Prepared on Notepad by Ian Smith,
This page created 27th March 2012.
Capital Logistics
Capital Logistics, an established coach and airport operator at Heathrow,
operated a minibus service for London Buses: the H26. In March 1998 their work expanded: they added the Sunday H24.
But more was to follow. In April they took over the 726, the only GLC-supported remnant of the Green Line network.
For that they acquired DAF Ikarus Citibuses.
In May 1998 they took over local bus route U3 from Centrewest. For this Capital Logistics acquired nine new Optare Excels,
the short 10.0m version, seating 35. Livery was white, with a black and red flash and extensive signwriting.
Tellings-Golden Miller
T-GM took over the Capital Logistics bus operations in June 1999, including the bases at West Drayton and Croydon.
The Excels on the U3 came too.
T-GM gathered its London Buses work into a rented portion of the old Fulwell depot,
including the Capital Logistics work, the Excels moving in April 2000.
The Optare Excels were treated to Tellings-Golden Miller livery during the second half of 2000, the old coloured flashes being replaced by blue and yellow on the base white. Tellings-Golden Miller fleetnames in gold were added to the cant-rails. 987 was sent north to Midland Choice in Willenhall in January 2001. The other eight were switched onto the 490 from the U3 in April, as tender awards changed.
986 at Hatton Cross Station on the 490, February 2002.
From June 2002 another shuffle saw the Excels switched onto the 216 (Staines - Kingston). That kept them busy for a year, but in June 2003 the 216 was lost. A plan was formed to use the Excels on the newly-gained 555/556, but new Dart SLFs were received in time for that. Two more of the Excels were now redundant. 986 and 988 going to City Direct in Galway. A plan to use the remaining six at Byfleet in place of Varios was put on hold, and the six went into store, pending a decision on their future. In August T-GM took over Crystals' work in Orpington. No, the Excels did not transfer there. But Varios from Byfleet did. So the Excels were reinstated at Byfleet for the 426 and 446. 985 was loaned to Countryliner in September 2003. 989 and 993 also went to City Direct in Galway, in November 2003. The surviving four, 985 and 990-2, went quietly about their business during 2004 and into 2005, and so were duly taken over by Travel London in June 2005. Travel London
Travel London instituted all-red for its London operations, and red/white for Surrey operations.
Excel 990 was the first repainted, in July 2005, and returned to Byfleet for Surrey operations -
but not the 426/446, which had been lost.
They were allocated new numbers E101-4 in summer 2006, just before being sent to Travel West Midlands for overhaul,
before going on to Travel Dundee in September.
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