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| 2 November 2008 Notices warning that Padbus is a purely fictional operation have been added to the timetables section in an attempt to avoid confusing people who are not used to the concept of model bus fleet operation. 8 October 2008 What will probably be the last new vehicle for 2008 has arrived in the form of 545 (OW58 SBW) an M.A.N 14.220 with MCW Evolution B40F bodywork. It has entered service on Water Park & Ride route 30. Dennis Dart 519 has returned to the reserve fleet. 2 September 2008 Current Fleet allocation details updated following entry into service of Enviro 400 number 205 in place of Optare Delta 507. 9 August 2008 Padbus already operates services to four of Oxford's Park & Ride sites: Peartree, Redbridge, Seacourt and Thornhill. Now, at somewhat short notice, it has taken over operation of the service to the fifth site at Water Eaton. Numbered 30, the new service runs every 15 minutes. Dennis Darts 519, 522 and 523 have moved from the reserve fleet to operate this new route but Padbus plans to obtain some newer low-floor buses in due course. New vehicles continue to arrive. Scania Omnidekka 614 (OV08 LAO) completes the conversion of service 5 to double deck operation by replacing Optare Delta 521. Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 205 (OV58 HAE) will enter service on 1st September on services X2, X4, X6 and will replace Optare Delta 507. The Deltas will join the reserve fleet. 1 August 2008 As suggested in the News item for 8 July 2008, more additional buses have started arriving. The first to arrive is Plaxton President bodied Dennis Trident 204 (OV54 HAD). It has entered service on routes X2, X4 & X6. Plaxton Paramount bodied Volvo B10M 187 has been withdrawn. 8 July 2008 The balance of the initial 2008 new vehicle programme has now entered service. However further deliveries are now expected before the end of the year. This has led to more older vehicles, including the fleet's last Leyland Lynx, being withdrawn. 202 (OT56 HAB) Volvo B9TL/Wrights Eclipse Gemini H43/29F. This new bus is the first double decker for services X2,X4,X6. Replaces 525. 305 (WLT 305) Open top Routemaster. Withdrawn. Replaced as open top spare by 308. 307 (YUD 653V) Open top Bristol VRT. Considered to be beyond economic repair. Withdrawn without replacement. 308 (G276 XFC) Open top Metrobus. Moves from main open top fleet to open top spare. 314 (OT07 OAO) Open top VDL DB250/East Lancs Myllennium Lowlander O47/27F. New bus for service 16. Replaces 308. 523 (P523 CWL) Dennis Dart/Plaxton. Moves from service 3 to reserve fleet. 525 (J525 AJO) Leyland Lynx. Withdrawn. Replaced by 202. 544 (OU56 SBV) Mercedes Citaro B39F. New bus for service 3. Replaces 523. 20 June 2008 More new vehicles have joined the fleet leading to older vehicles being reallocated or withdrawn: 19 (OU08 AAU) Mercedes-Benz Sprinter M11. New bus for crew shuttle work. Replaces 409. 182 (R182 TUD) Volvo B10M/Van Hool. Moves from the MetroShuttle spares fleet to services X2,X4,X6. Replaces 512. 203 (OT08 HAC) Volvo B9TL/Alexander Dennis Enviro 500 DPH53/27D. New bus for the front line MetroShuttle fleet. Replaces 280. 280 (R280 TFC) Volvo Olympian/Alexander. Moves from the front line MetroShuttle fleet to the MetroShuttle spares fleet. Replaces 182. 409 (P409 DUD) Mercedes-Benz 709D/Plaxton Beaver. Withdrawn. Replaced by 19. 512 (H512 RBW) Leyland Lynx. Withdrawn. Replaced by 182. 519 (N519 RUD) Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer. Moves from service 3 to the reserve fleet. 524 (G524 WFC) Leyland Lynx. Withdrawn. Replaced by 528. 528 (V528 CFC) Volvo B10LA/Wright AB56D. Moves from service 12 to Park & Ride spare. Replaces 524. 531 (T531 UWL) Dennis Dart SLF/Marshall. Moves from service 5 to service 3. Replaces 519. 539 (OT56 SBP) Mercedes-Benz Citaro G AB53D. New bus for Park & Ride service 12. Replaces bus 528. 613 (OT08 LAN) Scania Omnidekka H47/28F. New bus for service 5. Replaces 531. 1 June 2008 Further vehicles have entered service. 298 is a rare Volgren bodied Scania in MetroShuttle livery. Its arrival has led to a complicated cascade of vehicles with Olympian 279 moving to the MetroShuttle spares fleet allowing Volvo B10M 180 move from the Metroshuttle spares fleet to services X2, X4, X6 leading to the withdrawal of Leyland Lynx 513. 299 is a Dennis Trident with East Lancs Lolyne body. It has been allocated to services 13,14 and 15 allowing Volvo Citybus to be withdrawn. 542 is a Caetano Slimbus bodied Dart which has replaced Optare StarRider 406 on services 1 & 21. 