THE SHOWBUS HOME COUNTIES BUS IMAGE GALLERY
Sold Reading Buses Overseas
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 Another Reading bus to escape to the Antipodes was Northern Counties bodied Bristol VRTLL6G, "jumbo" 51 (NRD51M). It was exported around 1983 to London Transport Bus Tours in Melbourne and unsurprisingly painted red. In 2006 it subsequently passed to Dee Decker Tours in the city who operate a number of party buses, including several doubledeckers. The bus is seen in Dee Decker's Sunshine depot in April 2010 in a parlous state. It is understood it was auctioned off on ebay in 2015. |
 Optare Spectra 703 (K703BBL) met with an unfortunate accident with a low bridge in Reading on a chool contract run in 2005. It was sold on to Ensignbus who made it a permanent open topper for use on their Stratford City Sightseeing operation. Shortly after that the Startford operations were sold to Stagecoach Midlands and the Spectra was transferred to Ensignbus' Windsor tour. In 2009 that low bridge accident resulted in retirement in sunny Cyprus and 703 was sold to DeKing Cars of Nicosia. In November 2015 at the end of the summer season it was touting for business offering tours of Lanarca as the "Love Buses".
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 An offside rear view of 703 on the Lanarca seafront. Picture ref B1676 |
 Seen from the front, 703 now has local regsitration TKWE384. Picture ref B1675 |
 Despite the detailed Love Buses roadside sign there were no takers for the tour that day. Doubtless the bus is well patronied at the heiht of the summer season. Indeed it was seen a few days later with a handful of customers off for a tour of Lanarca. Picture ref B1673 |
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