Prepared on Notepad by Ian Smith,
This page created 6th November 2017.

Part9: 2013-2015

First moves out of London

Go-Ahead London lost the TfL contract for the 67 in April 2013, to Arriva London North. As a result the ex-First PDNs were made redundant, and were quickly sold to Nottingham City Transport. Six of the Volvos, PVN12-17, were placed into store, whilst PVN1-11 continued in service on other routes, mainly schools operations.

But in June First pulled out of London operations, and Go-Ahead bought their Dagenham operations (but not the garage). The routes were then operated by Go-Ahead from Rainham depot (BE). Eleven of First's double-deckers were replaced on schools routes by eleven ex-First Volvos from Northumberland Park (PVN7-17)

VPs are withdrawn

In October route 11 started to receive new hybrids, displacing WVLs, which took over at Camberwell on the 185 from eight of the ex-East Thames Buses VPs. These went to store at Belvedere. Others remained for a few days, helping out on the 42 (still seeing a wide variety of types) and the 45. But the last six at Camberwell were withdrawn early in November. Then six of them went on a three-week loan to Hedingham Omnibuses. That left VP15-17 at Bexleyheath, plus VP18, 19 at Camberwell as trainers.

2014

By June 2014 there were very few of the early PVLs, those with Euro-II engines, left in ordinary service. There were still about two dozen trainers at Camberwell, some of which could be used in service if required. Presumably the central staircase made them more suitable for training. There were nine (PVL154, 160-167) at Bexleyheath for the 132, and fourteen with Commercial services (seven at Rainham for education and works contracts and a scattering elsewhere). New Cross still had ten, and every garage had one or two as a service spare.

PVL142 on training duties in Bromley PVL272 on 468 to South Croydon

One of the early batch with central staircase, PVL142, was on training duties in Bromley, December 2015
Camberwell's PVL272 received a refurbishment out of sequence in July 2011, so was retained as a Camberwell spare long after its stable-mates had retired. Here in July 2015 it substitutes for a WVL on route 468 to South Croydon, at Elephant & Castle.

The cleaner-engined newer PVLs were gathered at Sutton (17 for the 213), Camberwell (24 for the 45), New Cross (13 for the 321), Bexleyheath (9 for the 401), Peckham (14 for the 363) and Merton (50: 18 for the 155, 14 for the 270, 16 for the 44). These, and their spares, were also seen on other routes substituting for Es, WVLs and new hybrid double-deckers.

PVL307 on 45 to Clapham Park

PVL298-319 soldiered on at Camberwell on route 45 for some years after refurbishment in 2011. Here PVL307 heads for Clapham Park in December 2011.

PVL379 on 44 to Victoria PVL380 on 270 to Micham

Merton's PVL379 was at Victoria in January 2013, while PVL380 was in Mitcham in March 2010.

The ex-First PVN 1-6 were still in service at Northumberland Park, with PVN 17 at Silvertown until August. The others, PVN7-16, were in store at Rainham until June, when they went to Ensign Bus. Of the ex-East Thames Volvos VP18 and 19 were still at Camberwell as trainers, while VP5-8 were in store at Belvedere, likewise until sale in June.

The main PVL allocations remained stable during the latter half of 2014, as Go-Ahead looked to the replacement of the Scania Omnidekka fleet from Metrobus.

2015

A couple of the elderly PVLs went to Silvertown for contract work, and three went to Camberwell to service a workmen's shuttle between Vauxhall Bus Station and the building site at Battersea Power Station.

A notable sale in September 2015 was of PVL162-167 to Go-Coachhire of Otford, presumably to update their schools double-decker fleet. They came from the Bexleyheath allocation of PVLs off the 132, which were replaced with cascaded Es from Stockwell.

This left just eight "spare" PVLs from the Euro-II batches in service, with just one at most garages.

Part 10: 2016 onwards


President Index. 2012. 2016 -. PVL histories. PVL photos.