< View previous picture - View next picture > Photographer / Copyright Colin Lloyd Images should not be reused without permission. View vehicle details 4919R T102LLB Location Link/s Date added to site 11/05/2020 Printer-friendly version of this page

Details: Having taken several batches of Ford Transit and Volkswagen Transporter vans during the 1990s, London Transport Buses was not entirely satisfied with either type. There were concerns about the after-sales service and there was also a desire to use more of a 'walk-in' type, with more headroom inside and through the doorway. This led to the arrival in spring 1999 of two Renault Master vans. These were the first Renaults for the central fleet, and saw the re-introduction of the R suffix letter, previously used for various cranes and road-rollers. The Renault vans had tall cargo doors, the sill being close to the roofline, and also had a lower floor level than comparable designs. Both vans were added to stock in late February but had different licensing dates. 4920R had been pre-registered (with an S-prefix) in January 1999, while 4919R was licensed a few days after delivery and hence got a T-prefix registration. 4919R was based at Stratford and was photographed passing through South Woodford on 5th May 2000, while 4920R was allocated to Aldgate. Both vans served for a little over 3 years but LBSL had no more Renaults, due to the lack of a fully automatic transmission option. More VW Transporters were added later in 1999 but in 2000/2011 there were 2 batches of Vauxhall Movanos, this design being essentially identical to the Renault Master. Renault of course went on to become a major supplier of service vehicles following the arrival of the first Kangoo in 2001.

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