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Recent Bus Fare Editions
For a modest extra cost BTS members can receive Bus Fare in addition to Trolleybus Magazine, which contains news and articles on road passenger transport from the Thames and Kennet areas.
Subscribed members of the British Trolleybus Society can download the latest copy by logging in to your member area.
May 2013
First Berkshire have recently put some Hybrid single deck buses into service and a report is included in this issue.
There is a report on the rail replacement services provided when there was a blockade between Didcot and Maidenhead due to work being carried out in connection with the new Reading rail station.
Part 2 of the Reading Buses route review is included and there is news of the new Guide Friday services in Oxford.
There is the usual comprehensive round-up of news from the Thames & Kennet Valley areas.
April
There is news of a co-ordination of services between High Wycombe and Chesham by operators Carousel and Arriva.
Read the tale of Reading Buses diesel-electic hybrids which had problems in the recent freezing weather.
With Reading Buses planning large service changes from 1 July 2013, the current set up of routes is reveiwed.
The usual comprehensive fleet and operational news from the Kennet and Thames Valley areas is also included
March 2013
There is a report on Oxford's new hybrid buses.
Friar Street in Reading was recently closed due to large cracks appearing in the road surface. Find out the cause of the cracks and the diversion of the affected bus services!!
The usual comprehensive fleet news in both the Kennet and Thames Valley areas is included.
February 2013
There is a full report on the disruption to services in the Reading area due to a significant snowfall on Friday 16 January 2013.
Details are given of the proposed service changes to Courtney Buses effective from17 February 2013.
There is a report on three ex Reading MCW Metrobuses operating in the South Wales area.
Mac Head reports on the disposal of three former AWRE Aldermaston buses that had seen further service in Malta.
January 2013
Reading Buses commenced operation of the combined South Reading contract on 5 November 2012. Full details of the contarct routes are given.
Thames Travel have recently exported 10 MAN/MCV singel deck buses to New Zealand. Pending arrival of replacement buses from Oxford Bus, A number of buses from Carousel have been loaned for which details are given.
There is a full report on the bus services operated by Reading Buses over the festive period.
November 2012
There is news of Reading Buses winning the Shire Operator Of The Year Award in the recent 2012 UK bus awards.
Details are given of the service changes for First Berkshire from 1 December 2012.
There is a report of some former Horseman Coaches operating in Cyprus.
The usual comprehensice news from around the Kennet & Thames Valley areas is also included.
November 2012
A full report is included on the recent takeover of Tappins Coaches by Weavaway.
There is news of RH Buses ceasing trading
Part Three of the Eton Dorney shuttle buses this time at the Paralympics.
There is also news of the Thames Valley Park shuttle service passing to Stewarts Coaches of Mortimer.
October 2012
Details are given of the Reading Transport service changes which came into effect on 24 September 2012.
Ray Smith continues his report on the Eton Dorney Olympic Shuttle Buses.
The usual comprehensive round up of news from around the Kennet & Thames Valley area is also included
September 2012
With the Olympics now over, Ray Smith looks at the bus operations organised for the event and in particular, the Eton Dorney Olympic shuttle buses.
BTS Chairman Graham Bilbe reports good news in that a new editir has been found for Bus Fare, so it looks like this journal will survive!
There is the usual coverage of transport news in the Kennet & Thames Valley areas.
August 2012
During the recent Olympics, Reading Buses garaged and serviced some 40 brand new buses on behalf of Firstbus. Details of the vehicles involved are given.
Calamity at Belle Avenue, Reading! Graham Bilbe reports on an accident near his home which caused chaos for bus operations in the area.
There is an update on preserved former Reading area vehicles.
A roundup of news in the Kennet & Thames Valley areas is also included.
Finally an interesting photo was taken of a Bradford trolleybus and Swindon motorbus stoered in Whitley during 1949. Does anybody have more details????
July 2012
The big news this month is that former Reading Buses Spectra 701 has been secured for preservation.
