The feudal kingdom of Burnhamland.

I have seen the future: it is yellow and BEE awful. 

If you were given the chance to create the future model for combined health and social care services in this country and made a total shambles; when you managed to get your Police Authority put into special measures; when you cleansed the homeless and poor from the city centre to make way for shiny new tower blocks built by your developer chums, what would you do next? Answer: you would take a financially viable transport network away from the operators, ‘nationalise’ it and place the financial burden on the electorate.

But, let’s start with two bus journeys that spearheaded quality contracts which the bus industry in this country should have developed. In both cases the routes feature Stagecoach, Arriva and Merseytravel. Route 472 from Heswall arrived in the form of a Gold livery Scania from Stagecoach for a one hour journey via the Mersey Tunnel to Liverpool, always exciting from the top deck front seat. A quick walk around the corner into Queens Square, Liverpool for the 10 service to St. Helens, not the 10A as this takes an additional 15 minutes. The big question is: will this be my first ‘yellow’ sighting? Merseytravel have a small fleet of hydrogen deckers allegedly working route 10, but no luck. Never mind, the 10 takes 60 minutes to reach St. Helens so every chance of spotting one on route, but no luck, and the same on the return journey. Perhaps these futurist buses were no more than a click and paste PR stunt by the local mayor. What is it with Labour mayors and the colour yellow? Red I could understand, but not yellow. Did central office make a bulk purchase of paint years ago and now has a warehouse full of tins, enough to paint 20,000 buses yellow?

Hatton's SN66 WLA. Alexander Dennis E20D B29F.

Arriving in St. Helens, once a bastion of small independent operators, it is now left to Hatton’s and Huyton to elevate the sea of aquamarine that dominates the bus station. Time for a cup of tea, 90p in the café at the end of the bus station before boarding Arriva 320 which departs every 30 minutes and takes 49 minutes to Wigan. No sooner are we underway than it’s time to enjoy an extended visit to New Boston, as we fight our way through a set of temporary traffic lights, just 100 yards from the still functioning traffic lights at the junction. Pavement battles ensue as vehicles go off-road and many one and two finger salutes exchanged. Eventually, progress is made before a slow procession through Platt Bridge with plenty of time to admire the local scrapyard specialising in buses. Several ex-Stagecoach Merc’s and a couple of body frames, now unrecognisable, stand proud as a glorious landmark for visitors. But no time to ponder, we must ‘gird our loins’ for we are about to enter Burnhamland.

Suddenly, they are upon us, BEEs in front, turning from the left, turning from the right, and without warning coming up behind. The interior of our little Arriva DAF/Wright is enveloped in a yellow hue of double-decker BEEs. Hunting in packs they are out to intimidate, blocking out the view of the historic and scenic wonder that is Wigan Pier. But then, with their modernish glass and steel hive in view they suddenly peel off left to deposit their recently acquired nectar (passengers) in their laire. Whilst we make a circumnavigation of the town centre before entering the bus station via the lower end. Entering this bastion of milk and honey offers little reward. No sign of a queen bee offering assistance to would be passengers, no chance of using the loo until security extricate the little old lady and her wheeled shopping bag from the turnstile. Time to venture out of the bus station as Wigan town centre has some historic buildings displaying its former wealth from the cotton trade and the former market hall is now undergoing a huge redevelopment. 

 

 Diamond NW MX20 KXD. Wright Streetdeck H45/29F.

No time for loitering, I can hear the diesel buzzing of a swarm of BEEs calling me back towards the hive. There are two swarms, the largest being Go Ahead NW, with a motley selection of worker bees from nationwide: the older members of the swarm are double-deckers, many having had surgery to their bodies, whilst the youngsters are single-deckers and many newly delivered. The smaller of the two swarms is the Diamond NW, recognisable by the Wright Streetdecks, some still fledglings with blue plumes yet to mature into full yellow BEEs. Many of the Go Ahead swarm appear to be twins, coming in and out together and displaying the same route number, safety in numbers from any predators who are still loitering (Stagecoach and Arriva). The beekeepers, a dishevelled bunch with no common uniform, sit on the retaining wall of the hive creating great plumes of smoke. Presumably they subdue the swarm whilst it briefly buzzes in and out, or perhaps the king bee Burnham is about to visit to extract more honey (money) from his unsuspecting acolytes. Anyway, time to move on before I (like the local electorate) get stung, 

 

 Go Ahead SK73 CRJ. Alexander Dennis E20D MMC B37F.

