January Update
Robert Williams
Reading Buses now provide a monthly update for the PSV Circle and enthusiast publications to incorporate into their publications, and I thought I may as well start sharing this with the Bus Zone forum as well. Hope this will be of interest.
Here are the latest fleet updates from January 2021.
Reading Buses
207 returned from vinyl on 7 January, and re-entered service on 8th.
209 went away on 11 January to Loansdean for hybrid conversion.
201 returned from Bus & Coach World on 15 January in base generic silver (ex yellow 26), featuring several one-off upgrades over and above those given to the other refurbishments. Vinyls were applied on site on 20th, and it should be ready to return to service next week. If you are allowed outside, you won’t miss it!
206 returned from Bus & Coach World on 19 January in base yellow. Vinyls were applied on site on 28 January, and it returned to service on 3rd February.
210 went away to Loansdean on 19 January for hybrid conversion (the last yellow hybrid).
202 moved from Loansdean to Bus & Coach World on 20 January for repaint and refurbishment.
410 returned from repaint into ruby livery (ex greenwave) on 11 January.
408 went away for repaint into generic silver (ex greenwave) on 11 January, returning on 29th. It returned to service on 2nd February.
760 went on loan to Courtney buses on the evening of 26 January.
21-26, 134, 357, 536/7, 781-2, 807-9 were parked up out of use from 11 January following a switch to school holiday schedules in response to the third lockdown that started from 5 January (school duplicates were suspended from 5 January, but the buses continued in use). 781/2 did however make a small number of appearances in service during the following fortnight.
1203 (on loan from N&D) was returned from 11 January to allow others from the batch to receive maintenance work in Reading in sequence.
405-7 and 760-2 remained available following the suspension of the 500 and 702 from 25 January.
176, 177, 381, 520, 701-5 remain SORN, and 380 taxed but parked up out of use.
Newbury & district
4 (on loan from Reading), 179 (on loan from reserve), 840/52/53, 1407/8/9 were parked up out of use from 11 January following the suspension of some school services in response to the third lockdown. 4 did however see use on 20/22/23 January before spending the day on Jet Black 1 on 25 January. It was then parked up in Reading, but is still officially on loan to N&D.
1203 was returned from loan to Reading from 11 January to allow others from the batch to receive maintenance work in Reading in sequence.
Courtney Buses
142 came out of service on 17 December for preparation for return to Dawson Rentals.
128, 139, 142, 199, 967 all remained on site at the end of January pending return to Dawson Rentals. 142/967 departed on 3 February and 128/199 on 5 February.
137 is currently being repainted white for return also, with 136 to follow.
600 was returned to us on 15 January, but was sent directly to BYD at Iver for decommissioning and hand-back due to the trial 4a service finishing on 16 January.
760 arrived on loan from Reading Buses on the evening of 26 January to provide cover for 1208/12/14 undergoing maintenance.
Regards,
Robert