Saturday 2nd August 2025 Before today’s blog a quick update on the mystery of the missing route 15 on 16th July and non replies from AtoB Bus and Coach. Following publication of Thursday’s blog I was contacted by AtoB’s owner Brian who apologised for the silence in response to my emails/phone calls explaining the company... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 24th July 2025 A new bus route for 2025 has been introduced for the summer season by Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight. It’s a purely commercial venture with no public support through Bus Service Improvement Plan funding. And it’s not so much a bus route, more an open-top leisure travel experience. Called... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 28th May 2024 It's good to see the First Bus takeover of Ensignbus last year hasn't stopped the Purfleet based company being its usual entrepreneurial best over the Bank Holiday weekend, when it once again added a fleet of heritage open-top buses to its now traditional seafront service from Southend-on-Sea's world famous Pier. And... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 21st May 2024 Matt Kitchin and his Stagecoach Yorkshire team launched the Peak Sightseer open-top bus route in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council last summer. As explained when I blogged about the route last August, the route was a collaboration between Stagecoach, the County Council, the National Park Authority and Chatsworth House operating to... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 30th August 2023 I left yesterday's blog somewhat disappointed at missing out on a Breezer open-top bus ride from Baslow over to Castleton, but the upside was it gave me more time to explore the other open-top bus route introduced this summer for Peak District tourists - Stagecoach Yorkshire's Peak Sightseer. This came about... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 29th August 2023 This summer has seen not just one new open top bus route in the glorious Derbyshire Peak District but two: Hulleys of Baslow’s Breezer and Stagecoach’s Peak Sightseer. These initiatives come thanks to Derbyshire County Council inviting tenders earlier this year for a Bus Service Improvement Plan funded open-top operation aimed... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 26th July 2022 After last year’s return of an open top bus service along Southsea seafront following a nine year absence by Aldermaston Coach Lines, this year it’s the turn of First Portsmouth to try and make a go of it. Like Aldermaston’s foray First’s period of operation is the school summer break of... Continue Reading →
Friday 20th August 2021 A new name to the open-top bus scene this year is Reading based coach operator Aldermaston Coach Lines, the trading name of Southern Coach Lines Ltd. It’s reportedly been nine years since Southsea enjoyed an open-top bus service but now Aldermaston owner and managing director Nick Morton has introduced a service... Continue Reading →
Friday 2nd April 2021 It’s good to see Bournemouth’s Yellow Buses running open-top bus services again after a Covid enforced absence last year. My friend Ray Stenning and I took a trip to the lovely south coast resort today to have a ride. There are two routes this year, numbered 11 and 12. The former... Continue Reading →
Saturday 1st August 2020 It’s a shorter summer season this year for obvious reasons, so this past week I've been out and about giving three bus companies running seafront open top bus routes in the south-east a bit of much needed custom and support. First up on a lovely sunshine filled day last Sunday was... Continue Reading →
Friday 31st May 2019 There's been a welcome resurgence in the traditional open top bus market (as opposed to high profile City Sightseeing) over the last few years with long withdrawn routes returning to their once regular haunts. Yellow Buses resurrected their seafront service in Bournemouth and Boscombe a couple of years ago, as did... Continue Reading →
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