IPSWICH PARK AND RIDE GOES TO FIRST

When First Ipswich previously run the service they used Volvo B7RLES including this example 69425 AU58 FFM which now operates in fleet livery.

Announced today in the EADT/Ipswich Star is that the Park and Ride services to Copdock and Martlesham have been saved, however have considerable debate there will be a 20% increase in fares going up to £3 per person before 12 PM and remaining at £2.50 after. The new contract will see First Ipswich take over the service next July and will reduce the Suffolk County Council subsidy from £700,000 to £200,000, there will be only 4 Buses per hour instead of the current 5. However all are not happy especially Ipswich Buses which is owned by the council, Ipswich Buses chairman Chris Mole described it as outrageous, while Council leader David Ellsemere has warned that there will be fewer and probably older Buses. and that the figures don't add up and that First can't make money on this, i don't think this is a good deal. The deal will be discussed by the County Council next week, where it's number five on the agenda which can be found on their web pages.Where does this leave Ipswich Buses for the future, IBC selling the company?.

Currently used on Ipswich Park and Ride by Ipswich Buses are these ex Nottingham Optare Versa's 150 YK08 EPJ.

IPSWICH BUSES MD TO LEAVE

IB Merecedes Benz Citaro 154 BF65 HVU was one of three introduced last year to replace Double Deckers on the 9 Whitton & Castle Hill, but seen here operating the 10 to Castle Hill last Boxing Day.

News has reached me that Ipswich Buses MD Jeremy Cooper has resigned his position, after around Eighteen Months during which has seen changes to long established route numbers, an strike by drivers called off and a move to ADL Enviro 200's as the main choice to replace the older Double Deckers in the fleet, an interim MD in Gary Bellamy who will take over in the New Year has been appointed until the new MD has been appointed. Personally i would like to thank Jeremy for his kindness towards the Blog, as he has always been gracious enough to have answered any of my questions.

IB ADL Enviro 200 101 SN16 OGG the first of four delivered in the first half of the year.

UPDATE TO FELIXSTOWE SERVICES

Eastern Counties ex Clarkes Services Foden PVSC6 FS 998 JBJ 833 seen at what looks like Peterborough.

Many thanks to a colleague of mine at the ITM Bernard Simpson, for updating my piece yesterday on the services taken over from Clarkes Services, the following services were replacements for their routes.
238 Felixstowe Ferry,Wolsey Gardens,Felixtowe Dock
248 Dock,Sea Road to Brook Lane(Fludyers Hotel) every 30 mins Sea Front service with Open top bus, Summers only.
249 Manor Road,Walton Church(Circular)Every 30 mins
In 1930/1931 Eastern Counties extended services 201 and 204 to Felixstowe Docks from Manor Road not as i previously thought.

Originally new to Norwich Omnibus Company as 47 in 1933 a Bristol GJW/Weymann LG 4 VG 5541 ECOC had by this time had taken control of the company and was retained as a separate company until 12/35 all services were then operated on hire to Norwich Omnibus Company it was eventually absorbed in 1954, two buses LG 4 and LG 6 in 1950 became open toppers and were renumbered HLG 4/6 and withdrawn after the summer in 1960 when they became HLG 496/97.

65 YEARS OF IPSWICH TO FELIXSTOWE DOCK : THE VERY BEGINNING

Eastern Counties Dennis Lancet/Mann Egerton DS 984 LRT 263 seen in the late 1950's alongside Bristol SC LC 546 VVF 546.

This month celebrates 65 years of Eastern Counties and the now First Eastern Counties operation of an bus service between Ipswich and Felixstowe Dock then numbered 201 now the 77 operating every hour from December 1951. This would be the company's last Suffolk Independent operator purchased from V.T and J.Faiers trading as Clarkes Services of Felixstowe who operated the service from Felixstowe Docks to Felixstowe, along with tours and excursions.  Apart from one bus which wasn't purchased the whole fleet came to Eastern Counties including some unusual Buses and coaches which included KS 904 GH 3818  an AEC Regal which had originated with Green Line, London in 1930 as T196 before joining London Transport with the same number in 1933, it gained a new Duple body in 1940 whilst with Valiant Direct Coaches, London and was withdrawn the following year, of the two Double Deckers one of which was not operated but allocated a fleet number, KD 29 ARR 832 and KD 28 ARR 831 both were AEC Regent/Park Royal new in 1934 came originally from West Bridgford UDC. The coaches which had fairly successful lives considering they were in a fairly standardised Tilling fleet, were FS 998 JBJ 833 a Foden PVSC 6/Plaxton withdrawn in 1959 and LRT 263 an Dennis Lancet/Mann Egerton DS 984 LRT 263.Seen below taken from the timetable book from 1952 shows that the service Eastern Counties had inherited from Clarkes Services was now incorporated into the 201 service.

