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Post by thelondonthing on May 21, 2020 6:02:43 GMT
Growing up in Heston, my nearest town centre - and nearest bus garage - was Hounslow. When I was very young, services were operated locally by London United and Westlink (along with a look-in from Centrewest on the 222, and of course London Buslines on the 81 (which, as many here will know, was the very first LBL service to be awarded to a private operator)). As deregulation took hold, I remember other operators like London & Country and TGM Buses (and eventually Armchair too) quickly becoming a local feature on a variety of routes. But for a brief period, I also remember the presence of Riverside Bus in my neck of the woods, which I mainly encountered as the operator of the 237. From occasional trips as a young boy a little further from home with my parents, I vaguely recall seeing Riverside Bus branding on the 190 as well (and possibly the 27 too?). But aside from the fact of its existence, I know very little about Riverside Bus, such as how it came into existence or what the story was behind its disappearance; it seemed to vanish as suddenly and with as little explanation as it had appeared. I know it wasn't one of the original 12 business units established under the London Buses breakup, but besides that, I know almost nothing of its story. Was it a completely independent startup that was simply trying to break into the London market? From what little information I've found about it in the past, it appeared to be centred around Stamford Brook - but wasn't that garage originally part of the London United Busways unit? Was Riverside Bus a spin-off from London United, perhaps started by former employees? And what's the story of its demise? Was it poorly managed, succumbing to financial difficulties - perhaps even absorbed by another operator like LUB? Or was it so successfully operated that it was quickly snapped up by a rival while it was still small and affordable? I woke up this morning suddenly - and quite inexplicably - realising that this is one of the longest-running unsolved mysteries in my life. I need answers, people! (Thanks in advance.)  |
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Post by greenboy on May 21, 2020 6:22:59 GMT
Growing up in Heston, my nearest town centre - and nearest bus garage - was Hounslow. When I was very young, services were operated locally by London United and Westlink (along with a look-in from Centrewest on the 222, and of course London Buslines on the 81 (which, as many here will know, was the very first LBL service to be awarded to a private operator)). As deregulation took hold, I remember other operators like London & Country and TGM Buses (and eventually Armchair too) quickly becoming a local feature on a variety of routes. But for a brief period, I also remember the presence of Riverside Bus in my neck of the woods, which I mainly encountered as the operator of the 237. From occasional trips as a young boy a little further from home with my parents, I vaguely recall seeing Riverside Bus branding on the 190 as well (and possibly the 27 too?). But aside from the fact of its existence, I know very little about Riverside Bus, such as how it came into existence or what the story was behind its disappearance; it seemed to vanish as suddenly and with as little explanation as it had appeared. I know it wasn't one of the original 12 business units established under the London Buses breakup, but besides that, I know almost nothing of its story. Was it a completely independent startup that was simply trying to break into the London market? From what little information I've found about it in the past, it appeared to be centred around Stamford Brook - but wasn't that garage originally part of the London United Busways unit? Was Riverside Bus a spin-off from London United, perhaps started by former employees? And what's the story of its demise? Was it poorly managed, succumbing to financial difficulties - perhaps even absorbed by another operator like LUB? Or was it so successfully operated that it was quickly snapped up by a rival while it was still small and affordable? I woke up this morning suddenly - and quite inexplicably - realising that this is one of the longest-running unsolved mysteries in my life. I need answers, people! (Thanks in advance.) I think Riverside Bus was just a low cost division of London United? There was a trend back then with Kingston/ Sutton/ Bexley Bus etc. |
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Post by redexpress on May 21, 2020 8:08:11 GMT
Growing up in Heston, my nearest town centre - and nearest bus garage - was Hounslow. When I was very young, services were operated locally by London United and Westlink (along with a look-in from Centrewest on the 222, and of course London Buslines on the 81 (which, as many here will know, was the very first LBL service to be awarded to a private operator)). As deregulation took hold, I remember other operators like London & Country and TGM Buses (and eventually Armchair too) quickly becoming a local feature on a variety of routes. But for a brief period, I also remember the presence of Riverside Bus in my neck of the woods, which I mainly encountered as the operator of the 237. From occasional trips as a young boy a little further from home with my parents, I vaguely recall seeing Riverside Bus branding on the 190 as well (and possibly the 27 too?). But aside from the fact of its existence, I know very little about Riverside Bus, such as how it came into existence or what the story was behind its disappearance; it seemed to vanish as suddenly and with as little explanation as it had appeared. I know it wasn't one of the original 12 business units established under the London Buses breakup, but besides that, I know almost nothing of its story. Was it a completely independent startup that was simply trying to break into the London market? From what little information I've found about it in the past, it appeared to be centred around Stamford Brook - but wasn't that garage originally part of the London United Busways unit? Was Riverside Bus a spin-off from London United, perhaps started by former employees? And what's the story of its demise? Was it poorly managed, succumbing to financial difficulties - perhaps even absorbed by another operator like LUB? Or was it so successfully operated that it was quickly snapped up by a rival while it was still small and affordable? I woke up this morning suddenly - and quite inexplicably - realising that this is one of the longest-running unsolved mysteries in my life. I need answers, people! (Thanks in advance.) I think Riverside Bus was just a low cost division of London United? There was a trend back then with Kingston/ Sutton/ Bexley Bus etc. Yes, from what I can gather it was just a way for LU to employ staff on lower wages etc to compete for tendered routes. I don't think they were ever set up as a standalone company (unlike Stanwell Buses aka Westlink) - just a different fleetname on the buses. It seems to have been set up when the 237 started a new tendered contract in January 1990. The 283 - which was already operated on a tendered contract from S - was also transferred into V and converted to Riverside Bus terms at the same time. Other routes (like the 190) were added subsequently.
