THE SHOWBUS UK MIDLANDS BUS IMAGE GALLERY
Oxford Bus Company | Route branded buses
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 With Oxford being switch to electric buses all in an all-route blue and green livery, route branding has been rendered into history. However City5 branded 655 (SL15ZGG) was seen in early August 2024 working the revived 280 service in Thame. The 280 between Oxford and Aylesbury used to be a City of Oxford route and was exchanged with Arriva as part of a multi-faceted deal following Arriva's takeover of Motts Travel's Yellow Bus operation, which competed on the 280. More cometition was to follow when another Aylesbury based operator, Redline, challenged Arriva on the 280 with a faster and more direct X20 route. Arriva probably did themselves no favours by renumbering the decades old 280 as the X7 in early 2024. By June Arriva threw in the towel announcing the closure of both its Wycombe and Aylesbury depots. Go-Ahead jumped in to cover the Wycombe services through its Carousel subsidiary, but before Arriva had closed shop it jumped in to brong back the 280, albeit only between Oxford and Thame.
The route serves Wheatley whereas the X20 bypasses the village. Picture ref D7594 |
 Four Streetdecks have been route branded for the 280 in a colour scheme not too dissimilar from Arriva's blue. This is 654 (SL15ZGF) at the main Thame stop on the same day. Why two magenta City5 buses, 655 and another, were in use that day is a mystery with four 280 branded buses prepared for the service.
Picture ref D7604 |
 Here is the second 280 Streetdeck, 653 (SL15ZGE), turning into Thame High Street.
Picture ref D7605 |
 Messaging in the buses, as seen on the rear of 654 on its next Oxford run, heavily promotes that fact that the service runs late most days and into the wee small hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings, though Redline buses are still hourly from 1800h, but the last bus from Oxford is 2250h. The competition is in the hands of new MCV EvoRa bodied Volvo B8RLE buses in red, like BV73MTK, or dealer white. The buses have no fleet insignia and despite there being no timetables for them in Thame loads were close to fully seated heading into Oxford of a Saturday morning. In contrast the 280 coud have been operated by a Pick-Me-Up minibus!
Picture ref D7607 |
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