< View previous picture - View next picture > Photographer / Copyright Derek Everson Images should not be reused without permission. View vehicle details Location Link/s Date added to site 24/02/2020 Printer-friendly version of this page

Details: Just one bus company photo this month, and it is from one of the 'fringe' operators, which are slightly problematic for LTSV. The definition of the 'London Transport' area is quite clear now, being basically the Greater London area. However, in the past there have been many cases of 'country' operators also running tendered bus services within London, or running commercial services that enter London at locations such as Romford, Uxbridge and Croydon. As such, their service vehicles were eligible for inclusion. Examples of both types of operation are now much reduced. Sullivans and Uno are the only companies that run both TfL services and commercial 'country' services, while non-red buses are now very rarely seen at the locations named. Another complication is that LOTS (the London Omnibus Traction Society), to whom I supply a monthly update on service vehicle developments, still covers the whole of the traditional LT area in its magazines and books. This includes the 'country' area which was hived off to London Country Bus Services in 1970, and which now encompasses a wide variety of operators large and small. The issue for LTSV is that information on the service vehicles of these operators (particularly the smaller ones) is hard to come by. As such, they are not usually covered in the vehicle database but I will add photos that are submitted. So, on to the photo (at last). Seen at Bracknell Bus Station on 20th January 2020 were two service vehicles belonging to Courtney Buses. Courtney is a small operator running modern buses on routes in Berkshire. It was bought by Reading Buses in March 2019. The white crew van looks like a Renault Kangoo but is in fact a Mercedes-Benz Citan. This is an example of badge-engineering, the vehicles actually being built in a Renault factory. Behind is a 16-year old black Volkswagen Golf hatchback.

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