Arriva Kent Thameside: Mercedes 609D staff-busesThis page created 15th October 2006. by Ian Smith. Best on 800*600.
Arriva Kent Thameside operated all its routes out of two Thameside garages: Dartford and Northfleet. Some of its tendered routes were based some way from either garage. The 126, (Eltham - Bromley South) was a case in point. Staff changeovers were necessarily distant from the home garage, and to avoid too many dead journeys staff minibuses were used to ferry crews to changeover points such as Bromley North. Fitting the bill nicely were some small MB609Ds acquired from Maidstone & District. 58 was eleven years old when it took up these duties in June 1998, 69 and 70 only nine at the same date. They were joined in January 2000 by 86, from Arriva Kent & Sussex, and in May 2001 by 72 from Guildford, where it had been a driver trainer. 72 promptly displaced 69, and was repainted from training white/grey into Arriva national livery.
58 and 86 went off in February 2002 to perform similar duties at Grays. In their place came somewhat larger 437,
one of the 811Ds from London & Country, where it had latterly worked a Sainsbury's contract service at Horsham.
58 and 86 survived another year, the latter moving briefly to Horsham before both were sold in April 2003.
Staff ferry 58 at Bromley North in March 2000, and driver trainer 154 at Northfleet in March 2004, in company with YDT148 and YDT505..Arriva Kent Thameside also acquired a Mercedes Benz 0814 with Dormobile bodywork, as a driver trainer. It came from Arriva Kent & Sussex, but had previously been used as a bus by Kentish Bus, after starting out with Crossways of Swanley. YDT154, as it became, was a driver trainer from November 2003 to August 2004.Ex-Transcity MB709DsBefore Kentish Bus acquired its Mercedes staff buses it had some experience with four MB709Ds that it took over from Transcity, three 1993 models with Dormobile bodywork, and one from 1991 with a Carlyle body. They had been used on Sevenoaks area routes. They moved on to Arriva Cymru in December 1997.Individual bus historiesThese histories are incomplete. They are being assembled from bits and chunks of data from a variety of sources. Particularly helpful have been:
E58 UKL 11/87 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess B20F, #B16765
1058 11/87 Maidstone & District
Arriva Kent & Sussex
YFB58 6/98 DT transfer to Arriva Kent Thameside, staff ferry, B14F
3/00 Bromley North staff ferry bus
2/02 GY transfer, staff bus (Grays)
4/03 sold
G69 PKR 11/89 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess B20F, #17909
1069 11/89 Maidstone & District
Arriva Kent & Sussex
YFB69 6/98 DT transfer to Arriva Kent Thameside, staff ferry, B14F
5/01 DT withdrawn into store
9/01 sold
G70 PKR 11/89 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess B20F, #B17910
1070 11/89 Maidstone & District
Arriva Kent & Sussex
YFB70 6/98 NF transfer to Arriva Kent Thameside, staff ferry, B14F
3/02 staff ferry
3/03 NF
3/04 NF
3/05 NF
F070 4/05 renumbered
8/05 sold to Erith Commercials
G72 PKR 11/89 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess B20F, #B17912
1072 11/89 Maidstone & District
Arriva Kent & Sussex
ZDT72 1/99 WK transfer, Arriva Guildford & West Surrey, trainer, B20F
1/01 WK repainted in white, grey skirt
5/01 DT transfer to Arriva Kent Thameside, staff ferry, B14F (Dartford)
YFB72 7/01 DT renumbered, repainted turquoise/cream
3/02 staff ferry
3/03 staff ferry
3/04 Arriva Kent Thameside
1/05 sold
G86 SKR 3/90 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess B20F, #B18037
1086 11/87 Maidstone & District
Arriva Kent & Sussex
YFB86 1/00 NF transfer to Arriva Kent Thameside, staff ferry, B14F
2/02 GY transfer, staff bus (Grays)
3/03 WS transfer to Arriva West Sussex, staff bus (Horsham)
4/03 sold
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