Mercedes609D and 709D midibuses, Reeve Burgess bodyworkThis page created 16th October 2006. by Ian Smith. Best on 800*600.Buzz Co-operative, HarlowThe Buzz Co-operative was set up in 1988, formed by seven ex-London Country North East drivers who had been unimpressed by that company's attempts to downgrade their pay and conditions. They reckoned that they would do better on their own, and the co-operative was formed. Not, I suspect, one of Nicholas Ridley's aspirations for the 1985 Bus Deregulation Act!They bought eight MB609D minibuses with Reeve Burgess bodywork: seven of them diminutive twenty seater buses and the other a 25-seater dual purpose vehicle.. Operation was on a network of seven routes, all within Harlow New Town, that operated Mondays to Fridays or Mondays to Saturdays, or just at peaks. They charged a flat fare of 50p. They started on 1st October 1988. Business boomed. Extra buses were hired, including two Optare StarRiders, More routes were operated, and frequencies increased.
After a year London Country North-East, which had been in the throes of something of a nervous breakdown
after its tender losses due to the 1988 strike, re-organised into County Bus and began to react
to the Harlow threat. They had their own network of midibuses - and not so midi-buses,
on thirties-style competitive routes to try to break the co-operative. It was not nice.
Making a loss, Buzz almost threw in the towel in early 1990.
But the Harlow Co-operative Development Agency stepped in and helped them rationalise.
County, in the anticipation of a takeover, had also backed off on the competition,
and Buzz survived. They were now running just four routes during the day,
plus some evening contracted services, together with works and schools contracts.
Some secondhand full-size coaches helped with these.
Business settled down to reasonable profitability.
In 1996 the co-operative bought two secondhand Beaver-bodied MB709Ds for bus operations,
followed a year later by one with an Autobus Classique body. The 609Ds began to be sold.
1999 saw the purchase of seven secondhand Marshall Minibuses, which with the two Beavers
and one of the StarRiders
kept the services going until March 2003.
Then the finances once more failed to stack up, and the company ceased operating.
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:
K71 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body DP25F 10/88 into service with Buzz, Harlow */97 sold K72 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body B20F 10/88 into service with Buzz on B1-B7, Harlow K73 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body B20F 10/88 into service with Buzz on B1-B7, Harlow */92 overall advert for Barnes & Partners, Solicitors K74 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body B20F 10/88 into service with Buzz on B1-B7, Harlow */97 sold K75 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body B20F 10/88 into service with Buzz on B1-B7, Harlow K76 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body B20F 10/88 into service with Buzz on B1-B7, Harlow K77 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body B20F 10/88 into service with Buzz on B1-B7, Harlow */97 sold K78 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body B20F 10/88 into service with Buzz on B1-B7, Harlow K79 SMC 9/88 Mercedes-Benz 609D, Reeve Burgess body B20F 10/88 into service with Buzz on B1-B7, Harlow Photographic ReferencesFor a key to the references see the bibliography.BuzzF73 SMC LBM129 p53 on B6 to Town Centre, overall ad F75 SMC LBM129 p49 6/91 on B16 to Brays Grove F76 SMC LBM129 p49 12/89 on B6: Town Centre Town Station LBM129 p54 4/93 on 881 to Greensted Church (Blake Hall show) F77 SMC LBM129 p53 1/89 on B6 to Latton Bush LBM129 p49 */91 on B31 to Templefields F79 SMC LBM129 p50 10/88 on B7 to Hospital LBM129 p52 7/91 on B11 to Town Centre N907 GHJ LBM129 p55 1996 on B11 to Katherines N68 GPU LBM129 p55 1996 on B1 to Katherines
Bus Stop Beaver index Arriva Kent Thameside histories photo refs
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