Stagecoach Bluebird 16975 127ASV & 53606 KX58NBO (1st September 2020)
Seen here on Aquithie Road in Kemnay Ex-Dublin Bus AV214 Volvo B7TL ALX400 16975 128ASV (LW51ZGU) passes Volvo B9R Plaxton Panther 53606 both while operating the Service 220, 16975 towards Alford and 53606 towards Aberdeen.
The 220 is one of Bluebirds longest standing routes going back to the Northern Scottish days pre-deregulation. At one point the service operated all the way through to Strathdon however these days the Service 219 covers the two journeys per day between Alford and Strathdon while the 220 and X20 cover the Aberdeen - Kemnay - Alford route. The peak variation X20 is limited stop in Aberdeen and takes a more direct route missing out the north side of Kintore. Rather confusingly for a short period the 220 was renumbered X20 while the more direct peak journeys were the 420. .
Kemnay is also served by Bain's Coaches Of Oldmeldrum with the Service 240 to Inverurie and Oldmeldrum every 40 minutes and the 421 between Oldmeldrum, Daviot, Inverurire and Alford every two hours.
16975 was new to Dublin Bus in 2001 as AV214 01-D-10214, she was imported in to the UK in 2014 and purchased along with 5 other ALX400's by Highland Scotbus to replacing their ageing fleet of Atlanteans. Following the sale of the operator in 2017 she and her sisters were acquired by D&E Coaches and re-registered with 16975 being P9YST. In January 2019 Stagecoach Highlands acquired the majority of D&E Coaches service work in the Inverness area, part of the sale included the transfer of around 30 vehicles including these B7TLs. Due to height restrictions in Inverness all 5 B7TLs were transferred to Bluebird a few months later with a handful of Trident's going north to Inverness. Despite the majority of people thinking these would be some of the first Ex-D&E vehicles to be withdrawn, they have defied the odds with all 5 now in swoops and still in operation with Bluebird nearly two years later. Despite their age they've proven popular reliable workhorses and are frequently on longer rural routes such as the 220.
53606 was new to Bedford for the X5 in 2008 transferring to Bluebird in 2014, it is one of 5 KX58s in the fleet although these have proven quite troublesome over the years and as such 53607/8 were withdrawn in August 2020, 53607 was later instated as a paint float, but has since been displaced by 53634.
Photo date: 01/09/2020
©Jordan Adam.
Stagecoach Bluebird 16975 127ASV & 53606 KX58NBO (1st September 2020)
Seen here on Aquithie Road in Kemnay Ex-Dublin Bus AV214 Volvo B7TL ALX400 16975 128ASV (LW51ZGU) passes Volvo B9R Plaxton Panther 53606 both while operating the Service 220, 16975 towards Alford and 53606 towards Aberdeen.
The 220 is one of Bluebirds longest standing routes going back to the Northern Scottish days pre-deregulation. At one point the service operated all the way through to Strathdon however these days the Service 219 covers the two journeys per day between Alford and Strathdon while the 220 and X20 cover the Aberdeen - Kemnay - Alford route. The peak variation X20 is limited stop in Aberdeen and takes a more direct route missing out the north side of Kintore. Rather confusingly for a short period the 220 was renumbered X20 while the more direct peak journeys were the 420. .
Kemnay is also served by Bain's Coaches Of Oldmeldrum with the Service 240 to Inverurie and Oldmeldrum every 40 minutes and the 421 between Oldmeldrum, Daviot, Inverurire and Alford every two hours.
16975 was new to Dublin Bus in 2001 as AV214 01-D-10214, she was imported in to the UK in 2014 and purchased along with 5 other ALX400's by Highland Scotbus to replacing their ageing fleet of Atlanteans. Following the sale of the operator in 2017 she and her sisters were acquired by D&E Coaches and re-registered with 16975 being P9YST. In January 2019 Stagecoach Highlands acquired the majority of D&E Coaches service work in the Inverness area, part of the sale included the transfer of around 30 vehicles including these B7TLs. Due to height restrictions in Inverness all 5 B7TLs were transferred to Bluebird a few months later with a handful of Trident's going north to Inverness. Despite the majority of people thinking these would be some of the first Ex-D&E vehicles to be withdrawn, they have defied the odds with all 5 now in swoops and still in operation with Bluebird nearly two years later. Despite their age they've proven popular reliable workhorses and are frequently on longer rural routes such as the 220.
53606 was new to Bedford for the X5 in 2008 transferring to Bluebird in 2014, it is one of 5 KX58s in the fleet although these have proven quite troublesome over the years and as such 53607/8 were withdrawn in August 2020, 53607 was later instated as a paint float, but has since been displaced by 53634.
Photo date: 01/09/2020
©Jordan Adam.