to the point where locals joke they don't actually have a livery as you are lucky to see two buses in the same colours.

They are the last brand new buses the 65 plate Solos

 

[cnjb8]

Was Hedingham's last new buses the Enviros from 2010?

 

[Statto]

Arriva Merseyside Birkenhead depot never had any new buses from the small batch of StreetLites in 2015 to the E200MMCs last Autumn, although saying that they had regular batches of new buses from 2009 until 2015.

 

[Jimmi]

Arriva North East is an interesting one. Whilst the company is referred to as one business, the Ashington and Blyth depots are Arriva Northumbria and that company received some new e200mmc and e400mmc to Ashington (and Jesmond just before closure). The e200mmc and a few e400mmc were transferred after a few months south of the Tyne (Arriva Durham County) but whilst nearly new, I think it might be 2017 since a brand new bus was delivered there.

Pretty much every depot at Arriva North East bar Ashington & Darlington hasn't had anything purchased/delivered specifically for them since 2014/2015

 

[WibbleWobble]

Damory that get cast offs from elsewhere in Go South Coast

Technically no - two new buses have just gone into service on the X8, which although is a More branded route is run from Pimperne depot so is operationally Damory. You've also got two 17 plate coaches which were Damory branded when new.

 

[Eyersey468]

Yorkshire Coastliner haven't had any new buses since 2018, before then they would regularly get new buses every 2-3 years

 

[JKP]

Did Silcox of Pembroke Dock ever have any new vehicles?

Yes. I have photographed various Bristol badged coaches with DE registrations at Tenby. I think they then moved onto Leopards?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Yes. I have photographed various Bristol badged coaches with DE registrations at Tenby. I think they then moved onto Leopards?

They got 5 new vehicles in May 1976 all Duple bodied. 3 Bristol LHs and 2 Leopards.

 

[James101]

Stagecoach’s Hartlepool depot last had new vehicles, MAN Enviro 200s, 17 years ago in 2008. I don’t think Select of Penkridge have ever had a new vehicle, they operate around 30 vehicles. Select began operating in 2010(?) but expanded significantly since acquiring the work of Arriva in Stafford in 2021, briefly operated by Chaserider.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Technically no - two new buses have just gone into service on the X8, which although is a More branded route is run from Pimperne depot so is operationally Damory. You've also got two 17 plate coaches which were Damory branded when new.

I was going to make the same point in that Damory operate the X8 (on a sort of franchise basis) and those replaced some 2016 e400s that were similarly operated.

However, Damory did get some 2015 Solo SRs that I think were delivered for the Dorset tenders but have now been cascaded to Salisbury but two do still remain with Damory.

 

[pdq]

Did Silcox of Pembroke Dock ever have any new vehicles?

Yes, lots. Anything with an original ..DE or ..BX registration was more than likely new to Silcox. Loads of Leopards on various coach and bus bodies. When I was 7, I got quite excited riding on the brand new BDE140V bus! There used to be an article in the local paper when they got more than a couple at a time.

 

[dgl]

For First Wessex/Dorset I guess it would be 2014 when we got the Streetlite's and some Solo's, previous to that it would have been the Jurassic coast buses in 2008 and 2004.

 

[WM Bus]

Stagecoach’s Hartlepool depot last had new vehicles, MAN Enviro 200s, 17 years ago in 2008. I don’t think Select of Penkridge have ever had a new vehicle, they operate around 30 vehicles. Select began operating in 2010(?) but expanded significantly since acquiring the work of Arriva in Stafford in 2021, briefly operated by Chaserider.

Arriva Tamworth, I don’t think they’ve had a new bus since the 44XX E400 were new in 2014.
Probably likewise Arriva Shrewsbury/Telford.


It seems all new buses go into Leicester at Arriva Midlands.

 

[BVW]

Did Silcox of Pembroke Dock ever have any new vehicles?

Bus Lists on the Web lists 157 new vehicles for Silcox from 1936 onwards. The last of them were three ADL E20Ds new in April 2016, two months before the company collapsed.