IPSWICH DOUBLE DECKERS FROM THE 1980'S AND 1990'S

Carrying on from Sunday's blog we have now reached the 1980's, but as i have mentioned previously Ipswich bought mainly Single Deckers right through this period and into the 1990's and haven't bought Double Deckers in large numbers since the 1970's, in 1984 Ipswich Borough Transport went an tried 2 different Double Deckers in the Dennis Dominator and the Leyland Olympian, both came with an unusual single door arrangement a la Nottingham and both with East Lancs bodies 82 B82 NDX being the Dominator and 45 the Olympian, 45 had a particularly short life span of just 2 years being swapped for 3 ugly Dodge S56 minibuses from Eastbourne, the narrow door didn't catch favour although the Dominator was with 81 F81 ODX arriving in 1988. Strangely by 1995 Ipswich went back to the Olympian by this time manufactured by Volvo in 40-41 M640 EPV/M41/42 EPV in 1995. Another time i will complete the story taking as up to today from the Ex London and Trent Olympians in 1998 to the Scania/Optare's in 2011 and Ex Lothian Tridents in 2015.

Archive photos from the Jim Long Collection.

IPSWICH'S SINGLE DECKERS OF THE 1980'S

Taking the story up from the previous post we have now reached the 1980's when the now General Manager and latter Managing Director Barry Moore's influence took hold, particularly with Bus orders and the dominance of Dennis as the go to company, now that dominance of AEC was over, we start at 1980 when the decision was made that some of the aforementioned AEC Reliance's were now life expired and generally disliked so in came five Bristol RE's a well known and generally liked type that was far more reliable than the Swift's and Reliance's from Leicester 118-122 TRY 118-22H already 11 years old these were withdrawn finally in 1987, 118 below being the final one in service in June 1987 seen below. When new single deckers were needed for the Chantry services in 1983 the Dennis Falcon with the rather angular East Lancs bodies were chosen these being 100-105 YDX 100-105Y, as can be seen above the later privatised livery was far more pleasing. Double Deckers became a thing of the past during the mid to late 1980's with only 3 bought one an Leyland Olympian with East Lancs body being sold on in 1987 45 B45 NDX whilst the others Dennis Dominator 82 B82 NDX and 81 F81 ODX were more successful.

Coming to the mid 1980's and the Falcon buys continued one being 106 C106 SDX with one can only describe as an livery that was not used any further although the combination of the East Lancs was 

far more pleasing than the Northern Counties bodied 107-113 C107-113 SDX, 110 seen below. The final Falcons received went back to the more pleasing East Lancs bodied with their slightly off centre grilles in 1987/88 with E114-17 KDX and 118-124 G118 -124 VDX, 118 seen below when fairly new. 

IPSWICH BUSES ADL ENVIRO 200 MMC ROAD TEST

I wasn't expecting it to be back so soon, but a quick change of plans saw me experience the New Model Change ADL Enviro 200 MMC demonstrator YX65 RKK from Alexander Dennis which i photographed when it was at the Ipswich Transport Museum last month, you can see the interior view from then below, fortune favoured me today as i hopped off the 4 and on to the 10 Castle Hill & Whitton service, what is noticeable as soon as you sit down is how comfortable the seats are compared with the Mercedes Benz Citario that IB have, on Norwich Road the bus was particularly rattle free and smooth, but as soon as you enter Castle Hill the pole nearest to me at the back began to rattle, this i put down to the roads which i can only describe as bumpy and rough as well as the numerous speed bumps which certainly don't help, acceleration away from stops was pretty good the driver certainly handled it well, obviously IB won't be buying them next year but it's certainly something to think about, already the big groups have switched from the standard E200 it looks and feels much more substantial than the E200 as the price to buy reflects this, there are also the little touches like Free Wi Fi sockets on the back of the seats that are becoming common place these days on Buses which passengers like, if you are a progressive company it's certainly a must have bus.