Post by JamesG on Aug 20, 2023 14:08:02 GMT
London Bus Experiences is a project started by my wife & I following the closure of our previous venture in Ukraine, due to reasons I am sure everyone is aware of.
There has been a number of messages on Facebook over the last few days asking questions so I'll give a quick rundown of the current operations, as this seems to be the main online area for bus discussion.
Further details about our future operations will be published in the coming months, however for the time being we are offering the "London Bus Driving Experience" on private land where anyone can come and have a go driving one of our buses (both are fitted with a second brake). Once things like O licences are sorted, the jury is still out if this will continue to be offered. At the moment it is a nice way to meet other people with similar interests and keep the buses moving and in use.
We have no fixed plans about fleet expansion in the short to medium term but do have some long term goals. However, if a vehicle comes up that would be useful and is advertised (or can be negotiated to) a price point that we are happy with then it is always an option.
Our current fleet is as follows:
VLA 131 (LJ05 GMF)
Operational
We got our first bus in January 2023. The vehicle had been stored off the road for some years after being used (mostly) on the 128 for its entire life. It's been somewhat of a project to get the vehicle back on the road and we still aren't where we want to be with it inside. After much work it's mechanically sound and back on the road.
TP 417 (LK03 CFN)
Operational
TP417 was delivered to Holloway in 2003, it was promptly showcased at Showbus and served on numerous routes during its service in London. In late 2015, it was sold to Ensignbus, used for rail replacement and filming, including featuring in BBC's Sherlock. By 2016, Seaford & District hired it, and it eventually moved to Loyalty Connections of Margate. In 2023, TP417 became part of the London Bus Experiences fleet. It's a useful vehicle already having a class 6 MOT and tachograph fitted.
DPT 516 (S516 JJH)
Operational
DPT 516 began its journey with Tellings-Golden Miller, serving Kingston University. In 2005 it entered the Travel London fleet and was numbered DP716, however after not too long in 2007 it transitioned to Reading Buses and was converted into a training vehicle. After almost a decade, it was sold to Compass Bus in 2018. Just a short time ago in August 2023 it was agreed to transition into the London Bus Experiences fleet. We have given the vehicle the fleet number DPT 516 as although personally I like to keep the same numbers that the vehicle has had for many years, this particular bus had many numbers throughout the last 25 years. Quite simply, 516 is from the number plate and it is a Dennis Plaxton Trainer.
As a long time lurker on here, who even ended up at a couple of forum meets in the Spoons next to Fenchurch Street about 15 years ago, I never expected to one day be posting about my own buses here!
There has been a number of messages on Facebook over the last few days asking questions so I'll give a quick rundown of the current operations, as this seems to be the main online area for bus discussion.
Further details about our future operations will be published in the coming months, however for the time being we are offering the "London Bus Driving Experience" on private land where anyone can come and have a go driving one of our buses (both are fitted with a second brake). Once things like O licences are sorted, the jury is still out if this will continue to be offered. At the moment it is a nice way to meet other people with similar interests and keep the buses moving and in use.
We have no fixed plans about fleet expansion in the short to medium term but do have some long term goals. However, if a vehicle comes up that would be useful and is advertised (or can be negotiated to) a price point that we are happy with then it is always an option.
Our current fleet is as follows:
VLA 131 (LJ05 GMF)
Operational
We got our first bus in January 2023. The vehicle had been stored off the road for some years after being used (mostly) on the 128 for its entire life. It's been somewhat of a project to get the vehicle back on the road and we still aren't where we want to be with it inside. After much work it's mechanically sound and back on the road.
TP 417 (LK03 CFN)
Operational
TP417 was delivered to Holloway in 2003, it was promptly showcased at Showbus and served on numerous routes during its service in London. In late 2015, it was sold to Ensignbus, used for rail replacement and filming, including featuring in BBC's Sherlock. By 2016, Seaford & District hired it, and it eventually moved to Loyalty Connections of Margate. In 2023, TP417 became part of the London Bus Experiences fleet. It's a useful vehicle already having a class 6 MOT and tachograph fitted.
DPT 516 (S516 JJH)
Operational
DPT 516 began its journey with Tellings-Golden Miller, serving Kingston University. In 2005 it entered the Travel London fleet and was numbered DP716, however after not too long in 2007 it transitioned to Reading Buses and was converted into a training vehicle. After almost a decade, it was sold to Compass Bus in 2018. Just a short time ago in August 2023 it was agreed to transition into the London Bus Experiences fleet. We have given the vehicle the fleet number DPT 516 as although personally I like to keep the same numbers that the vehicle has had for many years, this particular bus had many numbers throughout the last 25 years. Quite simply, 516 is from the number plate and it is a Dennis Plaxton Trainer.
As a long time lurker on here, who even ended up at a couple of forum meets in the Spoons next to Fenchurch Street about 15 years ago, I never expected to one day be posting about my own buses here!
