Burtons Coaches TVE 804 between Haverhill and Linton - 19 Oct 2006 (565-30A)

Thursday 19 October 2006 (approx 1450) - This MCW Metrobus had arrived at Burtons from fellow Tellings-Golden Miller subsidiary Classic Coaches of Annfield Plain, County Durham. It remained in what is a non-standard yellow and blue livery at Burtons although fleetnames in the same blue have been applied. New in 1985 as South Yorkshire PTE 1950 with registration number C950 HWF, it had been re-registered TVE 804 and was regularly used on the school contract 552 which started at the roundabout on the Haverhill by-pass (near Hazel Stub Farm) running via Nosterfield End, Castle Camps, Camps End (turning to village) and Shudy Camps to Linton Village College. This contract was a Haverhill based working but on this day when I was knocking about the yard between my trips on duty number 202, in the heat of a Traffic Controllers panic and at almost a minutes notice, I found myself at the wheel of this bus - a type I had never ever driven before - whizzing to Linton in order to take the pupils home! I was back about 1600 to resume my own work taking my Mercedes-Benz Vario to Newmarket to work the 1715 service 200 to Brandon. I drove the bus on the same run again on Friday 8 December 2006 when one of it’s regular drivers was covering a coach feeder service from Maidstone to town in Essex bringing home passengers from a continental tour.