I'm not sure when Riverside Bus ceased to exist as a separate unit. Once the subsidiaries started to negotiate their own wage terms with their staff the need for a separate low-cost unit would have disappeared. If it was still in existence at the time of privatisation (late 1994) it didn't last much longer afterwards.
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djs76
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Post by djs76 on May 21, 2020 9:15:31 GMT
I think Riverside Bus was just a low cost division of London United? There was a trend back then with Kingston/ Sutton/ Bexley Bus etc. Yes, from what I can gather it was just a way for LU to employ staff on lower wages etc to compete for tendered routes. I don't think they were ever set up as a standalone company (unlike Stanwell Buses aka Westlink) - just a different fleetname on the buses. It seems to have been set up when the 237 started a new tendered contract in January 1990. The 283 - which was already operated on a tendered contract from S - was also transferred into V and converted to Riverside Bus terms at the same time. Other routes (like the 190) were added subsequently.
I'm not sure when Riverside Bus ceased to exist as a separate unit. Once the subsidiaries started to negotiate their own wage terms with their staff the need for a separate low-cost unit would have disappeared. If it was still in existence at the time of privatisation (late 1994) it didn't last much longer afterwards.
I remember their single door Olympians showing up in Tottenham and Walthamstow on the short lived A3 Airbus to Stansted. Not quite sure where these journeys started from though. |
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Post by capitalomnibus on May 21, 2020 9:55:10 GMT
Yes, from what I can gather it was just a way for LU to employ staff on lower wages etc to compete for tendered routes. I don't think they were ever set up as a standalone company (unlike Stanwell Buses aka Westlink) - just a different fleetname on the buses. It seems to have been set up when the 237 started a new tendered contract in January 1990. The 283 - which was already operated on a tendered contract from S - was also transferred into V and converted to Riverside Bus terms at the same time. Other routes (like the 190) were added subsequently.
I'm not sure when Riverside Bus ceased to exist as a separate unit. Once the subsidiaries started to negotiate their own wage terms with their staff the need for a separate low-cost unit would have disappeared. If it was still in existence at the time of privatisation (late 1994) it didn't last much longer afterwards.
