32479 GOES TO RADIO ONE'S BIG WEEKEND

This weekend sees a very important weekend in Norwich with the visit of Radio One's Big Weekend and on Monday 200 coaches will be leaving Norwich to go to Wembley for Norwich's Play Off Final against Norwich, although now the Train strike is off, there might be slightly less, First Ipswich along with Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft will be supplying both Buses and drivers for the two days of the Big Weekend, Ipswich will send 32479 seen above on Monday along with 2 other Volvo B7TL's 32655/56 thanks for the amendment Joe you can see more on the logistics of the weekend on Kieran's blog http://norwichbusesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/big-weekend-buses.html. The weekend also sees major changes to Ipswich Buses network, with the 5 changing to become an X5 Heath Road Hospital and the 6/11 will link through to each other with much of the 6 route taking in parts of the current 1 to Ravenswood.

As can be seen on Wednesday's picture, Ipswich Buses DAF 100 PN52 XBM had a faulty front destination whilst operating the 5/11 service seen here with just the number pinned to the window.

WEDNESDAY ODDITIES

First Ipswich Volvo B7TL 32490 AU53 HKH unusually found itself allocated to the 60/61 today usually the preserve of the Volvo B7RLE single deckers.

While IB Trident 10 PO51 UMK seen here at Tower Ramparts on the 1 which ironically ends on Saturday was at one time one of two buses regularly used on the Shotley routes which has been of late run by Ex Stagecoach London Trident's 20/21.

Pulham's Travel of Bourton-On-The Water, Gloucestershire Mercedes Benz Tourismo MB14 ENZ was a visitor to Ipswich today, seen here in Crown Street Lay by.

Merseyside Bus Club were the visitors to the ITM today and had the use of ITM's Eastern Counties Bristol LS Prototype LL744 MAH 744 to lay over outside the Cricketer's, this photo is for Chris Speed and Danny Beales who enjoyed this fine bus last night.

A COUPLE MORE ESCAPEES

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rtwelshbuses/15385973847/in/photolist-h67GuS-fEBcPG-prB8Za-dU966f-dU969m-kZGDiM-eaKDaK-fEBd2w-fEjCpc-g9gU97-oUmUyM-fL1d2e-4efH5J-dNKbo6-r2Ct2s-gDLFY

A couple more escapees from First Eastern Counties that have surprisingly escaped the scrap man purchased i believe after use with First Potteries is P658 UFB ex 34158, which even received the new First Livery and within a year was sold! It's seen here with it's new owner Express Motors, Dolgellau ,Wales late last year. Following this we have one of 4 ex First London/Eastern Counties/Midlands then Diamond Bus Plaxton Presidents, V862 HBY with new operator First Bus Stop and still operating in it's former area around Hereford, the other three purchased were V857/77 HBY and T884 KLF ex First 32857/77/84.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gricerman/14774739548/in/photolist-auwyqX-a3rznx-ouH2WW-ovA3cX-ovApjL-ovAJD6-oN5PcF-oL3WBY-dhVd72-a3rzd6-97H1eR-cVuR6h

BUS ROUTES UP FOR TENDER

Beestons Optare Solo FP02 XMC awaiting duty on the 39 Ipswich to Rushmere service which is up for tender.
Seen below is a list of services currently up for renewal, starting days for all these service coincidence with the start of the new school year from 1st September, currently the 30/39/972 are operated by Beestons, 72 by Suffolk Norse,114 by Simmonds,116/456 by Galloways,375/77 by Mulleys,796 by Hadleigh Community Transport and 978 by First Ipswich.Tenders must be in by the 1st June.
Contract Description Seats Days of Operation CON030 Woodbridge - Ipswich 29 Monday - Saturday CON039 Ipswich - Rushmere 29 Monday - Saturday CON072 Ipswich - Bucklesham 16 Monday - Friday CON094 Colchester - Hadleigh/Ipswich 29 Monday - Saturday CON114 Diss - Ipswich 33 Monday - Saturday CON116 Ipswich - Wetheringsett 29 Monday - Saturday CON375 Bridge Street - Bury St Edmunds Various Monday - Friday/Saturday CON377 Stowmarket - Bury St Edmunds 29 Monday - Saturday CON456 Diss/Eye - Stowmarket 29 Monday - Saturday CON796 Hadleigh - Manningtree 16 Monday - Friday CON972 Woodbridge - Farlingaye School/Rushmere 29 Monday - Friday CON978 Old Felixstowe - Ipswich 30 + School days only

Hadleigh Community Transport Group Mercedes Benz Sprinter WX06 UVH seen at the OCM in Ipswich prior to heading back to Ipswich on the 120 to Whatfield.

150,000 VIEW SPECIAL

What i have done for the 150,000 view special is looked back through my catalogue of photos and randomly picked some of the better ones, back in 2013 the 'Bus War' was ongoing and First pre Chris Speed was struggling, even an attack on one of their core routes the 64 to Aldeburgh added to their misery while the 55/56 to Broke Hall/Bixley continued to attract few if any customers, above we see Anglian Scania Omni City YT11 LVF in Tower Ramparts in February, whilst Scania 65542 P542 RNG was serving out it's last months on the 56 which was withdrawn later that year.

A lot of last year was taken up chasing round getting photo's of the new First livery for Ipswich,here we see Volvo B7RLE 69007 AU05 DMO.

One of those rare moments when you are in the right place at the right time, here we see IB Dart 144 Y295 FJN on the X1 while being branded for the X5, the arrival of these buses back in 2012 heralded some one to start up a new blog, along the way i have gathered new friends along the way, including Grahame Bessey, Sam Larke,Kieran Smith, Steve W and of course not forgetting the bus companies who have supported the blog including Chris Speed and Paulo at First and James Long for supplying me the photos when i couldn't.

20514 COMPLETED AND 39623 VISIT

Many thanks to James Long who kindly in my absence with this virus, went down to First Ipswich Garage and took these photos this morning we see the full effect of the new livery of Volvo B12M 20514 WV02 EUP including an frontal/onside profile, frontal profile and full length onside profile.
All i can say is that it looks pretty good, the addition of the iconic Eastern Counties is a nice touch all in all it's a nice uncomplicated livery style from speaking with Mr Speed he was pretty happy.

Looking rather handsome after a fairly recent repainting featured some time back on the blog is RML 2623 39623 NML 623E, which is here currently for a private hire, an increasing part of First Ipswich's work. All photos have been from James Long for which they remain his copyright.

20514 NEARS COMPLETION AND A VISITOR FROM ESSEX

Unfortunately i haven't been able to go down to the First Ipswich depot as planned to see how the new vinyls on 20514 are progressing, currently I'm laid low with a throat infection, so no Bus spotting for the rest of the week, however courtesy of Paulo Van Krieken's Twitter feed i can bring you the front end of the coach with the disability vinyl and First logo in gold already placed. While a visitor to the garage was First Essex Scania L94UB 62410 YS03 ZKF which paused at Ipswich while on it's way back to Colchester.