‘Scene’ in St. Ives (Cambridgeshire) Bus Station

Sitting at the Northern end of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway (CGB), St. Ives has a compact bus station flanked by these brick built structures which resemble lodges built at the entrance of a great estate.

 

Behind them however are 3 bays which accommodate the local services together with lay-over space for half a dozen buses.

The operators I saw during my visit were ‘Stagecoach East’ (SE) and ‘Go Whippet’ (GW) who  provide the services on the nearby ‘Busway’ and other services that do not access the ‘Busway’.

 

‘GW’ has its origins in the company ‘Whippet of Fenstanton’ who have a history dating back to 1919.

 

The company was taken over by Australian company ‘Tower Transit Systems’ in 2014.

 

BF63 HFC

 

A Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse Urban 2 bodywork.

 

Close study of the front wheel will show the guide wheels that control the buses steering whilst in use on the ‘Busway’.

 

YN64 ANU

 

A Scania N230UD with ‘Alexander Dennis Ltd’ (ADL) Enviro 400 bodywork working for ‘SE’.

 

Seen traveling South on the ‘Busway’ away from St. Ives.

 

H303 CAV

 

A Volvo B10M-50 fitted with Northern Counties bodywork that was new to the company in 1990 working for ‘GW’.

 

X636 LLX

A Dennis Trident 2 with Plaxton President bodywork again with ‘GW’. This bus started its career in London when it worked for ‘Metroline’ as its VPL 136.

 

AE09 GYN

Another Scania N230UD with ‘Alexander Dennis Ltd’ (ADL) Enviro 400 bodywork working for ‘SE’.

 

Although this bus wearing ‘bio bus’ livery is equipped with guide wheels, I did not see any of the buses in this livery working on the ‘Busway’.

 

V183 OOE

A Volvo B7TL with Alexander ALX 400 bodywork working for ‘GW’. It is another bus with a London connection in that it first worked for ‘Transdev London United’ as their VA 67.

 

W136 EON

 

One more Volvo B7TL with Alexander ALX 400 with ‘GW’. Again it came from‘Transdev London United’ where it was VA100.

 

X57 XAW

Another of the same and again one with ‘Capital’ connections. The capital in question however is Dublin who’s livery it still carries. In Ireland it carried the registration 00-D-70104 which dates it to the year 2000.

 

On a personal note. If anybody out there found a pair of black gloves on the upper deck of this bus recently, They are MINE.

 

H13 WCL

 

A Scania L94UB with Wright Access Floline bodywork once more with ‘GW’. For some reason ‘GW’ have re registered this bus from T354 JWA.