Ipswich Buses 217 (L832 MWT) and Neal’s Travel M373 VER in Lavenham – 26 Feb 1995 (253-3A)

Sunday 26 February 1995 – The Sunday Bus network ran for a number of years sponsored by the County Councils of East Anglia (Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire Essex and Hertfordshire). The networks of Sunday services to enabled people to make day trips to the countryside, seaside and other places leisure interest. The purchase of a Sunday Rover Ticket allowed unlimited journeys to be made without further payment on whatever buses were used.

This scene is in the coach/car park in the mediaeval village of Lavenham (Suffolk) and features two of the three services that converged here close to 1400.

Left is Ipswich Buses 217 (L832 MWT), a former Optare MetroRider demonstrator new in September 1993, which had worked the 1248 service 747 from Colchester (Essex) via Sudbury arriving at 1351. It would return at 1406.

Right is Neal’s Travel of Isleham M373 VER, a Marshall-SPV bodied Mercedes-Benz 709D new in October 1994, which was working the 1300 Ipswich-Lavenham-Bury St. Edmunds-Mildenhall-Ely service 156. It was timed here at 1351 (in and out). Ely lies in Cambridgeshire.

The third vehicle yet to arrive (due in at 1405 and out at 1406) was Ipswich Buses 228 (J228 JDX), an Optare Metrorider new in August 1991, working the 1236 service 156 from Ely to Ipswich.

This little interchange gave travel opportunities from Cambridgeshire via Suffolk into Essex and vice versa.