Another two years later at Chichester Bus Station Rodney Barnes
Service 54 over the Downs to Petersfield also performs the
There has been a lot of speculation that operators’ manoeuvre as the route is now operated by Countryliner,
present fleet renewal rates will prevent them meting the who have taken on the Council supported work. The bus
deadlines for complete low floor conversion in seven years used was former Stagecoach Dart J544GCD, 16 years old
time. Those operators who make good progress hit the and four years older than the Mercedes 709Ds on the route
headlines but Chichester can be an eye opener. The in 2006. They acquired this veteran from RDH in the Lewes
average bus age has risen to over eleven years although area two years ago when Countryliner acquired RDH’s bus
the low floor percentage has doubled since 2006 with the work.
conversion of the Coastliner 700 to low floor Tridents. This
is not to say that Chichester is a depot of end of life Stagecoach’s large numbers of late, high floor, Volvo B10M
vehicles and progress is indicated by the progress in the saloons still dominate much of the its empire with
oldest bus seen which have been Leyland Olympians and Chichester having its fair share. The 51 Link service to
risen from C to F and now G registrations over the three Selsey is the home for this high capacity type with P
surveys. registered ones new to Manchester being on the workings.

As the survey hour started the newest bus to be seen, They were 20831/5/6.and have 49 seat Alexander PS
Stagecoach Pointer Dart 35251 and two other low floor bodywork. Additionally there was also Paladin bodied
Tridents were in the bus station. Outside, as only B10M 20667 (M667CCD) and a former London Dart 32627
Stagecoach buses are able to access it, was Compass Bus P627PGP.
R449RPH, new to East Yorkshire, a Beaver bodied Vario
recently obtained from East Yorkshire’s sister company Route 55 is a basic 30 minutes service from Tangmere in
Whittle. When photographing the bus, the driver was very the east to Summersdale within the city area. The two
cooperative and has forwarded some photographs and buses operating the route in 2008 were both step Darts
timetables relating to his company. The bus was to stay 32452 (N452PAP) and 32625 a sister vehicle to the one
there for over 30 minutes before going off to seek further bound for Selsey. Although step Darts are still on the
work on service 650 to the south on a school service. service N and P registered ones are improvements on past
years as fleet renewal see newer ones cascaded onto
The two Tridents should not have been in the bus station services like the 55.
at 1500. 18511 was 16 minutes late departing for Midhurst
on route 60, whilst 18520 went off 13 minutes late to The north south route 60 operates every 30 minutes
Southsea on route 700, the route taken by the departure between Midhurst and Bognor Regis. Because of the late
of 35251 on a programmed shortened version running east running of the 1446 bus to Midhurst five buses were to be
and doubling the 700 frequency from Chichester bus seen departing. The Trident was noteworthy, with two
station to Yapton on a Chichester city centre to Yapton Volvo Olympians 16308/10. These buses were part of the
route. The other bus seen on the Yapton section was 700 contingent prior to the arrival of the Tridents. The
34107, a V registered Pointer Dart new to Stagecoach other two buses were B10Ms 20461, a bus new in the North
London and recently working in Basingstoke. According to West and Paladin bodied 20668. With Trident 18511 going
the timetable and vehicle observations, 18 minutes is late and 20461 being four minutes early, just ten minutes
given as a layover in Chichester City Centre. The through separated these two buses heading for Midhurst. The sixth
double deck route is now worked in three sections to meet bus on the route was an all over advert for Spirit FM.
the new 50km Euro restrictions. Buses therefore However, this bus left for Bognor before the survey hour.
theoretically operate Southsea- Chichester and
Chichester-Worthing. There is also a Worthing Brighton Minibus 40655 operated the West Sussex supported route
section with the Tridents and an Arundel section to 56 to Arundel Park, similar stock to last time, and as
Littlehampton and Brighton as well as a Littlehampton to before, Mercedes 709D 40945 N945NAP went off to East
Brighton service which combines onto a ten minute service Broyle and Parklands on route 47, a one bus 30 minute
over that pert of the route. Buses going to Worthing were service.
Tridents 18512/22, the latter being a Worthing bus. The
two Southsea bound ones were 18520/25, both residing in Compass route 99 to and from Petworth just as in 2006,
Worthing. It would appear that 33 buses are needed to was by GX04BXN a 14 seat Mercedes Sprinter, alternatively
service all sections of route 700. known as a low floor minibus!

The 52/53 Circuit runs every fifteen minutes from the City As well as the Compass Bus school journey, ex Manchester
Centre to East and West Wittering with south bound buses B10M 20832 went on school route 665 to Barnham. It
picking up at the back of the Bus Station in Stockbridge seems West Sussex school journeys were spread around
Road, to where Stagecoach’s rivals are banished. Three Stagecoach and other operators, and although Chichester
SLF Darts – 34527/8/9 continued to operate on the route schools attract pupils from a wide area only a few serve
for which they were route branded over two years ago. the bus station. No West Sussex operated bus was seen
this year but a noteworthy arrival on a school service
Compass Bus J599DUV a 24 seat Dart which was acquired from Tangmere was 14975 one of the ten Leyland
from London United five years ago wears Tesco livery and Olympians destined for Eastney when Stagecoach acquired
goes off shopping for passengers every 30 minutes. Buses Portsmouth city services before it all went wrong and they
terminating facing the Station level crossing perform a U turned into Ford Transits. Nine of the ten remain with
turn, which is best attempted when the gates are down, Stagecoach, six at Herne Bay and one each at Scunthorpe
providing queuing cars leave room for the unusual and Grimsby. Fitting that they are so near the coast given
manoeuvre. this is the holiday season!
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