Yellow Buses - Fleet - 2000s

2000s

Eight East Lancs Vyking bodied Volvo B7TLs arrived in 2000 (fleet numbers 411 to 418 inclusive). 2002 saw another eight East Lancs Vyking bodied Volvo B7TLs being added to the fleet, three of them (430, 431 and 432) are convertible to open top format.

Yellow Buses took delivery six Volvo B7TLs in 2003, the bodywork of which were split equally between East Lancs Vyking (fleet numbers 426 to 428 inclusive) and Wright Eclipse Gemini (fleet numbers 180 to 182 inclusive). Again, this year also saw another one of the original 18 Dennis Dominator/East Lancs E Types taken out of service. The company withdrew all six East Lancs EL2000-bodied Dennis Lances. The Leyland Fleetlines in the fleet were sold to Thamesdown between 2003 and 2006.

The only deliveries in 2004 were a further six further Volvo B7TLs, yet again equally split between East Lancs, this time with East Lancs Myllennium Vyking bodywork (fleet numbers 110 to 112 inclusive), and Wright Eclipse Gemini (fleet numbers 183 to 185 inclusive). A further three East Lancs Myllennium Vyking Volvo B7TLs arrived in 2005 (fleet numbers 113 to 115 inclusive), plus four VDL SB120/Wright Merits (fleet numbers 500 to 503), the latter in a revised livery (before the sale to Transdev) of yellow and white relieved with two blue upward sweeping bands to the rear.

In 2006, under Transdev ownership, a selection of 21 second-hand single decks arrived, all of which were low-floor Dennis Darts on either Plaxton Pointer (three buses, fleet numbers 491 to 493 inclusive), East Lancs Spryte (ten buses, fleet numbers 483 to 490 inclusive, along with 494 and 495) or Wright Crusader bodies (eight buses, fleet numbers 150 to 157 inclusive), all in the new Transdev Yellow Buses livery. The remaining East Lancs coach-style Volvo Citybuses were withdrawn for sale.

In 2007 the company commenced repainting the remainder of the Volvo Citybuses, but this has now stopped since the company is looking into purchasing some double deckers. By the end of October, fleet numbers 205 and 206 had been sold.

The driver training fleet has also been changed. The company withdrew the last two East Lancs EL2000-bodied Dennis Lances (fleet numbers 402 and 406). In their place, the 1997 batch of Dennis Dart SLFs with East Lancs Spryte bodywork (fleet numbers 473 and 474) have been painted up in special yellow and purple driver training livery.

10 reasonably new buses arrived, all being 55-plate Alexander Dennis Dart Pointers, fleet numbers 504 to 513 inclusive. These came from Manchester Airport, and because Yellow Buses were due to stop running the Airport service in November, the buses had their luggage racks removed. To this end, a large part of the 1995 batch of Dennis Darts with East Lancs EL2000 bodywork (fleet numbers 451 to 459) were withdrawn and put up for sale by Ensignbus. Two were sold to Brighton-based independent The Big Lemon. In November 2007, an ex-demonstrator Alexander Dennis Enviro400 with an '07 plate arrived. Its fleet number is 186.

A single deck Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart (with a 57 registration) went into service in mid-January 2008, numbered 515. In September 2008, 11 brand new Optare Versas arrived at the depot. These have registrations to match their fleet numbers in the Txx TYB range (18 to 28 inclusive) and entered service on Route 1a (Bournemouth-Somerford) on 1 October 2008. In November, an order was announced for 11 Optare Tempos to follow on from the Versa order.

Towards the end of the year, Dennis Dart East Lancs EL2000s 460 to 463 were withdrawn and put up for sale with Ensign Bus; one has since joined The Big Lemon in Brighton.

Your Bus was also launched during September 2008 by TYB, to run the school specials they have contracts for, and currently there are 3 Volvo Citybuses (208, 211, 213) and one Dennis Dart East Lancs EL2000 (being 465) in the TYB "Your Bus" Livery. This fleet was expanded in September 2009 with the introduction of the Bournemouth & Poole College School Contract with extra Darts and an extra Volvo Citybus added to the fleet.

During the early part of 2009, Wright Crusader 156 was withdrawn for spares, and replacement bus 514, a 51 plate DAF SB120/Wright Cadet, entered service towards the end of June 2009. Its number plate is YJ51 ELX.

Eleven Optare Tempos entered service during May 2009. They, like the Optare Versas, have registrations to match their fleet numbers in the Rxx TYB range (7 to 17 inclusive)

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