Go Ahead Wilts and Dorset have spent £2.4m on 12 new Scania DLFs for routes 40 and 50 from Swanage depot which started service from June 2009. The 40 was previously 142/143/144 before the recent renumbering exercise, and 50 was 150. 3 of the 12 are normal DLFs for the 40 (Poole - Wareham - Swanage), while the others are for the 50 (Swanage - Sandbanks Ferry - Bournemouth, but via a slightly different routing to the old 150) - 3 are permanently semi open top (Front half closed, back half open top) for summer use only (when a 30 min frequency now operates), while the other 6 are convertibles - full open top for the summer and fully closed for the winter, when the frequency is only hourly, though for some reason on the day of my visit in August several old style orange and black closed tops were still in operation on the 50. One of the new fully closed top examples is found at the new 40 Swanage terminal stop, 20 yards further back than that for the 50, which covered all the services in the old days. The new "clock face" timetables may be easy to understand, but since the same overall time is allowed for journeys running at, for example, 6.30am and 2.30pm, during the busy daytime period when all the grockles and twirlies are out and about, much late running of services is evident (and annoying!!)

New vehicles (and enough of them to cover the actual services this time around, ha! ha!) for the X53 mean the old DLFs have been cascaded to the 31 bringing double decks back to the Axminster - Weymouth corridor, due mostly to a number of busy school time journeys apparently... anyway, following a repaint here is the curious new livery they carry, though be warned, the odd SLF still makes it out on to the route.

First relaunch their Cornish services on 3rd May 2009, mostly reducing services yet again and taking the opportunity to incorporate all of Truronian's services (a company they bought in 2008) into their own network, whilst removing all the T prefixed route numbers, putting them into First's 1 onwards number series. This involves renumbering, in several cases, Truronian services back to the old First number (or even in some cases the old Western National number minus 500) the service used to have before First lost the contract to run it or surrendered it as a commerical service some years ago! Here's a few examples of the many number changes - T18 becomes 95, T20 goes back to 39, T50 & T51 go back to 50 and 51, T2 splits into 32 & 82 and T4 (pictured) becomes/goes back to 35. Many locals have been grumbling about having to change buses on the new services as some routes have been split &/or shortened, and I wonder whether we'll finally now see the Double Decks for the 88 which were promised as part of a "massive investment" (a-hem) last September which have until now failed to materialise...

2 new DLFs have arrived with Western Greyhound as part allocation for the Lengthy supported service 510 between Newquay and Exeter. Here we see the lone return journey on Good Friday, which on a usual "sunday" would generally be minibus operated, but i am pleased to see saw one of the new DLFs branded for the route at Wadebridge Bus Station. Despite taking about 25 pictures, not a single one showed the full green dot matrix display correctly, so you'll just have to trust me that it says Exeter 510 via Okehampton! The 510 was originally a replacement for First's X10 commercial service, but this now also covers various previous local services also, between Tregadillet and Launceston, between Launceston and Okehampton, and the X30 (and historically 51 before that, though not the 51 that does via Bow and North Tawton!) between Okehampton & Exeter.

Since the 32 took over the Teignmouth journeys of the 12A, the mostly separate Willows/Teignmouth 3 vehicles are supposed to be DLF operated due to heavy loadings on the now only hourly service over the Shaldon Bridge, with the other 7 buses variously on the 32 & 33 circuit (not in the main, including trips to Teignmouth) being SLFs. During the winter there is obviously no strict need for the Double Decks to Teignmouth since the passenger numbers only build up for the summer months, but in my recent experience only 1 or 2 of the 3 Teignmouth buses is usually double decked, whilst one of the other 7 SLF duties on the loop workings is usually upgraded to DLF, bringing double decks unofficially to the '33' section from between St Marychurch & the Willows via Barton. It appears to always be the same working, which turns into a school journey from Torquay Grammar schools at going home time. At other times it works various terminating and right round the loop journeys, see the Devon page for more details! Here it is at the Willows on the usually SLF 33, just before going off to do the school run on 23rd March 2009

New Route 228 started 17th January 2009, between Park Royal, Central Middlesex Hospital and Maida Vale with First SLFs on a pretty high frequency for a brand new service, x12 mins Mon-Sat daytimes, and x20 mins evenings and Sundays, taking between about 45mins and an hour for the journey. Here is one in the also comparatively new White City Bus Station built to serve the new Westfield Shopping Centre, which in turn was partly built on the old Shepherd's Bush bus turning area off the back of the north side of Shepherd's Bush Green. The shopping centre consists of mostly fashion retailers both familiar and unfamiliar to London shoppers, and the new Bus Station next door is bright and airy with toilets and an enquiry desk.