20 May 2008 The first new vehicle for 2008 has arrived in the form of Cummins engined Optare Solo 415 (OT08 MAP). It is currently unallocated and provides extra cover across the minibus services. Following a reappraisal of minibus requirements, Varios 407 & 408 have been withdrawn. 14 April 2008 Major changes have been made to services on the Oxford - Witney - Carterton corridor. Service 5 (Oxford - Eynsham - Witney) is increased in frequency from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes. Alternate journeys are extended beyond Witney to serve Curbridge and Carterton. It had been planned to convert the service to full double deck operation but difficulties in sourcing suitable low-height buses means that two of the eight duties continue to be operated by single deckers. Service 3 (Oxford - Eynsham - North Leigh - Witney) which had interworked with service 5 now runs separately. Timings have been slightly revised to allow more recovery time in Oxford. Services X2 (Oxford - Witney - Carterton - Burford - Cheltenham), X4 (Oxford - Witney - Carterton - Circencester) and X6 (Oxford - Witney - Carterton - Swindon) are rerouted between Witney and Carterton to serve Minster Lovell instead of Curbridge. Curbridge is now served by service 5. All three services have revised timings to improve reliablity. This increases the number of buses required from 7 to 8 with vehicles interworking between the routes. Service 9 (Witney - Minster Lovell - Carterton) is withdrawn having been replaced entirely by the revised X2, X4 and X6. Service X20 (Oxford - Carterton express) is reduced in frequency from every 30 minutes to hourly. Full details of the new services may be found on the Timetables page. Following these route changes various changes have been made on the vehicle front. Optare Delta 521, Marshall bodied Dart SLF 531, VDL DB250 609 and Omnidekka 612 have been transferred from the reserve fleet to provide the additional capacity required on service 5. Following the reduced vehicle requirement on service X20 Volvo B10BLE/Wrights 529 has lost its X20 route branding and now provides extra capacity on services X2, X4, and X6. Mercedes Varios 407/8, which had worked service 9, are transferred to the reserve fleet. In addition Dart MPDs 526/7 have lost their Park & Ride 28 route branding. 527 has moved from reserve to service 8 (Witney - Bampton - Carterton) replacing Dartline bodied Dart 511. The latter is now withdrawn. The revised vehicle allocations are on the Fleetlist page. 22 February 2008 Gallery reinstated showing a selection of vehicles from the fleet. 9 February 2008 Model fleet operators section of Links page updated to include Red Rover Buses. 31 January 2008 Full timetable details have now been added to the website. These are, of course, fictional and exist purely to give some structure to the Padbus model fleet. They should not be taken as offering any indication of bus services that might actually be found on the roads of Oxfordshire. 22 January 2008 Various technical problems have prevented the Padbus website being updated since October 2005. It has now been rebuilt and updated with the latest fleet changes, although without a Gallery at present. A Fleet History has been included to show how the fleet has evolved since 1989 (the earlier history not having been recorded). Since the last update, the fleet has changed quite a bit. The following vehicles have been withdrawn: Scammell Tow Truck 18; Coaches 169, 173, 177,179; Double Deckers 271, 272, 275, 602; Open Topper 302; Minibuses 403-5 and Single Decker 514. There has been considerable investment in new buses with the following having been added: Coaches 190/1; Double Deckers 293-7, 610-2; Open Toppers 311-3; Minibuses 413/4 and Single Deckers 533-8, 540/1. Details of all these vehicle can be found on the Fleet History page. On the route front, Service X10 (Burford - Witney - Oxford - London) has been recast to run Oxford - London only at a high frequency 24 hours a day and is now branded as OXFORDMetroShuttle. The internet based Padbus Lite operation has been withdrawn. The Oxford - Burford section of service X10 has been replaced by additional short workings on service X2 (Oxford - Witney - Burford - Cheltenham). Service 12, the Oxford east-west Park & Ride has been converted to full low-floor operation using Volvo, Scania and Mercedes articulated buses. Following a review of tendered operations, services 26 (Chipping Norton - Middle Barton - Oxford), 27/27A (Oxford City Centre - John Radcliffe Hospital) and 28 (John Radcliffe Hospital Park & Ride) have been withdrawn. One new sevice has been started: 29 Witney - Kingston Bagpuize - Abingdon. A number of vehicles are held in reserve pending further service changes. |
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