Back in the hive, this time for the other Arriva route that goes between Wigan and St. Helens, the hourly 352 via Orrell and Billinge. A lovely run across the hills with expansive views. It is obviously too windy for the swarm as there is not a hint of yellow in sight. Finally, time for a rerun back to Heswall. The 10 from St. Helens is soon full as the local college is in and it’s time for home. We soon start playing leapfrog with two 10A’s and a 10B all the way back to Liverpool and all well loaded. It never ceases to amaze me how far students are prepared to travel for their education, and there is me thinking everybody under 20 had an environmental conscience. That’s a story for another day, time to buzz off home.

 

 Go Ahead NW SN14 TUJ. Alexander Dennis E40D H45/30F.    

The stats. (Source: public documents)
TfGM
£400 million government funding to TfGM since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
£18 million 8th June 2023 to ensure the stability and reliability of the transport network.
The above is in addition to £1.07 billion funding through City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, £39.7 million for active travel schemes and £19.87 million through Levelling Up Funds for transport.
A fixed sum of £13 million of Bus Service Operators Grant plus (BSOG+) 2023/4 and again in 2024/25.
A further £8.8 billion was announced for a second round of CRSTS 2 for 5 years from 2027.
Franchising will be funded from a combination of the approved capital budgets of c£86m, and the approved revenue budgets of c£134.5 million, associated with the transition to bus franchising; and from net revenues generated from bus franchising for the period beyond transition.
 

BEE Network tranche 1.
Commenced September 2023.
188 routes in phase one.
Timetable changes on 44 bus services.
50 (BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV) electric buses.
Estimated revenue totalling £400m will accrue over seven years.
Diamond sold 134 buses to TfGM and the depot for £30.41m.
2023/24 Bus franchising budget £15.9m.
Cost of purchasing Stagecoach Wigan depot unknown.
Many official TfGM documents redacted. 

                       Diamond NW MX21 ASV. Wright Streetdeck H45/29F.

Omnibus World 

Azerbaijan & Nakhchivan

BakuBus MMC 15599 (99·JU·284). BMC Procity 12 CNG, new in 2019. One of 510 in service with the operator. Operating service 125 from 28 May metro station to the southern suburb of Lokbatan, a distance of 21km with a 10-minute headway. Photographed on Neftchilar Avenue heading out of the city.

The Republic of Azerbaijan sits on the borders of Europe and Asia with a coastline on the Caspian Sea; land borders with the Republic of Dagestan, Iran, Georgia and Armenia; has the enclave of Nakhchivan. With a population of 10.2 million the capital is Baku, main language is Turkic and the currency is the manat (1 manat = 47p). This former part of the Soviet Union is now a ‘democratically elected one party state’, rich in gas and oil reserves.

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a land locked nation situated in the southwest end of the Lesser Caucasus and covers an area of 5,500 KM² with a population of 444,400. It has a 246km long border with Armenia; 204km with Iran and 11km with Turkey. Since the second Nagorno-Karabakh war of 2020 and the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, the Republic is only accessible to foreigners by air. Biblically, Nakhchivan is said to be the resting place of the Prophet Noah and that the cleft peak of Mount Ilandag was carved out by Noah's Ark. The Republic is also considered one of the least polluted countries in the world, with no major industries and vast areas given over to mountains and national parks.

The capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, has a population of 2.62 million. The terrain is hilly, levelling out on the seafront with a 14km long promenade. The streets are often narrow, and the architecture is a mix of ancient, Soviet and spectacular modern. Public transport includes a two-line metro system, 70 city bus routes, 124 suburban routes, 6 minibus routes in the city and 17 in the suburbs; carries 350,000 passengers daily and is overseen by Baku Transport Agency (BTA). Tickets are purchased using the ‘BakkaKART’, a pre-loaded smart card. The municipal operator is BakuBus MMC with two bus garages, each has a capacity of 300 buses. Two large independents, Cinar Trans LLC and Khaliq Faiqoglu (part of the SAFA Holding group of companies) plus 41 small operators contribute about 2,168 buses to the network, with the minibuses, normally white, accepting only cash (0.30 manat in the city), payable before alighting. Passenger loadings are always heavy with services suffering from day long traffic congestion, and most routes continue to midnight and beyond. 

BakuBus MMC 67197 (77·JA·829) heads a line-up of four out of a total of 205 currently operational BMC Neocity 9M CNGs, new in 2022. The buses are lined-up at the Nizami Ganjavi Park terminus of route 10. Route 10 is a convoluted route east/west through the city centre, the western terminus being at the Zefir Shopping Mall. 

