Southern Vectis Scania OmniCity 1111 (HW58 ASX) Scania Open Top Bus N230UD was named “Luccombe Chine” now transformed to open leading “Phoenix” and nicknamed “Firebug” (VDL 744) after the fire that left the car gutted.
Seen here at Alum Bay operating the Needles Breezer service.
www.islandecho.co.uk/news/bus-on-fire-in-sandown
articled the fire which nearly saw the Scania a write off.
After a lengthy Scania funded conversion it looks outstanding in brand-new Island Breezers livery.
Southern Vectis is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. Formed in 1921 and later on owned by the Southern Train, it was nationalised in 1948 and entered into the National Bus Business in 1969. Privatised in 1987, it became a subsidiary of the Consent Group in July 2005.
In the 1980s it participated in some aggressive strategies to try and stifle its competitors. This attracted the attention of the Office of Fair Trading.
Shanklin Cleaner
Throughout 2011, due to the aftermath of the council cuts it was announced the road trains were to be scrapped, talks in between the Isle of Wight Council and Southern Vectis to start up a bus service based on the previous Shanklin Roadway Train path was gone over. Thus the Shanklin Cleaner was introduced; the route covers such tourist destinations as Old Town, Shanklin Esplanade, Shanklin Chine and Train Station. It is run by a specifically converted single-deck bus, up until a freshly adapted Scania Double Deck bus had been transformed for the 2015 season.
Fleet
The business has an overall bus fleet of 105 vehicles. Since April 2014 with an order of 16 Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, following the purchase of 28 Scania OmniCity double-deck buses the whole regular “green bus” service fleet is low floor. Single-deck buses operated consist of 2 Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer Darts, 2 ex Go on London Volvo B7TLs are presently in service.
Double-deck buses they own include 7 Volvo B7TL/Plaxton Presidents of which 2 are open-top plus 28 Scania OmniCitys of which one has actually been converted to open-top following an engine fire, 16 Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 (6 on loan) as of 16/09/2014.
The business’s coaching fleet is now mainly made up of 20 Alexander Dennis double deckers and around 15 Optare Solos together with a few vehicles acquired from fellow Go South Coast subsidiaries. These are primarily utilized for carrying students to and from school, and the coach fleet is broadening as more school services are converted to safety belt coaches.
Alum Bay is a bay near the westernmost point of the Isle of Wight, England, within close sight of the Needles rock development. Of geological interest and a traveler attraction, the bay is kept in mind for its multi-coloured sand cliffs.
On the clifftop there is a theme park with fairground rides, memento stores and a “restaurant”. Throughout the summertime season a chair lift takes travelers to and from the pebble beach listed below. Additionally, a footpath leads to the beach via Alum Bay Chine. From the beach, boat journeys often leave for travelers to explore the Needles.
A traditional item of Alum Bay, and a component of Isle of Wight tourist shops, is the development of ornaments using the coloured sands layered in vials and jars.
The sands likewise were used for photos, a popular craft in Victorian times known as marmotinto.
In the past, visitors to the bay could climb up the foot of the cliffs and dig out the sand themselves, but are now dissuaded from doing so because of Health and wellness limitations. The Needles Park has a facility where people can make bottles of sand, using sand gathered from the frequent rockfalls. In the past it was possible to purchase Alum Bay coloured sand by mail order and make ones own sand photos and bottles at home.
Southern Vectis run bus services from Alum Bay. There are 2 summer only services, particularly the Needles Tour, and the Island Coaster service. The Needles Tour is on an open leading bus, It ascends to the National Trusts’ Old & New batteries and Rocket Checking site.
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