Grey-Green 145 (G145 TYT) in London – 25 Sep 1991 (152-23)

Wednesday 25 September 1991 (approx 0815) – Two buses of Grey-Green (T Cowie PLC) seen in New Oxford Street, London when operating service 24 (Hampstead Heath to Pimlico). Nearest the camera is 145 (G145 TYT).

Service 24 was the first central London LRT (London Regional Transport) route to be put out to tender and from 5 November 1988 Grey-Green began working the contracted service. Initially thirty Alexander RV bodied Volvo B10M-50 Citybus double deckers numbered 115-144 were delivered in readiness to take over the contract although thus bus was from a later batch of ten numbered 145-154. Delivered in February 1990. In the earlier days of the London contracts the ‘all red livery’ edict did not apply and the buses employed carried the operating company’s own livery.

The Cowie Group’s main business was connected with cars and they owned numerous countrywide car dealerships. Grey-Green was their first venture into buses and coaches as a result of Cowie’s attraction to and subsequent acquisition of the Ewer Group. The Ewer Group had a car dealership network in the capital although had originated as a coach operator in the early days of coaching.

The bus carries an advertisement for ‘Cowie Interleasing’, the Cowie Group’s car fleet leasing and fleet management company with whom I had daily dealings in my job for many years.