 

Baku’s public transport has seen huge investment and between 2015 and 2020, 603 medium and large-capacity buses were purchased, these included 300 buses bought in 2019. In 2020 115 Turkish built BMC buses were ordered, 80 were 12-meter long and 35 9-meter-long BMC Neocity. As a result of the Clean Bus Declaration (BUS2025), one BYD 12-meter electric bus was purchased in 2023. A second electric bus from China's ZhongTong Bus was purchased in 2024. Recently the Economy Ministry has signed an agreement with BYD to assemble vehicles locally. Major purchases have also been made by the two large independents, Cinar Trans LLC has invested in 150 new vehicles since 2017 and Khaliq Faiqoglu, who operate 300 buses (the blue buses in Baku) have received Otokar or Isuzu types for their city routes 18, 52, 61, 65, 79, 85, 96, 135 and 199.

         

BakuBus MMC 15406 (99·JB·291). BMC Procity 18 CNG, new in February 2020 and one of 20 in service. Photographed passing the architecturally amazing Heydar Aliyev Centre on route 13 towards the large park & ride/interchange site Mezhdunarodnyy avtovokzal.

Ganja is Azerbaijan’s second largest city (population 335,600) and owes much of its history to being on the original silk road. The city saw bombing by Armenian forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Between 1955 and 2004 the city had an extensive trolleybus network. Today most routes are operated by mini and midibuses of various ages and from several manufacturers. Information on the network is limited, although ten routes were observed.

20·EY·910 Karsan ATAK operated by Azər Avtonəqliyyat in Ganja. The vehicle was new to Baku in 2018 and came to Ganja in October 2023. Photographed passing the Ganja branch of National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan on Shah Ismayil Khetayi Avenue.

Sheki is a small city on the slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains (population 68,460). There are 16 bus routes operated by minibuses (Marshrutkas) primarily of Mercedes Benz manufacture, the vast majority Mercedes 208D’s with the occasional 507D. Despite their age, these vehicles manage the hilly terrain with gusto: routes 11 and 17 climb to The Palace of the Sheki Khans situated at 800m above sea level, fully laden with passengers, showing little sign of their age. 

55·BJ·0882, PAZ-3205 operating route 22 in Sheki. Route 22 operates between the Olympic complex, bus terminal, hospital, theatre, old bazaar, caravansary, The Palace of the Sheki Khans, and children's hospital. The route climbs to over 800m on a steep incline. The bus is returning to the city centre passing the caravansary. 

Nakhchivan City (population 94,500) is the administrative centre for the Autonomous Republic. A small walkable city with wide boulevards, a result of Soviet planning, that provide a one-way system for the bus network. Until 2004 there was a trolleybus system consisting of three routes. Today the city buses are mostly Isuzu and King Long midibuses whilst suburban buses are fleets of Mercedes 208D/408D’s. The main bus station is in the north of the city at the junction of Dilgam Pishavari Road and the M7, whilst the out-of-town minibuses congregate around the central market in the south of the city. 

O·014·MR a MAZ 206 in Nakhchivan city. The only one of this type seen during the visit.

Ordubad is the second largest city in Nakhchivan, built on a hillside close to the Iranian border and is a mixture of modern and medieval architecture. The local bus service travels up Emin Sadliq Road, with the primary objective to get residents up the steep hill from the bottom of town using Mercedes 208D/408D’s.

75·BA·039, a KAvZ 3270. KAvZ is a subsidiary of the GAZ Group. Photographed in Ordubad, Nakhchivan, now acting as a motorhome.

Throughout the visit it was difficult to identify coach operators as most vehicles carried no signwriting. They were however quite modern vehicles. The current favoured large vehicle type is the Neoplan Cityliner, whilst slightly older vehicles mainly consist of Mercedes Benz Travelgo’s. New midi-coaches are TEMSA and all smaller coaches Mercedes Benz Sprinters.

99·JB·060, 99·JB·010, two of the numerous Neoplan Cityliners seen throughout Azerbaijan. These are parked at Heydar Aliyev Centre.

Azerbaijan is investing heavily in transport infrastructure. The recent agreement between the country and its neighbour Armenia to open a transit corridor between the two parts of Azerbaijan will see both road and rail links established. The investment in buses seen in Baku might spread to the hinterland. For now  Azerbaijan remains a hidden treasure.

Faiqoğlu 1044 (99·JM·354), Anadolu Isuzu Citiport 12, new in 2016 and one of 55 in service. The bus is arriving at the Yaşıl Bazar terminus on Khatai Avenue, Baku.

GAZ-3221, 55·BE·099 heading up hill on route 11 - new bazaar; bus terminal; old bazaar; caravansary; The Palace of the Sheki Khans; children's hospital; Olympic complex. Despite its age and heavy passenger loading, the vehicle makes the climb to over 800m with aplomb.   

