First Eastern Counties mini-buses at Bury St. Edmunds garage – 24 Jan 1999

Sunday 24 or 31 January 1999 – Mercedes-Benz mini-buses at the First Eastern Counties Buses garage at Cotton Lane, Bury St. Edmunds. Left to right:

885 (G833 RDS), a Reeve Burgess Beaver bodied 811D, which joined the Eastern Counties fleet following the takeover by First of municipally related Great Yarmouth Transport Limited (#50) in September 1996. Whilst now wearing the Eastern Counties livery it carried ‘Blue Bus’ fleetname used around the Great Yarmouth area. It had been new to Pathfinder (Worthington), Newark in January 1990.

899 (J37 KLR), Reeve Burgess/Plaxton Beaver* bodied 811D, new to London Buslines (Len Wright Travel) as their number 637 in late 1991. London Buslines sold out Centrewest in 1996 which in turn sold out to the First Group in 1997 bringing the vehicle into First’s ownership. It was transferred to Eastern Counties from First Bee Line later in 1997. (*Plaxton had owned Reeve Burgess and operated it as a subsidiary from 1980 but in 1991 fully integrated it into their main business. This vehicle possibly in build during the changeover as it is reported to carry both a Reeve Burgess body number and also a different Plaxton body number).

942 (M372 XEX), a Frank Guy body conversion on 609D chassis, new to Eastern Counties in September 1994 and remaining in the original livery of that time.