The Sunbus fleet in Palm Springs is mainly made up of these CNG fuelled Orions. There is a
fuel cell powered bus too, but this was on demonstration in Canada back in Februsry.
|
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In March the SHOWBUS team visited the Retro Classics
Show in Stuttgart as guests of Konrad Auwaerter. From Konrad's Museum is this Neoplan NH6/7
of 1958 parked outside the Messe in the snow. Alongside is a 1965 Setra S11. |
| |
Arriving in Dunedin at Easter it was a pleasure to find these extremely well presented ex
Christchurch Leyland Leopards of
Otago Road Services
pounding the city streets, together with
equally well presented Bristol VRs of Newtons on the city tours.
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It was 13 years since I was last in Christchurch and found it difficult to recognise the place.
Several new franchise operators were on the scene and the use of technology at bus stops to
inform the time of the next bus and the automatic allocation of stands in the Bus Station
was impressive. The Bus station was too small to allow fixed allocations so stands were allocated
and displays altered accordingly as buses arrived. The bus shown is a Designline Olymbus
hybrid-electric from the Red Bus fleet (even though it is yellow!). Stagecoach Auckland also
operated some in Auckland which has led to a batch of ten entering service in Newcastle, UK.
Sadly the Christchurch ones were more frequently replaced by Dennis Darts.
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The Adelaide Metro O-bahn Busway has been around a few years now and is a popular local transport
feature.
|
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A great trip from Adelaide, courtesy of Premier Coaches Express, is to Victor Harbour. There
a horse drawn tram operates a regular service across a causeway to Granite Island.
|
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Tropical Darwin is served by the Council's Darwinbus fleet and the Territory's Buslink
operation. Over the last few years the two operators have been merging their identities,
as far as local passengers are concerned, under the Darwinbus fleetname and brown based livery.
Articulated buses are few in number and are primarily for school runs, but do maintain all
day service. This Volvo B10MA with Volgren bodywork is one of the older machines.
|
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Sydney in August and new Volgren bodied Volvos in the Sydney Buses fleet were a break from
the years of Mercedes. 1623 is seen at Dee Why Beach.
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 |
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Dave Reid found time on his honeymoon, which took in LA and Hawaii, to snap this Enviro500
at Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco.
|
| |
Rob Passaway, another key member of the SHOWBUS team holidayed in New York in August and
also managed to photograph an Enviro500 on one of Coach USA's city tours.
|
| |
Stars of EFE SHOWBUS International 2005 on September 18th were the two Bristol LSX
prototypes, seen together for the first time. They were honoured to display under the nose
of Concorde 02.
|
| |
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) was undergoing a makeover from a red, white and blue
livery with an MTS bullseye motif to a red and white livery with a new cog emblem. The expanding
tram system operates in plain red and the first of new low floor units had just arrived.
|
| |
Highlight of the trip in October was the launch of
"The Deuce" service along the Las Vegas Strip
on October 27th. Yet more Alexander Dennis Enviro500 doubledeckers featured.
|
| |
Two days later the LA Orange Line dedicated busway launched with NABI 60-BRT articulated
singledeckers.
|
| |
The Sunbus fleet in Palm Springs is mainly made up of these CNG fuelled Orions. There is a
fuel cell powered bus too, but this was on demonstration in Canada back in Februsry.
In March the SHOWBUS team visited the Retro Classics
Show in Stuttgart as guests of Konrad Auwaerter. From Konrad's Museum is this Neoplan NH6/7
of 1958 parked outside the Messe in the snow. Alongside is a 1965 Setra S11.
Arriving in Dunedin at Easter it was a pleasure to find these extremely well presented ex
Christchurch Leyland Leopards of
Otago Road Services
pounding the city streets, together with
equally well presented Bristol VRs of Newtons on the city tours.
It was 13 years since I was last in Christchurch and found it difficult to recognise the place.