75·AF·186, a PAZ-672 looking smart for its age, in the car park of the Dusdagh Salt Mines’ Hospital, Nakhchivan. The PAZ 672 was produced between 1968 and 1989.

77·CF·108 has a Sunsundegui Sideral body possibly on an Iveco chassis. Parked at the Qobustan State Reserve on a school trip.

                                                                                            OmnibusWorld

The many colours of Bracknell.

 

Alighting at Reading railway station for the first time in 20 years, it was amazing to see how the area inside the station had been transformed. However, it was a shame that the same could not be said for the immediate area outside the station. I remember James Freeman, when MD of Reading Buses, saying that a lack of consultation resulted in the loss of the bus station immediately outside Reading railway station, in favour of a vehicle free grand piazza. Today, what welcomes you in place of a grand piazza is a great chasm, as Reading mines for either hidden minerals or Dante’s Inferno. However, that matters very little as it is a quick dash into the surrounding side streets in search of bus service X4 to Bracknell. 

                                                                                                                        

A pride of lions. Below YX73 PHK and above KX59 GNV (ex Portsmouth University) showing the contrasting ‘Lion’ livery. Both are departing on service 4 to Reading. As hoped for, the day got off to a roaring start: the bus that arrived was one of the new Alexander Dennis E40D MMC ‘s in the revised ‘Lion’ livery. We settled into smart leather seats (top deck front of course): checked out the contactless phone charging pad, peered through the full-length sun roof and admired the ambient lighting and set off at a sedate pace (X for express?) to a cacophony of squeaks and rattles along the very straight A329. A visit to Wokingham Railway Station before pulling into the town centre for a short layover and then onto the epitome of 1960’s pre-cast concrete, Bracknell. On route enjoyed a tour around one of the industrial parks and the derelict dry ski slope, although the alpine chalet hotel at the summit remains open. Around the ring road, passing the railway station and the site where the First depot once stood, we arrive at the all too familiar bus station. The one constant on the Bracknell bus scene is the bus station. Whilst numerous operators have come and gone, Thames Valley, Beeline, First, and Courtney to name a few, the bus station has changed little. The greasy spoon café is as rough and cheap as ever; the toilets are indescribable with the mural no longer a diversion; the former information shop now a focal point for staff to loiter, and the remaining retail outlet long closed. However, the one major redeeming feature is the buses. Today, the majority are under Reading Buses management and trade as Thames Valley, with White Bus coming in on a couple of irregular services. Reading has invested heavily in new buses in an assortment of liveries, whilst still retaining a few of the former Courtney fleet. Visiting on a dull Monday in February, passenger loading looked light on the town services but slightly better on services out-of-town. One negative observation was that the buses could do with a good clean as the exterior on many buses showed signs of several days’ road dirt. With so much redevelopment in the centre of Bracknell, it is encouraging that the bus station survives especially as it is conveniently adjacent to both the shopping precinct and railway station. The level of bus provision also belies Bracknell’s status as a new town built around a road network designed for the car.     Former Courtney YY67 HDO about to depart on half-hourly service 194 to Camberley. The service extends four time a day to Farnborough.  Above: Reading Buses FL73 WND departing on service 703 for Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 via Slough and Windsor. The 18 daily departures have an erratic headway from Bracknell but become a 30-minute headway when combined with short workings from Slough. Below: how things were when First operated the route. Above: Two AD E20D’s in a rather drab Thames Valley livery. Front YX68 ULZ and behind YX65 RKK, both ex Courtney although RKK was originally an Alexander Dennis demonstrator. Below: YX73 PGZ arrives into the bus station on service 171, an every 30 minute circular around the town via Hanworth. The livery displays a variation of the bird motif used originally by Courtney.     Two variations on a colour theme: Above: SN69 ZMZ laying over and below YX22 OJG about to depart on service 194 to Camberley.   Two ex-Courtney buses still in service with Thames Valley. Above: KX64 AEJ returning to the bus station on service 150, a 27 minute circular via Binfield. Below: YX67 UYP about to depart on service 156, a 25 minute circular around the town.          In the past.     Left, First Bus, right two examples of Courtneys operation. Left, Beeline operating the 192. Centre the mural in the bus station toilet and a Mercedes laying over.  Omnibus World

A foggy afternoon followed by a wet morning in Thame – December 2023.

Thame is a market town in Oxfordshire sitting along the A418, about 13 miles east of Oxford and 10 miles southwest of Aylesbury with a population of 11,561. The CPM Group and Travelodge have their HQs in the town, and it also regularly features in Midsummer Murders TV series. For a town of its size there is a disproportionately high number of bus routes, some with high frequencies. In late 2023 new rural services were introduced by Oxfordshire County Council utilising government funding. 

