Metrobus Mercedes-Benz 709D / Reeve Burgess midibuses

This page created 8th December 2005 by Ian Smith. Best on 800*600.

Metrobus

Metrobus' operation of a small fleet of eight 25-seater midibuses in Gravesend is a typical case of their use in aggressive deregulation battles. They were leased to compete with Kentish Bus in the heart of the latter's operating area: Gravesend. Metrobus thought they could do better than the incumbents in this rapidly expanding area, and established two routes: Route A (Northfleet Plough - Gravesend - Denton - Valley Drive - Hever Court Rd), and Route B Painters Ash - Gravesend - Denton - Valley Drive - Hever Court Rd). With each route on a twenty minute headway this gave a ten minute headway on the common section - good midibus tactics. Operation, which began in August 1988 was still based on the Green Street Green depot. Needless to say, this stick in the anthill provoked a hearty response from Kentish Bus, who replaced their thirty-minute interval double-decker service with a ten-minute headway midibus service of their own. Black Horse Buses also competed on the Gravesend-Denton section with a variety of second-hand vehicles.

Metrobus MT The Gravesend routes were revised in April 1989, route A being extended at both ends to link Swanscombe and Singlewell, route B being diverted at the eastern end to Kings Farm, and a new Sunday route C introduced to link Kings Farm Estate to Swanscombe. Metrobus achieved some respectable loadings, claiming two-thirds of its passengers as new business. But by the end of the year route C had already gone, and Metrobus negotiated with Kentish Bus to take over the routes and vehicles with effect from 1st January 1990.

The buses used on Mini-Metro were Mercedes-Benz 709Ds with 25-seater Reeve Burgess bodies, with small destination indicators and blue/yellow livery.


March 1991 saw the return of four of the midibuses for the operation of new route 351. This was a different type of typical midibus operation: a backstreets penetration route, opening up places not served before, most unusally in the London Area established as a commercial service. It ran between Bromley North Station and Penge. But a 227 duplicate it was NOT. It wiggled through Ravensbourne to reach Beckenham, then after Clock House dived off the main road to serve Birkbeck and Anerley Station before curling back to Penge. The midibuses (123, 125, 126 and 128) were a stop-gap, but the route was nevertheless a rip-roaring success. The tiny twenty-five seaters were too small from the start. They were replaced in August by seven sparkling new 8.0m 32-seater Dennis Darts, which operated not only on the 351 but on the newly-won 146 too.

At least six of the midibuses went on to Luton & District, where some remained in service until the spring of 2000, through the various company transitions to LDT, The Shires, and Arriva The Shires. Even after that there were some further takers for some of the eleven-plus year-old vehicles.

Bus Stop Beavers Epsom Buses histories photo refs Eastern National