Prepared on Notepad by Ian Smith, This page created 30th December 2013. Best on 800*600.
Sunray Travel Dennis Dart SLFs
Sunray had started operations in 2005 with a pair of second-hand step-entrance Darts (DT89, DR136) on the 318 (Epsom - Epsom Downs - Banstead). DT89 was retired in 2005 for spares. A second route was taken on in September 2006 when Sunray took over route 516 (Dorking - Leatherhead - Box Hill), for which Sunray leased the first two Enviro200 Darts to be used in the Home Counties. Schools contracts were also operated. DR136 continued, with ex Go-Northern Wright Handybus J949MFT coming in August 2007, temporarily covering for the EnviroDarts.
After route 516 was lost on retender to Countryliner in September 2011 the two EnviroDarts were disposed of in November 2011. The Dart SLF was retained.
The Countryliner collapse in October 2012 brought new opportunities. Sunray immediately sought licences to operate commercially the 479 (Guildford - Bookham - Leatherhead - Epsom). In the interim, until the licences were granted, Sunray operated the 479 as a free service under other operator's O-licences, using Countryliner vehicles minus their fleetnames. Once the licences were granted Sunray could charge fares, and continued to hire ex-Countryliner vehicles. These came from a pool of nine Dart SLFs and four MAN 14.220s, the 479 needing the hire of four at a time. Sunray's own SLF was sold in early 2013 to Croydon Coaches. Then in July 2013 the actual owners of the ex-Countryliner vehicles repossessed them, and they disappeared to Ensign's premises at Purfleet for resale. This left Sunray without Dart SLFs, and they had to hurriedly obtain some Olympians to replace them on the 479.
W317VGX visited Sandown Park in March 2009 on the occasion of the RF gathering there.
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Seven year old Dart MPD W317VGX was bought from Metrobus in November 2007, and received the company's overall sky blue with sunburst logo,
plus branding for the 318.
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