Southern Vectis bus fleet

Southern Vectis have a total of 93 buses in their fleet used for regular services. These include single deck buses, double deck buses, open top buses, and coaches, normally used for school routes or driver training. Including ancillary and other vehicles such as road trains, their total fleet is 103. [ [http://members.fortunecity.com/vectis_buses/fleet.htm Southern Vectis bus fleet] ] [ [http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=puOroAycX6tCl896Nd-HROg Southern Vectis Fleet List - Correct to 6th Jan 2008] ] Buses have either been bought new or been transferred from other bus companies, normally fellow Go-Ahead bus companies such as Solent Blue Line or Wilts & Dorset.

ingle deck buses

Iveco

Southern Vectis originally bought 36 new and second-hand Iveco minibuses between 1987 and 1997, with only five left. Fleet numbers 045, 047 and 246 were new in 1997 while numbers 260 and 263 were bought second-hand in 2001. Three of the five left are used for regular services, numbers 260, 263 and 246 and in 2007 were repainted to the new two-tone green livery. They have also been fitted with seat belts as they are commonly used on school services.

*1 Iveco 59.12/Marshall Bus – Fleet number 246.
*2 Iveco 59.12/Mellor – Fleet numbers 260, 263.

Dennis Darts

Southern Vectis currently own five types of Darts. Six of these were new in 1996 in the old mushroom and green livery. They were allocated to run the Jetlink service from Cowes to Sandown and Ventnor, which after the 2006 network change, was deleted.

In 2002, a new Plaxton Mini Pointer Dart was the first bus in the fleet to feature a low floor/kneeling entrance, a public address system, CCTV and LED destination displays, at the front, rear, and left-hand side, and was delivered in the Oxford blue livery.

To cope with the increase in services after a network change, a further 14 were delivered in 2005 and were painted in the 2005 two-tone green livery. 2006 saw two more transferred from Solent Blue Line, in the 2006 two-tone green livery, the first of the single deck buses in this livery. Following more Solent Blue Line services revisions, four more MPDs were transferred in February 2008. The first entered service in early April 2008, and on the first journey got stuck trying to access Cowes Pontoon on route 1, because the steering lock hadn't been changed from when it was with Solent Blue Line.

A number of ex-London buses (including some from London United) have also been owned over the years.

*1 Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer – Fleet number 300.
*20 TransBus Dart – 13 are in the 2005 two-tone green livery – Fleet numbers 301-320.
*1 Dennis Dart (high floor)/Plaxton Pointer 8.5m – In older Oxford Blue and stripes livery – Fleet number 587.
*6 Dennis Dart/UVG Urbanstar – 3 buses are in the older Oxford Blue and stripes livery – Fleet numbers 810-815.
*2 Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer 9.8m – Acquired from Brighton and Hove during October 2006. – Fleet numbers 900/2.

Mercedes-Benz Citaros

In January 2007 Southern Vectis ordered seven Euro 5-engined Mercedes-Benz Citaros and were new to the island in June to upgrade route 9. The investment was worth £1 million.cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.islandbuses.info/news/news001.shtml | title = Southern Vectis - New green buses for route 9 | publisher = www.islandbuses.info | accessdate = 2008-05-18]

These types of buses are widely used within the Go-Ahead Group, with Go North East, Oxford Bus Company, Solent Blue Line and Wilts & Dorset all operating the type but were new to Southern Vectis being the longest ever single deck bus owned by Southern Vectis, at convert|12|m|ft|0 [ [http://busexplorer.com/WorldBus/Mercedes-Text.html Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches] ] and the first full size single deck bus bought since 1976.cite web | year = 2008 | url = http://www.islandbuses.info/news/news001.shtml | title = Southern Vectis - New green buses for route 9 | publisher = www.islandbuses.info | accessdate = 2008-05-18] They were bought exclusively for use on route 9 from Newport to Ryde and were the first buses in the fleet with air conditioning and Euro 5 engines. The purchase of these buses made Southern Vectis one of the first in the UK to purchase Euro V engines, the greenest engine standard. This is set for implementation across the UK by 2009. [ [http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/euro-5-emissions-standards-cars/article-133325 Euro 5 emission standards] ]

In April 2008, the MOT of one of the buses discovered that buses 451 and 452 were wearing the wrong registrations plates, they had been from new. To match the chassis number, they were switched round.

*7 Mercedes-Benz Citaro – New in around May/June 2007, allocated exclusively for 9 route from Newport to Ryde. – Fleet numbers 451-457.

Double deck buses

Leyland Olympians

There were originally 16 Leyland Olympians bought between 1989 and 1990 of which 7 remain in service. A further batch of nine Northern Counties bodied Olympians were bought in 1993 of which seven are left in service. They are the longest serving current buses in the Southern Vectis fleet and most are now fitted with coach style seating. Fleet numbers 742 and 743 have now been converted to open-top buses, while some of the others now feature complete rear advertising.