I remember their single door Olympians showing up in Tottenham and Walthamstow on the short lived A3 Airbus to Stansted. Not quite sure where these journeys started from though. I remember the G reg Leyland Olympians on route A3. I still have a leaflet now. It started from Stamford Brook & Chiswick. Attachment Deleted
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djs76
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Post by djs76 on May 21, 2020 16:02:45 GMT
I remember their single door Olympians showing up in Tottenham and Walthamstow on the short lived A3 Airbus to Stansted. Not quite sure where these journeys started from though. I remember the G reg Leyland Olympians on route A3. I still have a leaflet now. It started from Stamford Brook & Chiswick. View Attachment
How often did it operate, hourly or was it just a few trips each day? I don't think it survived for too long. |
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Post by John tuthill on May 21, 2020 17:46:34 GMT
I remember their single door Olympians showing up in Tottenham and Walthamstow on the short lived A3 Airbus to Stansted. Not quite sure where these journeys started from though. I remember the G reg Leyland Olympians on route A3. I still have a leaflet now. It started from Stamford Brook & Chiswick. View Attachment
Check out 'Ian Armstrongs page' look under 'L' |
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Post by busaholic on May 21, 2020 20:30:51 GMT
Growing up in Heston, my nearest town centre - and nearest bus garage - was Hounslow. When I was very young, services were operated locally by London United and Westlink (along with a look-in from Centrewest on the 222, and of course London Buslines on the 81 (which, as many here will know, was the very first LBL service to be awarded to a private operator)). As deregulation took hold, I remember other operators like London & Country and TGM Buses (and eventually Armchair too) quickly becoming a local feature on a variety of routes. But for a brief period, I also remember the presence of Riverside Bus in my neck of the woods, which I mainly encountered as the operator of the 237. From occasional trips as a young boy a little further from home with my parents, I vaguely recall seeing Riverside Bus branding on the 190 as well (and possibly the 27 too?). But aside from the fact of its existence, I know very little about Riverside Bus, such as how it came into existence or what the story was behind its disappearance; it seemed to vanish as suddenly and with as little explanation as it had appeared. I know it wasn't one of the original 12 business units established under the London Buses breakup, but besides that, I know almost nothing of its story. Was it a completely independent startup that was simply trying to break into the London market? From what little information I've found about it in the past, it appeared to be centred around Stamford Brook - but wasn't that garage originally part of the London United Busways unit? Was Riverside Bus a spin-off from London United, perhaps started by former employees? And what's the story of its demise? Was it poorly managed, succumbing to financial difficulties - perhaps even absorbed by another operator like LUB? Or was it so successfully operated that it was quickly snapped up by a rival while it was still small and affordable? I woke up this morning suddenly - and quite inexplicably - realising that this is one of the longest-running unsolved mysteries in my life. I need answers, people! (Thanks in advance.) You can sleep more easily. Riverside Bus was set up by London United on 6th January 1990 at Stamford Brook garage. It operated the 237,won on tender from that date, together with the 283 which had been won on re-tender, and also the Airbus routes. A press launch took place at Heathrow Airport featuring all 23 new Leyland Olympians which were to work the 237, with a rather insignificant looking Concorde in the background! This was all prior to privatisation and involved other routes moving from V, and operating staff were given the option of moving garages, or accepting new (lesser) working conditions. On this occasion, unlike others, widespread strike action was averted. |
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Post by capitalomnibus on May 21, 2020 21:34:05 GMT
I remember the G reg Leyland Olympians on route A3. I still have a leaflet now. It started from Stamford Brook & Chiswick.
How often did it operate, hourly or was it just a few trips each day? I don't think it survived for too long. If I remember it was every hour and a half or three hours. Nothing like the A1 or A2 at the time. The Olympians had the nice high backed seats like Eastern National had on the 251. It carried fresh air, it was ahead of its time as then not much people used Stansted as they do now. It was limited stop and I think the last stop was Walthamstow Bell, then non stop to Stansted. If I get a chance, I would search through my boxes to look for the timetable. |
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Post by thelondonthing on May 22, 2020 4:06:19 GMT
Many thanks for solving that mystery for me - it all makes sense now I didn't realise that all Airbus operations came under Riverside Bus; always good to learn something new! I vaguely recall the A3, and I too remember it not being around for very long at all. Did some of the Olympians with coach seats displaced from the A3 end up at Hounslow? I certainly remember travelling on the 111 on Metrobuses with coach seating that had been transferred from Airbus (I think there were 2 or 3 of them at AV at one point, and possibly at FW too?), but I'm not 100% sure if I also travelled on coach-seated Olympians on Hounslow routes, or if I've simply imagined that. And does anyone remember the Airbus hotel-hoppa service operated with Dennis Darts refurbished with coach seating? I can't remember what the specific branding was for that service (I'm pretty sure it wasn't 'Airbus Hotel Hoppa'), but like the A3, I don't think the service itself was around for long either! |
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2020 7:26:44 GMT
