All Change at Bluewater

[Chris]

Those who follow the wider news in the South-East may have been aware in recent weeks of a spat between TfL and Kent County Council over access charges to the Fastrack busways for route 96. Having originally been buried undiscovered in a meeting of the Dartford Joint Transportation Board in March, it was picked up by various online news sites when the minutes were eventually published prior to the next meeting in early June, and much wailing and gnashing of teeth followed. Entirely unsurprisingly, negotiations between the two authorities continued behind the scenes, and agreement was reached. 

That gives convenient excuse to also mention that after many years with Stagecoach, route 96 passed to Arriva London earlier this year and it is now operated from the former AKT, now Arriva London, Dartford depot. Electrification is due later in the year (vehicles are currently being delivered), but until then, a motley collection of vehicles from elsewhere in the empire is being used, such as Volvo B5LH/Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 HV326 (LJ17 WOR), still carrying garage codes for Tottenham, but remarkably tidy compared to some of the other vehicles temporarily in use. 

Chris