IAN'S BUS STOP: Mercedes-Benz Beavers

Mercedes709D and 811D midibuses, Reeve Burgess bodywork

This page created 13th February 2006 by Ian Smith. Best on 800*600.

The Shires

Luton & District was not an early convert to Mercedes midibuses. With London Country North-West they had invested quite heavily in small Iveco midibuses for various schemes in Watford, Hemel Hempstead and High Wycombe. They had briefly used Volkswagen-powered Optare Citypacers on an LT contract, and had both MCW Metroriders (from County Bus) and Optare MetroRiders. They also used Ford Transit and Freight Rover Sherpa minibuses extensively.

6-11, (2065, 2037-2040, 2043): ex Metrobus

But in August 1991 Luton & District bought six of the redundant MB709Ds from Metrobus, after the Gravesend competition. They became part of The Shires fleet, and were renumbered in March 1997. They seem to have lasted with the company until early 2000, when they were sold off.

More secondhand buses

Luton & District bought odd Mercedes on the secondhand market as the need arose: a couple of 709Ds with Dormobile bodywork arrived in 1992 from Clydeside 2000. But by 1995 the company was ready for a shakeup. Fifty or so of the early buys of mini/midibuses were going: 10 Iveco/Dormobiles, 29 small Iveco/Robin Hoods, 7 tiny Ford Transits, and 8 Sherpas went during the year, and were replaced by slightly larger Mercedes, mainly 709Ds but with a leavening of 811Ds. Many were second-hand, either purchased on their own or with the takeovers of Mott's Travel and Buffalo Bus, and these brought a variety of bodywork:

Whittaker bodied 709Ds came from Rhondda Buses and Buffalo
Dormobile bodied 811Ds came from Pathfinder of Newark and Mott
Carlyle bodied 709Ds came from Buffalo and Mott
Reeve Burgess bodied 709Ds came from Arrowline of Knutsford
Wright bodied 811Ds came from Patterson of Birmingham and Mott
Dormobile bodied 709Ds came from Patterson of Birmingham, Midland Fox and Stevensons
Leicester Carriage Builders bodied 709Ds came from Midland Fox
a dual-purpose Wadham Stringer bodied 811D came from Buffalo

This disparate collection was given the bright new image of the company, which had rebranded itself as The Shires. A common theme of blue with vivid yellow tops and mushroom skirts held together a variety of local identities in orange and white. People would know that buses over the wide range of the company belonged, but had a local name to associate with - such as Elstree & Borehamwood (rather different thinking from that of Arriva to follow). But in Luton's traditional way the buses were numbered haphazardly into the gaps in the numbering scheme left by the departures. New numbers bore very little relationship to age, previous ownership, body-type or chassis. (This was perpetuated when the entire fleet was renumbered in March 1997). Many of these did five more years with the company before being sold in 2000.

New buses

But these two dozen were not enough. Twenty nine new 709Ds were bought during 1995, and five 811Ds, all with Plaxton bodywork of the Beaver style, 27 or 31-seaters. The proportion of smaller 709Ds reflects their replacement of 16, 18 and 19-seater buses on minibus networks. More 709Ds followed on in 1996, again displacing smaller buses. The little buses had duties at nearly all of the company's garages: a few at Garston, Hemel Hempstead and Dunstable, more around the peripheral areas of Hitchin, Aylesbury, and High Wycombe. They seem to have been remarkably camera-shy.

Elstree & Borehamwood 709D

2152 was operating a Sunday working on the 97 at Hitchin when I almost took its picture from GS2 in June 2003.

More secondhand buses

The following years saw the acquisition of more secondhand buses as well.

Three of Sovereign's 811Ds at Stevenage were taken over with the Stevenage operations in March 1996.

The takeover of Wycombe Bus brought some Alexander-bodied MAs that had originated with London Buses.

A single bus (2224) arrived from London & Country, having acquired London red livery at some point in its travels.

Arriva North-West also sent a few buses in 1999 and 2001, which became 2264, 2410, 2415-2417 and 2420. The last of these, a 711D, hardly touched base at Aylesbury before it departed again.

Arriva

The Shires became Arriva the Shires in January 1998. The bold livery disappeared, replaced by bland turquoise and cream. Strong local descriptors disappeared, to be replaced by an insignificant and wide-ranging strapline: "serving the Shires".

Arriva East Herts & Essex, taking over from County Bus (which had its own local identities), shared the numbering system, and gradually merged into the Shires operation. Eventually the Grays operation dropped off, with no-one apparently wanting to pick it up. It went to Arriva Southern Counties. Anyway, the small Mercedes spread out from their Shires field of operation, and substantial numbers went to Harlow and Stevenage for the New Town operations. Others went to Grays, Colchester and Southend. Some came back.

The buses bought new in 1995-6 have proved quite long-lived for their kind, and most are still buzzing around at the time of writing.

2160 was still busy on a Tuesday in September 2006, on route 92 from Hitchin to Baldock.

Bus Stop Beaver index Sovereign histories photo refs London Bus Lines