There is a preservation update on former Smiths Coaches Bedford OB EDP 757
A report is included on the last Reading bus in maroon and cream livery which has now been repainted into the two tone green livery similar to that now worn by the new Streetlites.
The usual comprehensive round up of news from around the Kennet & Thames valley areas is also included..
June 2012
This months edition contains an obituary to Edgar Jordan who sadly passed away on 17 May 2012. Edgar was one of the founder members of the Reading Transport Society and was a fountain of knowledge on Reading trams and trolleybuses. He will be sadly missed.
BTS Chairman Graham Bilbe appeals for assistance in the production of Bus Fare which will cease to be published in the next couple of months unless help is forthcoming!
Graham Bilbe reports on the AEC Centenary rally at Newark held on 26 & 27 May 2012 which presented an opportunity to bring together the 3 Lison AEC's preserved in the UK.
There is the usual round up of news from the Kennet & Thames Valley areas.
May 2012
This may very well be the last edition of Bus fare unless somebody can step forward to assist with arranging the layout and printing the journal. With Graham Stone working abroad and Mac Head touring abroad, both for long periods, then it is vital that assistance with preparing the magzine for publication is forthcoming soon..
There are details of the renumbering of the former Thames Travel fleet, recently purchased by the Go Ahead Bus Company.
First In Berkshire are introucing a new circular service No. 100 from the 2 June 2012. It will start in Windsor then to Virginia Water, Royal Holloway College, Egham, Runnymeade, Old Windsor and back to Windsor.
The usual roundup of news from the Kennet & Thames Valley areas is also included.
April 2012
This month we have features on the renumbering of the Carousel Buses fleet following the recent takeover by the Go Ahead Group, the celebration of 25 years of the "Oxford Tube" service between Oxford and London using the M40, a continuation of Chris Spencer's feature on local Optare Solos, and further information on local buses and services numbered 500 (or "D" in Roman numerals!)
All this plus the latest road passenger transport news from the Thames and Kennet Valleys.
March 2012
Carousel of High Wycome were recently taken over by Go Ahead, consolidating their presence in the Thames Valley and Chiltern areas. Full details are given.
Chris Spencer shows us his photos of the Solo's with various operators working in the Reading area.
There is the usual comprehensive news roundup of bus operators in both the Thames Valley Kennet areas.
February 2012
Reading Bus Station recently re-opened for the first time since 1993 on a temporary basis whilst the new railway station is being built. This issue features a consultants report following a survey carried out in the early years after the bus station originally opened up in 1967. It makes fascinating reading.
The usual comprehensive roundup of news from the Kennet & Thames Valley areas is also included.
January 2012
Following on from the 500th edition of Bus Fare there is a continuation of the story of the 500 series of routes and registrations in the Kennet & Thames Valley areas.
Traffic and Infrastructure news includes details of the temporary re-opening of the old Thames Vally/Alder Vally Bus Staion in Station Hill, Reading plus news of various route diversions in the past month
There is the usual comprehensive round up of transport news from around the Kennet & Thames Valley areas.
December 2011
This is the 500th edition of Bus Fare and to mark the occasion there is a look at vehicles routes and registrations that have carried the number 500 in the Kennet and Thames valley operational areas and, where possible, include photgraphs.
There is news of the diversions in place following the closure of Castle Street to enable mine exp[loration work to be carried out safely following a number of subsidences in recent years and also other diversions as a result of various other wors being undertaken in the Greater Reading area.
There is the usual comprehensive round up of transport news from around the Kennet & Thames Valley areas.
November 2011
There is a report on the railway bridge replacement works coming up in the next couple of months in Purley and also the southernmost bridge in Cow Lane, Reading.
Thomas W.W. Knowles provides some old views of Reliance of Newbury buses and coaches.
A full comprehensive round up of news in the Kennet & Thames Valley areas is given.
October 2011
There is a full review of the latest round of service changes made by Reading Buses on 26 September 2011.
A round up of the latest news from the Kennet and Thames Valley area is also included.