Several new franchise operators were on the scene and the use of technology at bus stops to
inform the time of the next bus and the automatic allocation of stands in the Bus Station
was impressive. The Bus station was too small to allow fixed allocations so stands were allocated
and displays altered accordingly as buses arrived. The bus shown is a Designline Olymbus
hybrid-electric from the Red Bus fleet (even though it is yellow!). Stagecoach Auckland also
operated some in Auckland which has led to a batch of ten entering service in Newcastle, UK.
Sadly the Christchurch ones were more frequently replaced by Dennis Darts.
Stagecoach kept the old stripey livery in New Zealand - it looked more contemporary there!
At the end of 2005 they sold their complete operations so ceased to operate trolleybuses
and will not own the new Designline models expected to replace the ageing Hawke bodied Volvos
like 268.
The company that has bought Stagecoach's New Zealand operations also has financial links with
the "Go" operation based in Hamilton. which is responsible for the city's services. The
eclectic fleet includes the only Leyland Lynx in New Zealand, seen here, MCW MetroRiders,
ex Thorpe Optare Excels,
Ford R1114s, Bedfords, Isuzus, Tigers, Bristols, Nissan Urban Diesels, Mercedes, MANs, Dennis
Darts and more! The fascinating feature of teh city operations was co-ordinated departures
every 30 minutes from the central Bus Station with about 15 buses heading simulataneously
in all directions.
An equally mixed fleet, but on a much smaller scale was found at Coromandel where local
operator, Strongmans, operated this vintage Bedford on a daily school run.
Auckland was dominated by Designline bodied MANs, mostly new triaxle models. Stagecoach was
taking several, some in route dedicated liveries, but Urban Express, Howick and (here)
Birkenhead had examples too.
The trip to Cardiff in late May presented the chance to photo one of the city's TransBus
Enviro300s. One later appeared
at SHOWBUS in September
Further south and west in early June presented the opportunity to catch up with Western National,
Stagecoach Devon, Summercourt Travel, Western Greyhound and Truronian. Truronian operate the
first Transbus Enviro 300s at the Eden Project, as seen here.
Dave Reid's wedding in July meant a trip to Dunfermline via Edinburgh. This gave the opportunity
to see Lothian Buses for the first time in years and to view Stagecoach Fife's fleet. The
big feature though was a ride on McGill's Guy Arab, which transported the wedding guests
from the Abbey to the Reception outside the town. Click this picture and you can see Dave
with the bus at the Reception, though here it is seen adjacent to the Abbey about to depart
on the first of two trips.
The Adelaide Metro O-bahn Busway has been around a few years now and is a popular local transport
feature.
A great trip from Adelaide, courtesy of Premier Coaches Express, is to Victor Harbour. There
a horse drawn tram operates a regular service across a causeway to Granite Island.
Tropical Darwin is served by the Council's Darwinbus fleet and the Territory's Buslink
operation. Over the last few years the two operators have been merging their identities,
as far as local passengers are concerned, under the Darwinbus fleetname and brown based livery.
Articulated buses are few in number and are primarily for school runs, but do maintain all
day service. This Volvo B10MA with Volgren bodywork is one of the older machines.
Sydney in August and new Volgren bodied Volvos in the Sydney Buses fleet were a break from
the years of Mercedes. 1623 is seen at Dee Why Beach.
Dave Reid found time on his honeymoon, which took in LA and Hawaii, to snap this Enviro500
at Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco.
Rob Passaway, another key member of the SHOWBUS team holidayed in New York in August and
also managed to photograph an Enviro500 on one of Coach USA's city tours.
Stars of EFE SHOWBUS International 2005 on September 18th were the two Bristol LSX
prototypes, seen together for the first time. They were honoured to display under the nose
of Concorde 02.
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) was undergoing a makeover from a red, white and blue
livery with an MTS bullseye motif to a red and white livery with a new cog emblem. The expanding
tram system operates in plain red and the first of new low floor units had just arrived.
Highlight of the trip in October was the launch of
"The Deuce" service along the Las Vegas Strip
on October 27th. Yet more Alexander Dennis Enviro500 doubledeckers featured.
Two days later the LA Orange Line dedicated busway launched with NABI 60-BRT articulated
singledeckers.
3D Animated Flags Courtesy of 3DFlags.com