David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos

Thursday 4 September 2025 (approx. 1042) – ‘Connecting Communities’ is a demand responsive/dial-a-ride service in the West Suffolk area providing affordable, accessible transport for communities without a normal bus service. KL19 YYM was seen in Mildenhall Bus Station and is a Mercedes-Benz 514CDi new in August 2019 to HATS Group, Wimbledon. Whilst I did not note the actual operator here, The Voluntary Network based in Newmarket runs a number vehicles on ‘Connecting Communities’ contracts. However, in July 2025 this particular vehicle was purchased by Suffolk County Council (purchase order SCC235779) from H.W. Pickrell Limited, a company ‘specialising in the sale and purchase of a comprehensive range of quality new and used wheelchair accessible vehicles, minibuses and ambulances’. A small logo of that company appears on the rear door.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1214) – Mulleys Motorways SK19 FAJ, a Wright StreetLite WF that had been new to Passenger Plus, Tadworth, Surrey in March 2019. It was seen in St. Andrew’s Street North, Bury St. Edmunds as it travelled towards the Bus Station to work the 1215 service M40 to Great Barton and Thurston. This service was introduced in the Summer of 2025 (July 7th?) with, note the display in the windscreen, funding by the UK Government.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1214) – Mulleys Motorways SK19 FAJ, a Wright StreetLite WF that had been new to Passenger Plus, Tadworth, Surrey in March 2019. It was seen in St. Andrew’s Street North, Bury St. Edmunds as it travelled towards the Bus Station to work the 1215 service M40 to Great Barton and Thurston. This service was introduced in the Summer of 2025 (July 7th?) with, note the display in the windscreen, funding by the UK Government.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1214) – Mulleys Motorways SK19 FAJ, a Wright StreetLite WF that had been new to Passenger Plus, Tadworth, Surrey in March 2019. It was seen in St. Andrew’s Street North, Bury St. Edmunds as it travelled towards the Bus Station to work the 1215 service M40 to Great Barton and Thurston. This service was introduced in the Summer of 2025 (July 7th?) with funding by the UK Government.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1218) – Mulleys Motorways SK19 FAJ, a Wright StreetLite WF that had been new to Passenger Plus, Tadworth, Surrey in March 2019. It was seen leaving Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station when working the 1215 service M40 to Great Barton and Thurston. This service was introduced in the Summer of 2025 (July 7th?) with, note the display in the windscreen, funding by the UK Government.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1216) – Stephensons of Essex 608 (EU64 CVR), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodied Scania N230UD new in June 2011, seen as it was leaving Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station on the 1215 service 15X to Haverhill.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1220) – Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station Two Mulleys Motorways vehicles parked in the layover bays flank Stephensons of Essex 470 (SN66 WLO), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200D that had been new to Dunn-Line (1406) in November 2016, which had recently arrived from Haverhill on service 15X. The Mulleys buses, both wearing poppies for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, are (left) BT13 YWE, an MCV eVolution bodied Volvo B7RLE new to Simonds of Botesdale Limited, Diss in August 2013 and (right) LW51 ZHJ, an Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL new to Dublin Bus in January 2002 as their AV215 (01 D 10215).

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1223) – Mulleys Motorways buses working town circular services seen in Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station. Left: SK68 TWN, a Wright StreetLite DF that had been new to MD Bus & Coach, St. Helens in December 2018, passing through on service M55 to the Mildenhall Road and Howard housing Estates. Right: CN57 BHV, a Scania N270UB OmniCity new to Cardiff Buses as their 271 in September 2007, about to leave on service M22 to Nowton Estate and West Suffolk Hospital.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1223) – Mulleys Motorways SK68 TWN, a Wright StreetLite DF that had been new to MD Bus & Coach, St. Helens in December 2018, seen leaving Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station.on service M55 to the Mildenhall Road and Howard housing estates.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1223) – Mulleys Motorways SK68 TWN, a Wright StreetLite DF that had been new to MD Bus & Coach, St. Helens in December 2018, seen leaving Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station.on service M55 to the Mildenhall Road and Howard housing estates. In the background is Mulleys LW51 ZHJ (an Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL new to Dublin Bus in January 2002 as their AV215 (01 D 10215)); TMS/Konectbuses 453 (YT11 LVE) (a Scania OmniLink new to Anglian (434) in April 2011); and Coach Services of Thetford CS12 BUS (a Wright bodied Volvo B7RLE new in April 2012)

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1222) – Transport Made Simple/Simonds of Botesdale Limited 510 (YY74 OBT), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400D new in January 2025, seen in Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station prior to working the 1230 service 70 to Diss. The tracker on the Bus Times web-site shows this bus working the following runs today primarily on a contract for Cranswick Foods: 0133 Diss (Garage) to Yaxley (Cranswick Foods Factory) 0200 Yaxley (Cranswick Foods Factory) to Great Yarmouth (Kitchener Road) (0312) 1230 Bury St. Edmunds to Diss service 70 (1330) 1423 Diss (Garage) to Great Yarmouth 1525 Great Yarmouth to Yaxley (Cranswick Foods Factory) (1659) 1730 Yaxley (Cranswick Foods Factory) to Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth to Diss (Garage) (2017) In April 2024 the business of Simonds of Botesdale Limited was acquired by Vectare Limited, the latter subsequently adopting the name Transport Made Simple.