Bus services December 2023

40 Thame - Chinnor - Stokenchurch - High Wycombe. Hourly, operated by Red Rose Travel;

110 Aylesbury Bus Station – Worminghall, The Avenue. 4 outward and 5 inbound journeys operated by Redline Buses;

111 Oakley – Aylesbury. 3 outward and 4 return journeys, operated by Z & S Transport;

112 Waddesdon – Aylesbury. 1 trip Wednesday & Friday operated by Z & S Transport;

113 Oakley - Princes Risborough. Tuesday & Thursday, 1 full and 2 partial trips operated by Z & S Transport;

120 Aylesbury Bus Station - Oxford Westgate via Stone, Haddenham, Thame, Thornhill (Park & Ride), Headington. 1 trip Monday to Friday school days only, operated by Redline Buses;

121 Thame-Thame every 30 minutes (30-minute round trip).

126 Watlington - Chalgrove – Thame. Tuesday & Thursday, 1 trip, operated by Red Rose Travel;

127 Watlington - Tetsworth – Thame. Tuesday & Thursday, 1 trip operated by Red Rose Travel; 

280 Aylesbury – Oxford, every 15 mins operated by Arriva;

321 Princes Risborough - Longwick – Thame. 1 trip school days only, operated by Red Rose Travel;

X7 Aylesbury – Oxford. Every 30 mins operated by Arriva;

X8 Aylesbury – Oxford. Peak hours only, operated by Arriva;

X20 Aylesbury Bus Station - Westgate, Oxford via Stone, Thame. Every 30 mins, operated by Redline Buses.

The 121 service is a circular route of two variants that goes hourly around Thame creating a 30-minute frequency in the town centre. Until the end of April 2023, Redline Buses had operated the route. However, in May 2023 it was announced by Thame Town Council that Z & S Transport would take over the service. On both days of the visit MK63 WZV operated the service. The Alexander Dennis E20D B29F started life with South Wales Transport in Neath, followed by a short time on loan to White Bus before joining Aylesbury based Z & S Transport.

  

In January 2024 the Arriva 280 became the X8, which had previously been for peak journeys only supplementing the 280 to Oxford. The X8 is now used for half hourly journeys between Thame and Oxford making for a 15-minute frequency along with the half hourly X7 on that section of the route contested by Redline Buses with their half hourly X20. BD12 DHV (left) and BD12 DHG are a pair of Mercedes Benz 0530’s B41F on the 280.

  

The competition on the Oxford route X20 from Redline utilizes a mixture of buses from tatty presentation older stock to anonymous almost new vehicles. Below left and centre BV73 MTF, below right, BV73 MTK - both Volvo B8RLE with MCV B38F bodies.

The two on the bottom row are: left YX12 DKA an Alexander Dennis E20D B29D new to Centrewest and later spending time with Metroline, on the right, YX63 LJE, another E20D this time with B33F body new to Nottingham. For a journey taking 1 hour and 11 minutes, neither bus types seem a particularly comfortable option.  

  

Red Rose Travel gained the contract to operate the 126 and 127 on Tuesdays and Thursdays only in late 2023 having won the Oxfordshire tender. These are new routes into Thame from villages that previously only had services towards Oxford. At rest in Thame whilst the driver headed off for breakfast is MX58 KYR, Optare Solo M710SE B21F, previously with Redline.

The infrequent 110 operated by Redline, on this occasion using SN53 LWR (left) originally a Transbus Dart SLF demonstrator having spent some time with Eddie Brown but much of its life with Redline. On the right, for the afternoon school journey, LK06 FLB an Alexander Dennis Trident H41/26D new to Metroline.

Below, operating hourly Red Rose route 40 is Y23 RRT (YX11 HPL) another AD E20D B29D originally with Abellio, later with Manchester Community Transport who converted it to single door. Later moving to CT Plus Yorkshire and then Powell’s (HTC Group - CT Plus) in Sheffield.

Finally, late afternoon produced several school services, including (left) Redline RL08 (Chinnor to Lord Williams Upper School) using PN52 XBP a Volvo B7Tl with East Lancs Vyking H47/33F body, new to Richardson, Midhurst. Whilst on the right operating Redline 762 (Dorton to Lord Williams Upper School) is LF52 UPO an Volvo B7TL with Wright H41/22D body new to Arriva North London.

In conclusion, if you fancy visiting a pleasant market town with plenty of bus activity, Thame is the place you should be heading for.

Omnibus World