‘Scene’ going ‘Solo’ in Derby Part 2

 

One of the success stories in the bus world of the last 20 years has undoubtedly been the Optare Solo.

 

Built in a variety of lengths and width’s, there cannot be many bus fleets in the country that the type has not appeared in.

 

My regular stamping ground for many years has been Derby and so I thought I might put together a compilation of the various liveries that have appeared before my camera in the city.

 

This is the second of a short series which will appear from time to time. Part 1 appeared on 17/01/2016.

 

FJ09 MWL ‘trentbarton’ 483 Optare Solo.

 

Introduced by trentbarton (tb) to coincide with the opening of the ‘Royal Derby’ hospital this service leaves the stop outside the hospital in its name.

 

FP51 GXZ ‘trentbarton’ 440 Optare Solo.

Introduced in September 2013, ‘tb’s ZOOM zoomed into Derby from Long Eaton. 

 

It proved to be a very successful service because the Solo’s were replaced by bigger buses.

 

W411 YAL ‘trentbarton’ 411 Optare Solo.

 

Working on ‘tb’s SE7ENS, the 7.1 was designed to link the Villages around Belper with both Belper itself and then on to Derby without having to change buses.

 

V403 JTO ‘trentbarton’ 403 Optare Solo.

One of the first batch of Solo’s in the ‘tb’ fleet and seen in Derby on the ‘FREE Shopper HOPPER’ service.

 

It was the only time I saw this livery and the bus eventually disappeared to help out at ‘High Peak Buses’ in Buxton wearing ‘Notts & Derby’ (N&D) livery.

 

A18 UOD ‘trentbarton’ 456 Optare Solo.

Which started life as FE02 KFC and has more recently become R29 BUS.

 

Pictured in the ‘the five’ livery that linked the city centre with the University and Markeaton Park although working an X17 to Borrowash.

 

X627 ERB ‘trentbarton’ 427 Optare Solo.

Dating from 2000, it has worked on ‘the amberline’ but appears here in ’N&D’ livery.

 

FP51 GXW ‘trentbarton’ 437 Optare Solo.

 

In recent times the ‘tb’ fleet has adopted this dark red as its basic colour but it is used as a background for the company to superimpose either information to the public or adverts for its own services.

 

This being the case with the ‘zigzag’ ticket promotion seen on thid bus which is working a service on the normally route branded ’the sixes’ service.

 

FE02 KDX ‘trentbarton’ 450 Optare Solo.

 

The same again with ‘trentbarton live’ over the basic colour.

 

W416 YAL ‘trentbarton’ 416 Optare Solo.

 

Seen in the earlier brighter red ‘tb’ livery working a ‘Derby Royal’ service and seen at the hospital.

 

 

FG02 BGO ‘trentbarton’ 466 Optare Solo.

 

Strictly speaking, this should not appear in an article about Derby because it carries a livery for a service that only runs between Wirksworth and Matlock however when ‘tb’ re launched its ‘the sixes’ service in March 2014 it did so with a display at Derby Market Place and this bus was part of that display.