Stagecoach Devon have chosen to Double Deck most journeys on the 66, a supported service mostly for South Devon College students and those using Torbay Hospital plying variously between Newton Abbot and Brixham via the back roads from Kerswell Gardens across to Windy Corner. Through journeys only operate though until mid afternoon at the latest. This working at least is supposed to be Double Decked (but in my experience isn't always, whilst others are!), it forms the 1103 and 1403 from Newton Abbot, and this short journey from South Devon College to the Willows at about 1515. Seen here at the beginning of March 2009 at the South Devon College turnback, with a SD 12A to Castle Circus (Torquay) behind.

Selkent retained the 96 on contract renewal 24th January 2009, with new DLFs and an increased evening frequency between Woolwich and Bluewater, where this all red example of the old order of Tridents basks in the early evening sun, April 2008

Western Greyhound boss Mark Howarth's ex-London RM1062 gets out and about on one of Western Greyhound's annual running days in 2008, seen at the Eden Project, with the biomes as a backdrop. Performing a full service return journey on the 527 from Newquay to the Eden Project complete with full blinds, though one minor road between Boscoppa and Eden had to be omitted due to it being a narrow road with overhanging trees, though there are no stops on this section, so no-one was inconvenienced! A brief detour via the A390 allowed the usual Mercedes Minibus to be subbed for this special journey! See Cornwall page for other routes that saw the RM!

Ryde to Alum Bay's Island Coaster, which carries the number X40, two return trips daily during the Spring to September period, with a lengthy layover at the Alum Bay end, during which time the drivers take their vehicles to Yarmouth Bus Station and then perform early afternoon round trips on the Needles Breezer while the Needles Breezer drivers take their lunch breaks! For some reason this vehicle's automated display chooses to show 40X as the route number in July 2008.

New to DLF Double Decks is the Devon CC supported X64  between Exeter and Kingsbridge which has been an increase in passenger numbers, mostly, it would seem, day tripping pensioners.. Also of interest will be Single to Double deck conversions of the following routes, due in part I suspect, to the new "travel free anywhere in England" arrangements for over 60's due to start from 1st April 2008. This will allow already hard pressed locals in the South West, who have already paid for the rest of the country to enjoy the cleaner bathing waters here, to also pay for holidaying pensioners to ride around on our buses for free at our expense too.. nice. Anyway, Stagecoach 85/85A, First 31 and even First's X9 will at least benefit from Double Deckers off the back of this too, with X64 (pictured) and 155 enjoying many workings now with Double Decks!

New DLF Double Decks are due Summer 2008 following the renewal of contract for X53 with First Hants and Dorset. The existing Scania Double Decks (pictured) are due to be cascaded to the 31 (Weymouth - Axminster) as a result, bringing Double Decks to this route for the first time since it was renumbered 31.. 

2007 sees brand new Citaro SLFs for Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight courtesy of Go-Ahead.. They perform on the high frequency Newport-Ryde shuttle service 9, which operates alternately via Fairlee or Staplers. It would appear, though, that increased patronage on the island means that for 2008 more DOUBLE deckers are due to replace some older step entrance darts, with an appropriate cascading of vehicles, so some routes are likely to be upgraded to double deck... excellent news!

Exeter's Stagecoach depot has had an influx of new and old DDs in recent months, both standard floor DD hand-me-downs from up-country along with new and older DLFs for routes 50, 54 (DLFs), 55 and PR2 (DLFs), which has resulted not only in Double Deck types appearing regularly on routes which have always seen some 'upstairs action' like the 57 and X46, but also now on routes which hither-to only very rarely have seen Double Deck types, like the 60, illustrated here, plus 85A, 39 and on at least these Exeter City local services: A, K, R & S

The popular Bristol VR, liked by drivers and enthusiasts alike, will saw out it's last operations in the Essex and Greater London areas this in March 2004 with special last journeys on First/Eastern National/Essex routes 351 (Chelmsford - Romford) and 72 (Chelmsford - Braintree). Our 20 odd year old X-reg example, waits at the stand behind Romford Station.