Botesdale Limited 510 (YY74 OBT), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400D new in January 2025, seen in St. Andrew’s Street North, Bury St. Edmunds. The destination display showed ‘not in service’ so presumably it had travelled empty from Diss. The tracker on the Bus Times web-site shows this bus working the following runs today primarily on a contract for Cranswick Foods: 0133 Diss (Garage) to Yaxley (Cranswick Foods Factory) 0200 Yaxley (Cranswick Foods Factory) to Great Yarmouth (Kitchener Road) (0312) 1230 Bury St. Edmunds to Diss service 70 (1330) 1423 Diss (Garage) to Great Yarmouth

Botesdale Limited 510 (YY74 OBT), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400D new in January 2025, seen in St. Andrew’s Street North, Bury St. Edmunds. The destination display showed ‘not in service’ so presumably it had travelled empty from Diss. The tracker on the Bus Times web-site shows this bus working the following runs today primarily on a contract for Cranswick Foods: 0133 Diss (Garage) to Yaxley (Cranswick Foods Factory) 0200 Yaxley (Cranswick Foods Factory) to Great Yarmouth (Kitchener Road) (0312) 1230 Bury St. Edmunds to Diss service 70 (1330) 1423 Diss (Garage) to Great Yarmouth

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1106) – Wearing a poppy for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, Mulleys Motorways BT13 YWE is seen in St. Andrew’s Street South in Bury St. Edmunds when working town service M11 to Nowton Estate. It is an MCV eVolution bodied Volvo B7RLE new to Simonds of Botesdale Limited, Diss in August 2013. During March 2025 Mulleys acquired two such buses from Simonds (BT13 YWE and BT13 YWF).

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1221) – Mulleys Motorways buses in Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station. In the centre is YN04 UJT, an East Lancs Omnidekka bodied Scania N94UD new to Nottingham City Transport (738) in May 2004, departing on the 1220 service 355 to Mildenhall, Holywell Row and Beck Row. The two vehicles parked in the layover bays, both wearing poppies for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, are (left) BT13 YWE, an MCV eVolution bodied Volvo B7RLE new to Simonds of Botesdale Limited, Diss in August 2013 and (right) LW51 ZHJ, an Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL new to Dublin Bus in January 2002 as their AV215 (01 D 10215).

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1215) – Wearing a poppy for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, Mulleys Motorways Optare Solo MX08 DFY seen departing Bury St. Edmunds Bus Station on the town circular service M88 to the Horringer Court and Priors housing estates. It had been new to J S Brunskill, Coundon, Bishop Auckland in March 2008.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1220) – Konectbuses Essex and Suffolk 104 (BU18 YRR), a Mercedes-Benz City Sprinter that had been new to City of Oxford (974) in June 2018, seen in Bury St. Edmunds bus station. It was parked between trips of service 45 having worked the 0915 trip from Sudbury to Bury St. Edmunds (arriving 1032) via Long Melford, Bridge Street, Shimpling, Shimpling Street, Cockfield, Lawshall, Hawstead and Nowton. The return trip departed at 1300 (arriving Sudbury at 1410). According to the tracker on the Bus Times website other work carried out by this vehicle today included the morning and afternoon Hedingham School contract HD9 (from/to Blackmore End) followed by the 1802 Sudbury-Bury St. Edmunds service 43B (arriving 1907) returning to Sudbury on the 1910 service 42 (arriving 1957). In late September 2025 the Go-Ahead Group had sold its Go East Anglia operations to Transport Made Simple (TMS). The purchase included the Konectbus brand (in Norfolk) and the Konectbuses brand (in Essex and Suffolk). The latter had only been created a short time before the sale when Go Ahead merged its Hedingham and Chambers businesses which had been owned for some years and managed by Konectbus.

Tuesday 4 November 2025 (1220) – Konectbuses Essex and Suffolk 104 (BU18 YRR), a Mercedes-Benz City Sprinter that had been new to City of Oxford (974) in June 2018, seen in Bury St. Edmunds bus station. It was parked between trips of service 45 having worked the 0915 trip from Sudbury to Bury St. Edmunds (arriving 1032) via Long Melford, Bridge Street, Shimpling, Shimpling Street, Cockfield, Lawshall, Hawstead and Nowton. The return trip departed at 1300 (arriving Sudbury at 1410). According to the tracker on the Bus Times website other work carried out by this vehicle today included the morning and afternoon Hedingham School contract HD9 (from/to Blackmore End) followed by the 1802 Sudbury-Bury St. Edmunds service 43B (arriving 1907) returning to Sudbury on the 1910 service 42 (arriving 1957). In late September 2025 the Go-Ahead Group had sold its Go East Anglia operations to Transport Made Simple (TMS). The purchase included the Konectbus brand (in Norfolk) and the Konectbuses brand (in Essex and Suffolk). The latter had only been created a short time before the sale when Go Ahead merged its Hedingham and Chambers businesses which had been owned for some years and managed by Konectbus.