Sweating the Assets

‘Sweating the Assets’ In accountancy ‘speak’ means getting the absolute maximum return out of any asset that you possess.

 

In this age of high costs and austerity it means making things last longer and work harder but still be able to get a viable return out of them.

 

In the bus world, this used to mean getting ten to twelve years out of a vehicle before it was either sold on or scrapped.

 

These days, buses much older than that are still in regular service and still presumably earning a living. 

 

As an enthusiast, I can regularly be found in and around Derby and Nottingham bus stations watching what goes on and recording what I see.

 

Wellglade group companies (which includes trentbarton (tb), Notts & Derby and Kinchbus) are past masters at ‘Sweating the Assets’ as is seen by this small selection of images.

 

The newest buses in this veterans group are 13 years old and include Optare Excel 

X232 WRA which covers many miles per day on ‘transpeak’ routes albeit in ‘tb’s partly owned High Peak buses operation.

 

 

S937 UAL 

This Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart dates from 1968 and is 15 years old.

The single Volvo B10M/Plaxton Interurban that is used regularly on ‘red arrow’ services to Chesterfield and Nottingham. 

 

Although now registered YRC 182, it was originally registered R62 RAU in 1997 which makes it 16 years old.

 

Whilst L126 LRA and L127 LRA are amongst a number of Volvo B10B’s with 

Northern Counties bodies still in daily use that were new in 1993. Twenty years ago !

 

So with a bit of luck, the Excels, Darts and Volvo’s will hopefully be around for some years to come.