THE SHOWBUS LONDON & HOME COUNTIES BUS IMAGE GALLERY
Arriva the Shires | DAF & VDL doubledeck buses
 |
 |
 More Alexander ALX400 bodied doubledeckers joined the Shires in large numbers on DAF DB250LF chassis rendered surplus from Arriva London but in 2016 their days were numbered and were expected to be replaced by Wright bodied examples from the same source. DAF 6301 (Y501UGC) is seen on the 1 from Chesham leaving the Wycombe Station precinct. The route is shared with Carousel Buses and supposed to be home to "one" route branded buses, in Arriva's case MCV bodied MAN units. In London the bus was DLA301.
Picture ref B3789 |
 |
 Heading into town from Chesham on the 55 in May 2013 is another ALX400 bodied DAF, 6000 (KL52CWN). This one was new in TfL red for the 258 operated out of Watford's Garston depot. Displaced for the 258, 6000 was repainted in aquamarine and transferred to Aylesbury depot. |
|
 Another of the Garston batch, 6008 (KL52CWZ), is seen at Milton Keynes Shopping City in May 2015 working the 70 from Luton.
Picture ref B271 |
|
 Normally the preserve of route branded Sapphire Enviro400 buses, another of the Garston DAF buses, 6009 (KL52CXA), is seen on the 280 near Stone, heaading back to Aylesbury from Oxford in May 2013. |
|
 Wycombe depot soldiered on with the Arriva London DAF DB250 buses like 6289 (Y489UGC) seen heading into town from Slough on the 74 in August 2016. It used to be DLA289 in London.
Picture ref B4271 |
|
 Looking down the length of Wycombe Bus Station's bays in July 2015 one bus seemed out of line. On approaching, DB250 6283 (Y483UGC) had failed on one of the bays and was receiving attention R&S Recovery who ultimately towed it back to the depot with its rear end suspended and its front wheels trailing.
|
|
 With the MAN tow truck jutting out into the circulation area of the Bus Station, mild chaos ensued.
|
|
 When the DAF DB250 buses first arrived in High Wycombe they were bereft of Arriva identity, other than corporate livery. Not only that, they were not numbered and still had their London fleet numbers, as can be seen on DLA303 (Y503UGC), later 6303, seen in August 2012. |
|
 A taste of thing to come in High Wycombe in November 2015 when a handful of Wright bodied DAF DB250 deckers operated briefly in the town in red livery.
|
|
 Another arrival in Wycombe in August 2016 was an East Lancs bodied DAF DB250 from new managing company, Arriva Midlands, 4712 (FE51YWL). The last East Lancs bodied buses in the fleet were the Scania L113CRL singledeckers of 1995.
Picture ref A5112 |
|
From Arriva London Wright Pulsar Gemini bodied VDL DB250 DW78 (LJ04LGW) had joined the Shires as 6048. It is on an evening run in September 2016 from Aylesbury to the home of many former cockneys 'emel 'empstead. Just to add to the confusion with its undersized aperture for the destination display it is on route 500, not the 50 from Aylesbury to Wendover!
|
|
 Arriving at Great Missenden Station in October 2015 is Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250 6300 (Y524UGC), former Arriva London DLA300.
Picture ref B1033 |
|
 Transferred to Aylesbury fromm Arriva Midlands was 4741 (PN52XRS), an East Lancs Mylennium Lowlander DAF DB250. It is seen leaving the town in February 2017 on a school run to Wing.
Picture ref B8023 |
|
 Climbing Church Street in High Wycombe on a beautiful day in September 2017 is another ex Arriva London Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250, 6301 (Y501UGC). new as DLA301.
Picture ref B7865 |
|
 Having been ignominiously towed from Wycombe Bus Station in 2015, here 6283 successfully heads for the Bus Station in October 2017.
Picture ref B8045 |
|
 Heading for the Bus Station in Frogmoor in September 2017 followed by A Wright Streetlite WF is another ex Arriva London DB250, 6302 (Y502UGC), former DLA302.