Many thanks for solving that mystery for me - it all makes sense now I didn't realise that all Airbus operations came under Riverside Bus; always good to learn something new! I vaguely recall the A3, and I too remember it not being around for very long at all. Did some of the Olympians with coach seats displaced from the A3 end up at Hounslow? I certainly remember travelling on the 111 on Metrobuses with coach seating that had been transferred from Airbus (I think there were 2 or 3 of them at AV at one point, and possibly at FW too?), but I'm not 100% sure if I also travelled on coach-seated Olympians on Hounslow routes, or if I've simply imagined that. And does anyone remember the Airbus hotel-hoppa service operated with Dennis Darts refurbished with coach seating? I can't remember what the specific branding was for that service (I'm pretty sure it wasn't 'Airbus Hotel Hoppa'), but like the A3, I don't think the service itself was around for long either! I was out there on the first day of Riverside Bus. London United management had taken over the sad world of Kingston Bus in 1989 so it was all a bit of a gamble, especially when Kingston Bus went onto lose the 65,85 and 213 from September 1990. I remember the companies delight when they won the 140 from Harrow Buses a few months later. L312,313 and 314 were the coach seated Olympians. The others had red moquette seats the same as Westlinks MRs. Although I think a couple of the Olympians has brown versions which looked awfully dull. The 9 moved into S during MonSat and into AV OPO on Sundays, AV also gained the 27,91 and E4. Garage trips on the latter three all ran in service. Airbus Direct started when Dennis Darts , the early series DT1-27 became spare from FW and AV. This was achieved by the downgraded Airbus Metrobuses being sent to FW , with half of the R70 and 285 becoming M operated. Airbus Direct ran exclusively from Terminal 4 but on way back in towards Heathrow would drop off anywhere. It had two core routes, one which ran vaguely around the A2 catchment area of Marble Arch and Russell Square and another one that went to Victoria, but the latter was quite limited. It ran every 15 mins and the cabbies hated it. The DTs would literally pick up customers at the doors of the hotels, right outside the cab rank. AV had M1006,M1020,M1028 and all the Leyland Olympians went there after contract renewal of the 140 displaced the Ms. Before London United lost the 237 it was transferred back to AV with M’s along with the new 235. Riverside Bus went onto to win the N9 and N11 on tender with L’s. They also ran the 94 during evenings and Sundays ( with L’s ex service from the 237) and the 9 on Sundays with DT’s . Brand new DTs with Riverside Bus branding were delivered for the 283 and 391. They won the 27 with a bunch of motley M’s, the highest example being M204, the lowest M8. Edit have trawled through my OCD mind, I think this list is 90% accurate ... Riverside Bus M’s 8,13,19,21,28,29,34,39,44,86,93,110,112,157,179,183,186,193,195,204 and then Airbus extras 1190 & 1191. |
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Post by redexpress on May 22, 2020 7:49:17 GMT
Airbus Direct started when Dennis Darts , the early series DT1-27 became spare from FW and AV. This was achieved by the downgraded Airbus Metrobuses being sent to FW , with half of the R70 and 285 becoming M operated. Airbus Direct ran exclusively from Terminal 4 but on way back in towards Heathrow would drop off anywhere. It had two core routes, one which ran vaguely around the A2 catchment area of Marble Arch and Russell Square and another one that went to Victoria, but the latter was quite limited. It ran every 15 mins and the cabbies hated it. The DTs would literally pick up customers at the doors of the hotels, right outside the cab rank.
I remember the cabbies' antics undermining the Airbus operations - even after they'd seen off Airbus Direct, they continued to attack the main Airbus services, with rogue cabbies pulling up at bus stops just before the bus was due to try to poach their passengers. I was living near Russell Square at the time so I witnessed all this on a regular basis. Never got to sample Airbus Direct but I did use the A2 in preference to the tube; it was more expensive but a much more comfortable journey.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2020 8:00:39 GMT
Airbus Direct started when Dennis Darts , the early series DT1-27 became spare from FW and AV. This was achieved by the downgraded Airbus Metrobuses being sent to FW , with half of the R70 and 285 becoming M operated. Airbus Direct ran exclusively from Terminal 4 but on way back in towards Heathrow would drop off anywhere. It had two core routes, one which ran vaguely around the A2 catchment area of Marble Arch and Russell Square and another one that went to Victoria, but the latter was quite limited. It ran every 15 mins and the cabbies hated it. The DTs would literally pick up customers at the doors of the hotels, right outside the cab rank.
I remember the cabbies' antics undermining the Airbus operations - even after they'd seen off Airbus Direct, they continued to attack the main Airbus services, with rogue cabbies pulling up at bus stops just before the bus was due to try to poach their passengers. I was living near Russell Square at the time so I witnessed all this on a regular basis. Never got to sample Airbus Direct but I did use the A2 in preference to the tube; it was more expensive but a much more comfortable journey.
Yes indeed. I used the A2 as well. To get to work on Sunday mornings at Marble Arch ! Coming home off night ps I’d be waiting at the A2 bus stop on Oxford Street / Marble Arch for a 94. Cabbies would stop and proposition customers waiting for the A2 ( obviously going to Heathrow because of baggage etc) . Unfortunately they got their way and Airbus Direct was withdrawn. |
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Post by evergreenadam on May 22, 2020 10:19:16 GMT
I’m still not sure that Airbus was part of Riverside Bus.
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Post by John tuthill on May 22, 2020 10:45:36 GMT
I’m still not sure that Airbus was part of Riverside Bus. Check out 'Ian Armstrongs Bus Stop page' go into 'L' and then under 'Riverside'  |
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