*7 Leyland Olympian/Leyland – Fleet numbers 717/9/720, 724-727.
*10 Leyland Olympian/Northern Counties – Two open-top in blue and orange "Island Breezers" livery – Fleet numbers 642-643, 735-741.

Volvo Olympians

Two batches of the Northern Counties bodied Volvo Olympians were bought new, seven in 1995 and eight in 1998. They have served through a variety of liveries, firstly the mushroom cream and green liver, then either 'Route Rouge' or the Island Explorer livery. Four have now been converted to open top, and are in the 'Island Breezer' livery.

*19 Volvo Olympian/Northern Counties – Four open-top in blue and orange "Island Breezers" livery – Fleet numbers 637-639, 641, 744-746, 748-759.

Volvo B7TL

There were seven B7TLs bought new in 2002 and were originally in the Island Explorer blue livery. They were the first to be repainted to the new two-tone green livery and now all feature past acts from the Isle of Wight Festival on the right-hand side.

*7 Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President – Fleet numbers 190-196.

Bristol VRT

Three buses, which have now been converted to open-top still remain in the original sunburst open-top livery. They are to be kept with Southern Vectis for 2008 and used as spares.

*3 Bristol VRT/ECW – open-top in old orange and yellow "Sunburst" open-top livery.

Bristol K5G

Now known as 'The Old Girl' having been the oldest working bus in the UK, still operated by the original owner. New in 1939 with ECW bodywork. In 1959 it was converted to open-top and has recently been restored to the original livery of apple and cream. It is now popular for private hire.

*1 Bristol K open-top (heritage bus) – In apple and cream livery, named 'The Old Girl' by enthusiasts and now officially (as it is the oldest bus in the fleet) – Fleet number 602.

cania OmniCity

Twenty eight Scania OmniCity double deckers are on order for 2008/2009, seventeen are expected in mid-2008 with the remainder coming for the start of the 2009 tourist season. The 17 arriving in mid-2008 will all be numbered as 1101 to 1117 and naming the buses after coastal locations on the island will also continue. The buses will feature a new promotion by Southern Vectis and have 'Island thinkers think island buses on the side' as well as images of well-known island people.

Coaches

Southern Vectis' coach fleet is marketed through the use of different trading names, these being companies that Southern Vectis has purchased over the years. None of the coaches are in the two-tone green livery, they have been left in their original branding, and are a mixture of different types. They use three chassis types Dennis Javelin, Volvo B10M and DAF SB types, and the bodies are from different coachbilders too, including, Plaxton, Van Hool and Ikarus products.

Coaches are normally used to operate Southern Vectis' school routes, but are also used for private hire work, and for driver training.

*2 Dennis Javelin/Plaxton Paramount – Two buses which in April 2006 were allocated to private hire and in August 2007 had "West Wight Bus & Coach Co" fleet names applied on a new Maroon and Grey livery – Fleet numbers 594-595.
*1 Volvo B10M/Plaxton Premiere – In orange "Fountain Coaches" livery – Fleet number 596.
*1 Volvo B10M/Plaxton Excalibur – In orange "Fountain Coaches" livery – Fleet number 597.

Ancillary and other vehicles

*1 Leyland Olympian/ECW – Tree-lopper in old Wilts & Dorset livery – Fleet number 023.
*2 Iveco 59.12/Marshall Bus – Mobile ticket office or staff transfer bus in blue IW Radio livery – Fleet numbers 045, 047.
*2 Land Rover engined/Road Runner – 2 trailer Road Train in orange and yellow "Sunburst" livery – Fleet numbers 609-610.
*1 Dotto Mezzo P90/Mezzo – 3 trailer Road Train in orange and yellow "Sunburst" livery – Fleet number 611.
*1 Cannibalised Bristol VRT/ECW – For spares only and in old Wilts & Dorset livery – Fleet number 4449.

Fleet numbering

A new system of fleet numbering was introduced to Southern Vectis on 19 September 2006, creating sets of 'hundreds' to identify each vehicle type. The fleet numbers are based around the Go South Coast fleet, so no numbers are duplicated. In 2008, when the new Scania OmniCitys arrived, they had to be numbered 11xx as they wouldn't fit into the correct category.

* 0xx - Ancillary vehicles
* 1xx - Low floor double decks
* 2xx - Iveco minibuses
* 3xx - Low floor single decks, short enough to access Cowes Pontoon
* 4xx - Low floor single decks, too long to access Cowes Pontoon
* 5xx - Coaches
* 6xx - Open top tour buses and Roadtrains
* 7xx - Step entry double decks
* 8xx - Step entry single decks, short enough to access Cowes Pontoon
* 9xx - Step entry single decks, too long to access Cowes Pontoon
* 11xx - Scania OmniCity double decker

ee also

*commons-inline|Southern Vectis
* Southern Vectis
* List of Southern Vectis bus routes
* Transportation on the Isle of Wight

References