Go Ahead: Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach

Monday 27 September 2010 (0851) - Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 53 (YN58 BCK), a Scania Omnilink K230 new in September 2008, seen in Old Steine. Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. Helena Normanton, born in 1882, was the first woman to practise as a barrister in Britain after being called to the Bar in 1922.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1319) –Two Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) buses in Churchill Square, Brighton. 206 (N206 NNJ), a Dennis Dart with Plaxton Pointer body new May 1996, 664 (YN55 NFC), Scania N94UD OmniDekka with East Lancs body new Sept 2005. Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. John Nelson Goulty was a cousin of Lord Nelson and became a well-known minister in Brighton during the 19th century.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1316) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 884 (T672 KPU), is one of seven secondhand Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Tridents added to the fleet in Sept 2005 which had been new to Stagecoach East London in 1998/1999. B&H is very marketing conscious and a number of buses carry side displays of this kind from the ‘I’m on the bus’ series which feature a quoted message from either passengers or company employees. ‘Lady Marmalade Live’ is a Brighton based function and party band. In addition, most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. David Sheppard Cricketer/Lord Sheppard of Liverpool, who died aged 75 of cancer in 2005, was captain of Sussex and England at cricket. After he retired from the game he achieved even more eminence as Anglican Bishop of Liverpool and a reforming member of the House of Lords.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1316) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 884 (T672 KPU), is one of seven secondhand Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Tridents added to the fleet in Sept 2005 which had been new to Stagecoach East London in 1998/1999. B&H is very marketing conscious and a number of buses carry side displays of this kind from the ‘I’m on the bus’ series which feature a quoted message from either passengers or company employees. ‘Lady Marmalade Live’ is a Brighton based function and party band.

Wednesday 29 September 2010 (1231) - Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 729 (YP09 HWS), a Scania Omnicity integral new June 2009, at the White Horse terminus of service 2A in Rottingdean. It would have arrived at 1225 from Steyning and return to Shoreham at 1236. Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. Ivor Novello had early success as a composer in the First World War with his song ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’ but he was also a stage star after making his professional debut in the early 1920s. When his play The Rat came to Brighton, Novello took the title role. He had written the play itself originally for a film.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (0854) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 914 (YN56 FFR), an East Lancs bodied Scania Omnidekka, one of 18 such buses bought in Aug/Sep 2006 which seated 8 more passengers than some buses of this style in the fleet - they look to have a longer wheelbase as a result and I think they are all employed on services 12/12A between Brighton and Eastbourne. Most B&H buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. Daisy Noakes wrote about living ordinary life in Brighton before the Second World War. Born in Brighton in 1910, she lived most of her life in the resort until her death in 2005.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1305) – Churchill Square, Brighton: Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 720 (YP09 HWG), a Scania Omnicity integral new Dec 2008, prepares to pass 833 (W833 NNJ), an East Lancs Lolyne bodied Dennis Trident new in March 2000. Up ahead was another Scania Omnicity integral. I think 704 (YP58 UGD).

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1308) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 873 (PK02 RFE), a Plaxton President bodied Dennis Tridents new April 2002. B&H is very marketing conscious and a number of buses carry side displays of this kind from the ‘I’m on the bus’ series which feature a quoted message from either passengers or company employees.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1323) – Two Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) Plaxton President bodied Dennis Tridents in Churchill Square, Brighton. Left, delivered in March 2001, is 853 (Y853 GCD) and right, delivered in April 2002, is 870 (PK02 RDY). The destination indicator is deeper on the latter.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1319) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 608 (GX03 SUU), an East Lancs bodied Scania Omnidekka new in June 2003. B&H is very marketing conscious and a number of buses carry side displays of this kind from the ‘I’m on the bus’ series which feature a quoted message from either passengers or company employees. In addition, most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area.

Monday 27 September 2010 (0840) – Two Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) buses in Castle Square. Left is 803 (T803 RFG), a Dennis Dart with Plaxton President body new March 1999 named Prince Regent, and right is 685 (YN57 FYP), a Scania Omnidekka with East Lancs body new October 2007 named Donald Peers. 685 was heading for Tunbridge Wells on service 29, one of the company’s longest routes (approx 35 miles taking around 1hr 43mins). Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. The Prince Regent, later to become King George IV, frequented fashionable Brighton in the late 18th century. He bought a farmhouse and asked architect John Nash to transform it into the most fantastic palace in Europe. Using strong Oriental influence including domes and minarets, Nash created what is now the Royal Pavilion which the Prince furnished lavishly. Donald Peers was one of Britain's most popular tenor singers in the 1950s and, at one time, was so popular that he sold more records than Bing Crosby in Britain. He was also the first singer to pack out the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Monday 27 September 2010 (0848) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) currently operates four Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated buses transferred from Go-Ahead London. 103 (BX02 YZP), built in 2002 and added to the B&H fleet in the Spring of 2010, was seen at Old Steine. The buses are mainly used on peak hour workings of the busy service 25 which serves the University sites.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1052) – This Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) Wright Renown bodied Volvo B10BLE is now used for driver training. R235 HCD, new in March 1998, is now numbered T3 having been fleet number 235 when in the operational fleet.

Tuesday 28 September 2010 (1349) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 52 (YN58 BCF), a Scania Omnilink single decker dating from Sept 2008, seen in Churchill Square.

Monday 27 September 2010 (0844) - Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) 55 (YN58 BCU), a Scania Omnilink K230 new in September 2008, seen in Castle Square. Most of the company’s buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. Lis Solkhon was a Brighton Conservative councillor.

Wednesday 29 September 2010 (0824) – Buses of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) in Palmeira Square, Hove. Both Brighton and neighbouring Hove comprise some substantial residential properties built in the 1800/1900s. Palmeira Square takes its name from the title bestowed on Isaac Lyon Goldsmid by Queen Victoria. He was created a Baron in the Portugese peerage taking the title Baron da Goldsmid e da Palmeira. He bought the Wick estate in Hove, a large and valuable tract of land, in 1830 which was developed into the Grade I listed buildings of Adelaide Crescent and Palmeira Square. (The garden clock was slightly fast).

Tuesday 28 Sept 2010 (0855) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) favours Scania buses in their fleet. This view in Castle Square shows 626 (YN04 GJY), an East Lancs bodied Omnidekka dating from Feb 2004, and 52 (YN58 BCF), an integral Omnilink single decker dating from Sept 2008. Most B&H buses carry names of people having a connection with the Brighton area. Bus 626 is named Ernest F Beal. Born in a 1883 he was a member of a famous local family and the only Brighton man to have been awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War after showing immense bravery in holding a section of trench, capturing machine guns and looking after a wounded man. Bus 52 is named Kenneth Fines, the planning officer for the resort in the 1970s. Prior to his appointment the council was considering widespread demolition in the town centre so that a road on stilts could be built. Fines persuaded councillors this would not be a good idea and the scheme was rejected. He later suggested that the ‘ordinary’ district near Brighton Station should be turned into a conservation area, a controversial idea as conservation areas had previously only included grand houses.

Tuesday 28 Sept 2010 (0857) – Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company (Go-Ahead Group owned) Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart 240 (W791 VMV) seen in Castle Square. Around 10 of this smaller sized MPD model are currently in the B&H fleet. New May 2000 to sister company Metrobus, it was added to the B&H fleet in March 2008.