September 2011
Robert Williams reports on the Oxford Bus Company applying Oxford SmartZone branding to the rear of their fleet of Scania ND230/Alexander Dennis Enviro 400's in addition to the recently applied "elasticity", "vivacity" etc branding.
"The Way It Was" features an ex Reading Buses Scania now in service with Eddie Brown Tours of Wetherby.
There is the usual comprehensive round up of news in the Kennet and Thames Valley areas.
August 2011
There is a report on the launch of the Oxford Bus Company, Oxfordshire County Council and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire's eagerly awaited network of co-ordinated timetables and smarter ticketing on Oxford's main bus routes in June 2011.
The usual comprehensive roundup of news from the Kennet and Thames Valley areas is also included.
July 2011
Chris Spencer and Graham Geoghegan report on their recent ride into the countryside to look at some independent coach operators in Mortimer and Basingstoke.
There is an appeal for information on some former coaches belonging to Reading Buses.
'The Way It Was' looks at the three BTS vehicles that were at Sandtoft to represent the Tram, Trolleybus and Motorbus era in Reading.
There is the usual round-up of news from the Kennet and Thames Valley area.
June 2011
Details are given of the service changes in the Woodley and Earley areas.
There is a postscript to the launch of Reading's new traffic management system
There is an appeal for help to check the accuracy of the records of Reading Buses Leyland Tigers and Leyland Titans.
The usual comprehensive round up of news form around the Kennet & Thames Valley areas is also included.
May 2011
This months news concentrates on the run up to the introduction of the new traffic flow in Reading town centre introduced on 18 April 2011. Full details on the effects of the changeover are reported.
Ray Smith reports on Reading Buses new ticket machine 'The Ticketer'.
The usual comprehensive news round-up from around the Thames & Kennet Valley areas is also included
April 2011
With major roadworks about to take place in Reading town centre, details of the proposed changes to bus stops and diversions are given.
Chris Spencer took a trip out to Hungerford and tells us about his Kennet Valley experience!
'The Way It Was' recalls ex Reading 47 & 3 providing a service at the Cobham rally in April 1981.
The usual comprehensive round up of news in the Kennet and Thames Valley areas is also included.
March 2011
Station Road, Reading was closed from early February until mid April and a full report on the diverted bus services appears in this issue.
There is a report by Graham Bilbe titled Night 'Train' To Basingstoke (Or, Confessions of a Rail-Replacemnet Bus Driver)!!!
Mac Head makes a surprising discovery in Bideford of an ex Windsorian coach still in Windsorian livery 18 years after the company ceased trading!
There is the usual in depth round up of news from bus operators in the Kennet and Thames Valley areas.
February 2011
Between the Christmas and New Year period 2010 Reading railway station was closed whilst major resignalling works were undertaken and also Caversham Road railway bridge on the nothern side was replaced. A comprehensive report on all the bus route diversions that took place and rail replacement bus services that were put in place is included.
There is also a full round up of the latest news from bus operator's in the Kennet and Thames valley areas
January 2011
Reading Buses have just taken delivery of 6 new hybrid Alexander, Dennis Enviro 400H double deck buses. A full report on their introduction into service is included.
There is a report on the service changes in the Newbury area.
There is a short report on the Oxford Tube Van Hool double deck bus which crashed just off the M40 motorway on 11 December 2010.
The ususal comprehensive round up of news in the kennet and Thames valley areas is also included.
December 2010
Geoff Lovejoy of White Bus Services recalls memories of the problems caused by snow conditions leading up to Christmas 2009. This tale of how bus operators got caught out by the weather makes interesting reading.
'The Way It Was' section shows a view of Bee Line's leyland Leopard coach 719 (GGM 75W) in Broad Street, Reading in the 1980s before pedestrianisation of that street had taken place.
The usual comprehensive roundup of news from the Kennet and Thames Valley areas is also included.
November 2010
Andrew Churchill looks at the success of the Oxford Smartcard fare system introduced in March 2007.
