Optare Excel: TfL's Year of the Bus exhibition bus

Prepared on Notepad by Ian Smith,

This page created 22nd October 2014.

2014 was designated as the Year of the Bus. Transport for London wanted a promotional vehicle to attend special events, celebrating the development of the London Bus. Strangely, they chose a non-London bus to be it. R197DDX was an Ipswich Bus, their 188. After withdrawal in November 2008 it passed via Ensignb Bus to Transort for London, who painted it red to use as their TfL Safety & Citizenship Learning Bus, teaching children about bus use.

For their 2014 Year of the Bus TfL converted it to a full exhibition bus, with both sides covered in vinyls depicting the evolution of the London bus in pictures, with a Horse Bus (1829), B-type (1910), NS, LT (1930), A-type trolleybus (1931), and RT (1939) on the offside, and RF (1950), RM (1959), Titan (1978), low-floor d/d (2006), LT (2012) and Metrocity hybrid s/d (2014) on the nearside. It has appeared at various events and garage Open Days during 2014.

R197DDX at Finsbury Park

R197DDX at the RM60 event in Finsbury Park, July 2014.
R197DDX at Finsbury Park
 
     R197DDX 11/97    Optare Excel L1150 VN9180, Optare 9180, B37F
             11/97    new to Ipswich Buses #188
             11/06    in service, Ipswich
             11/08    withdrawn from service
              4/09    sold to Ensign Bus & Coach (Rainham) 
 L1           5/09    bought by Transport for London: TfL Safety & Citizenship Learning Bus
                      repainted as exhibition bus for Year of the Bus
              5/14    at Catford Garage Open Day
              6/14    at Stockwell Garage Open Day
              6/14    at Fulwell Open Day
              7/14    at Finsbury Park for RM60
              7/14    at Walworth Open Day 
              7/14    at Potters Bar Garage Open Day
              7/16    at TfL Regent Street display



Ian's Bus Stop XL Index.