Picture ref B7866 |
|
 Recalling 4783 in July 2015 being towed from Wycombe Bus Station rear end first, here is 6302 broken down in Church Street in October 2017.
Picture ref B8050 |
|
 Here is the rear end of 6004 (KL52CWT) an Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250 new to Arriva the Shires in London red for contracts worked from Garston depot in Watford. Seen in High Wycombe in July 2018 it has entered the pedestrianised zone cut through that links the two side of the town centre. Despite "No entry except buses" signs the Porsche driver has chosen to ignore them, a common occurence, as the signage implicitly exempted drivers of black cars made in Germany. After some years of "Wild West" lawlessness the situation was resolved with enforcement cameras and ramped up signage. There is still the occasional driver, blindly following GPS/satnav who blunders into the zone, but otherwise drivers do not risk the fine. The only ones who think they continue to be exempt are Deliveroo, Ubereats, etc scooter drivers who think it is okay to plough into a heavily pedestrianised area without the obvious advantage of being a highly visible ten ton bus.
|
|
 Seen in Hemel Hempstead in May 2018 is an unidentified DAF/ALX400 ex Arriva London.
Picture ref C497 |
|
 History repeated itself in late July that year and another DB250, this time East Lancs bodied VDL 4711 (FE51YWJ), ex Arriva Midlands was being hauled backwards off the stand.
Picture ref C1621 |
|
 DAF 6000 is seen again, this time in Castle Street, High Wycombe. Since the High Street was closed to through traffic some years ago, all buses have to climb the Steep Corporation Street then squeeze down narrow Castle Street, which is littered with parked cars, most of them parked illegally. The taxi has chosen to mount the narrow footpath to allow 6000 to get by, followed by a First Berkshire Wright bodied bus on the X74 to Slough. Clearly the taxi driver had failed to spot the bus earlier and not waited where the road was wider and clear of parked cars.
|
|
 Former Arriva LondonWright Gemini Pulsar bodied VDL DB250 DW80 (LJ04LGY) is seen in Oxford in July 2019. It is not clear why one of the normal Enviro400 buses was not being used or why the bus was only going as far as Haddenham and not Aylesbury. Now numbered 6043 with the Shires, the fifteen year old bus probaby did not comply with Oxford's clean emissions policy.
Picture ref C4509 |
|
 New as 6010 (KL52CXB) at Garston in London red livery, this bus was renumbered 4819 at some point. It is seen in June 2019 climbing Wycombe's aforementioned steep Corporation Street.
|
|
 Sister to the Haddenham bound ex Arriva London VDL above, former DW63, now 6042 (LJ04LDD) is seen in Watford in August 2019 on the 500 to Aylesbury. Unlike Wycombe, Watford uses rising bollards to enforce its pedestrian zone, though sadly youths think they are great fun to sit on, especially when rising.
Picture ref C4768 |
|
 Former red Garston DAF/ALX400 6003 (KL52CWR) is seen in June 2019 oddly out of service at the bus stop in Castle Street.
|
|
 Arriving at the Hertfordshire Showground for SHOWBUS 2019 was East Lancs bodied DAF DB250 4722 (PN52XBG), a former Arriva Midlands bus, proudly proclaiming its fleetname twice on its front dash!
Picture ref 19-1459 |
|
 Also arriving for SHOWBUS that year was another former Arriva Midlands bus, 4714 (FE51YWM) still in the livery it wore when new. Near the end of its days in 2021 it was used as Rally Control at SHOWBUS.
Picture ref 19-1710 |
|
 Last seen being persued by an arrant Porsche, 6004 is seen in October 2019 at the Crown in Cookham having just crossed the Common on its way from Maidenhead to High Wycombe.
Picture ref C5395 |
|
 Also seen that month on Castle Street, 4819 seems to have scored itself a Private Hire booking!
|
|
 Despite the excellent display above, 4819 was seen again in October in the town with no blind!
Picture ref C5399 |
|
The DAF buses have now departed but a final shot of 6000 entering the town centre pedestrian zone under Christmas lights in December 2021.
Picture ref P9166 |
|
|
|