Robert Williams reports on the new Real-Time Passenger Information System in Reading.
The usual in-depth look at bus operations in the Kennet & Thames Valley areas is also included.
October 2010
Green for GO! reports on Reading Transport's "Green Bus" branded buses and a short article describes the operator's choice for replacing its Wayfarer ticketing system.
There is an appeal for information which we can extend to non-members. Do you know when Alder Valley's bus depot in Thorn Walk, Reading, closed, or when the Kenavon Drive works opened? There appears to be no record of the date, but if you know or can get close the Bus Fare editor would be delighted to hear from you at busfare123@yahoo.co.uk
There is an extensive roundup of news in the Kennet & Thames Valley area this month.
September 2010
Robert Williams takes a detailed look at the new operations undertaken by Thames Travel in the Bracknell area.
There is also a 4 page colour spread of photos of buses in the Bracknell area.
'The Way It Was' section reports on the recently restored Aldershot & District Dennis Falcon (POR 428) which was returned to the UK from exile in the Isle Of Man in the 1990s.
The usual comprehensive roundup of news in the Kennet & Thames valley area is also included.
August 2010
Despite the fact that the tramway system in Reading was abandoned in May 1939, tramlines are still being lifted from the Reading streets occasionally. This issue reports on the removal of tram tack in Duke Street.
Ray Smith is appealing for photos/slides of Goldline Buses and London Line Buses operating outside the Reading area. Likewise Beeline Bus Sevies too. He also requires Timetables from the same era.
There is a comprehensive roundup of news from operators around the Kennet & Thames Valley areas.
July 2010
The Isle of Wight Rock Festival was held on11-13 June 2010. To help ferry the people around the Island to the event Southern Vectis hired 5 Spectras from Reading Buses complete with crews for the period. Mark Hamlin reports on what he saw.
Ex Reading Buses 275, a 1968 vintage Brstol RE with Pennine Coachcraft bodywork is in danger of being scrapped if a new owner cannot be found by the end of this summer. Peter Whitehead appeals for people to try and save the vehicle.
There is the usual comprehensive round up of news from operators in the Kennet and Thames Valley areas.
June 2010
Its all change in Bracknell as some of the First bus services are transferred under tender to Thames Travel. There is a full report of all the changes.
The final instalment of the story of Reading Buses Metroriders is included together with a comprehensive listing of their service history and subsequent disposals.
There is also the usual comprehensive round up of news of bus operators in the Kennet and Thames Valley area.
May 2010
Reading Transport has announced an order for six ADL 400 Enviro hybrid double deck buses for delivery in November/December 2010. A full report on this development is included in this issue.
Chris Spencer reports on an enjoyable day out in Berkshire and South Oxfordshire, encountering a number of operators and vehicle types.
There is a photo feature on the former operator Reliance Of Newbury.
The usual comprehensive round up of bus news in the Kennet and Thames Valley area is also included.
April 2010
School services in the snow - The concluding part of the big freeze that hit the Thames Valley area in January 2010.
There is a colour tribute to the Reading Buses Metrorider featuring the 12 basc livery variations carried over the years.
Details of the approval by Wycombe District Council of a Coachway facility next to the M40 motorway at Handy Cross to host frequent services to London, Oxford, Reading and Slough is given
There is the usual comprehensive round up of news in the Kennet and Thames Valley areas.
March 2010
A comprehensive report about operations by Reading Buses in the big freeze is given, highlighting the trials and tribulations of trying to operate a bus service in such conditions.
A round up of news from the Kennet & Thames Valley areas brings us up to date with local operations
February 2010
On 5 Janaury 2010 heavy snow once again caused major problems for bus operators in the Kennet & Thames Valley area. A comprehensive report is given.
As a result of the Local Transport Act of 2008 , the two largest operators in Oxford, Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach in Oxford are to take advantage of new competition legislation to share services on the four main traffic corridors in the city. Details are included in this issue
There is a comprehensive round up of news from operators around the Kennet & Thames Valley Areas.
