Prepared on Notepad by Ian Smith, This page created 11th August 2018. Best on 800*600.
Countryliner MAN busesThe step-entrance Capitals.Late in 2005 it was rumoured that Countryliner had bought three of the ex-DART MAN buses with Marshall Capital bodies. In fact only two were bought, R414 XFL in September 2005, and R412XFL in January 2006. They had previously worked on Northumberland rural services with Northumbria, and before that with Stagecoach Glasgow, having begun with DART of Glasgow. They went to work with Countryliner's newly acquired services in East Sussex. 414 was burned out in July 2006, but MM412 worked on for some years, mainly in East Sussex, but with occasional forays to Guildford. It was sold for scrap early in 2012.eVolutions from Compass Travel: MRM1,2.
Countryliner took over the Burgess Hill operations of Compass Travel in October 2006. Along with the transfer came two almost new MAN 14.220s with 10.8m MCV eVolution bodies, MRM1 and 2. They had been used on the 40X service between Haywards Heath, Brighton and Cuckfield, and Countryliner kept them there, working the 40X and 40. They gained the cream and green Countryliner livery.
They stayed with the 40 group until the end of Countryliner operations in October 2012. MRM1 was sub-leased to Sunray Travel for use on the 479 (Epsom-Guildford). Then the lessors, Willowshay Ltd, repossessed them and sold them via Ensignbus to Croydon Coaches (Buses Excetera). MRM1, now J60, repainted into white and blue and reregistered as J60ETC, was put back into service on the 479! MRM2 languished, unloved, in the Buses Excetera yard as a source of bits (in modern-speak - component recovery)
When Countryliner ceased operations in October 2012 three of them (MRM3,4,6) were sold for further service with Wheelers connect of Southampton. More eVolutions for East Sussex: MRM7,8Two more new long eVolutions arrived in April 2007 for use on the 40 group (Burgess Hill - Brighton - Cuckfield). They did not stay long, being returned off-lease in May 2010 After Countryliner they were acquired by New Adventure Travel in South Wales.
A last fling: Mylleniums from Roadrunner and Veolia: MEM 7, 8 11
In July 2012 Countryliner acquired three Myllenium-bodied MAN 14.220s from Ensign Bus. Two were from Roadrunner of Harlow, one from Bluebird and Veolia. The Roadrunner pair lost their fleetnames but were put to work in white with blue skirts on newly-won routes 24 and 25, which formed between thenm a circular route between Guildford and Cranleigh. The ex-Bluebird and Veolia bus was repainted from Veolia red into Countryliner cream/green, and also operated initially, but briefly on the 24/25 before expiring.
Countryliner implodes, Sunray takes the 479, Bus Excetera follows on.But the writing was on the wall for Countryliner. Their county support was withdrawn in October and the company lost most of their operating licences. A few services operated using other operators vehicle discs for a few days, but after 10th October 2012 all that was left was the 479 as a commercial route, using other companies' discs, under the umbrella of Sunray Travel. MRM1, MEM8 plus three Dart SLFs worked the 479. Countryliner's buses were being impounded by creditors or repossessed by lessors. Sunray Travel gained more discs by 25th October to operate the 479 in its own right, using the sub-leased Countryliner vehicles. MRM2 and MEM7 joined the Sunray operation late in January 2013. But in July 2013 Willowshay Ltd, who owned the vehicles, repossessed MRM1,2, MEM7, 8 and 11 from Sunray, who had to make a quick acquisition of Olympians to work the 479.
MRM1,2 were promptly acquired by Croydon Coaches (Buses Excetera), MRM1 for service on the competitive 479 from May and MRM2 for spares. MRM1, as J60, survived with Buses Excetera until August 2016.
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In November 2006 Countryliner bought four new MAN 12.220s with shorter 10.2m MCV eVolution bodies for use on trunk route 479 (Guildford - Merrow - Bookham - Fetcham - Leatherhead - Epsom).
Initially they wore plain white, with Countryliner fleetnames, gaining the cream/green livery during 2007.
They worked on other routes from Guildford as well, climbing through the Surrey woods across the Greensand ridge to Cranleigh and Dorking, as well as on the 46 to Aldershot.
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