January 2010
Reading Buses have recently made a number of service revisions and full details are given
Details are given regarding the Governments Green Bus Funding
There is a full account of how bus services in the Reading area were affected by the big freeze.
December 2009
The series on the 'Tribute To The MetroRider' is concluded.
There is a back page feature on the Luton & District service X14 which operated between Reading, Leighton Buzzard and Aylesbury.
A comprehensive roundup of news from the Kennet & Thames Valley area is also included.
November 2009
Details of Reading Buses service changes, which were due to have been introduced in September 2009, but now postponed until January 2010 are given.
There is a report on Reading Buses ending their experiment with Bio-Ethanol buses.
Part 3 of a tribute to the Reading Buses Metrorider is included plus the usual comprehensive round up of transport news from the Kennet and Thames Valley area.
October 2009
David Hillas gives a potted history of bus services in High Wycombe which is accompanied by four pages of colour photos.
A comprehensive round up of bus news in the Kennet & Thames Valley area brings us up to date with all that's happening in the area.
SEPTEMBER 2009
This month's edition includes Part 2 of a tribute to the Reading Buses Metrorider. Details are also given on the massive project of revamping the Reading railway station area together with a new transport interchange on which work will start in 2010.
There is the usual comprehensive round up of bus news from the Kennet and Thames Valley areas.
AUGUST 2009
Reading Buses recently carried out a service review in a bid to cut costs during the current economic recession. An update of the changes made are reported in this issue.
Part 1 of a tribute to the MetroRiders that were once part of Reading Buses fleet is included together with a comprehensive round up of fleet news in the Kennet & Thames Valley area.
JULY 2009
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire has invested a cool £9 million in a new fleet of environmentally friendly double deck coaches for its flagship Oxford Tube service. A full report is included.
There is also a review of the Royal Windsor Land Train as well as news of a prehistoric Olympian which visited Maidenhead recently!
JUNE 2009
Like most bus companies in the UK, Reading Buses is suffering a significant drop in revenue arising from the recession. A review of the company's efforts to stabilise the situation by the end of their financial year in October is given.
There is also a look back at Winkfield Coaches, an offshoot of the well-known White Bus Services of Winkfield, near Windsor which ceased operations in early 1991.
May 2009
News is reported on the plans to transform Oxford's bus services following the pedestrianisation of a number of streets in the city centre. The project will be carried out in two phases with phase one completion expected in 2010 and phase two completed by 2013.
Details of Courtney Coaches network of bus service changes in the Maidenhead area in February 2009 are given whilst Mac Head tracks down three former AWRE buses exported to Malta 20 years ago which are still in operation there.
APRIL 2009
This issue contains details of the service revamp in the Newbury area and also the rebranding of Reading Buses rural services.
John Zebedee gives details of a new "Buses In Reading" website and encourages us all to get involved.
The usual comprehensive fleet news on the Kennet & Thames Valley areas is also included.
MARCH 2009
This month features the story of the transport chaos that ensued following the heavy snowfall during the early hours of 2 February 2009 and also the flooding and black ice in the middle of the month.
The usual comprehensive fleet news from the Kennet and Thames Valley area is also included.
FEBRUARY 2009
Simon Brown gives an introduction to the bus scene in the Basingstoke area whilst Mac Head takes us for a day out on Green Line.
There are details of 3 preserved ex-Reading motorbuses for sale.
Mac Head asks what goes on behind a bus and coach livery with a look at White Bus Services.
A full round up of news in the Kennet & Thames Valley area is also included.
JANUARY 2009
This issue includes an article written by Dave Hall for the local Reading Evening Post about the history of Reading's trolleybuses.
There is a review of Reading's 'Pop Art' advertisement Scanias together with a look back at the days when Alder Valley buses on the London commuter services from Reading were used by London Transport for sight seeing tours during the day!
The usual comprehensive news of the Kennet and Thames Valley is also included.