Excel : First Eastern Counties

Sunday 10 September 1989 - The first double deckers bought new in April 1989 by the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company Limited after the company was privatised were five Northern Counties bodied Leyland Olympians. DD1-3 were painted in the mainly red bus livery with orange and cream stripes and were fitted with 75 bus seats. DD4-5 carried a mainly cream livery with orange and red stripes and fitted with 68 high backed coach style seating. DD5 (F105 AVG) is seen here at the British Bus Day Rally at the Norfolk Showground near Norwich. The destination display shows the fleet number and King’s Lynn, the garage where it was allocated. One of its regular duties was operating the Peterborough-King’s Lynn-Norwich/Great Yarmouth limited stop service 794 the forerunner of what became the Excel branded service. In the early 1980s ECOC introduced a small number of quite longish distance limited stop services linking the main East Anglian towns branded as ‘Eastline’ and numbered in the 790 range. I believe the 794 became X94 which later became X1 which then became XL - also known as Excel!

Sunday 4 May 1997 (1620) – First Eastern Counties 33 (P733 NVG) seen in East Dereham working the ‘Excel’ branded Norwich to Peterborough service X94. It is a Plaxton Premiere 320 bodied Volvo B10M new in September 1996. After various improvement to the schedule over the years in September 2013 the service was upgraded and a fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double deckers took over wearing a dark blue and gold branded livery. A further rebranding occurred in February 2020 with the purchase of a batch of Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodied Scania N250UD double deckers sporting a two tone red and gold branded livery.

Monday 14 July 1997 (1120) – First Eastern Counties 31 (P731 NVG) seen in Kings Lynn bus station working the 0950 ‘Excel’ branded Norwich to Peterborough service X94. It is a Plaxton Premiere 320 bodied Volvo B10M new in September 1996. After various improvement to the schedule over the years in September 2013 the service was upgraded and a fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double deckers took over wearing a dark blue and gold branded livery. A further rebranding occurred in February 2020 with the purchase of a batch of Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodied Scania N250UD double deckers sporting a two tone red and gold branded livery.

Monday 14 July 1997 (1120) – First Eastern Counties 31 (P731 NVG) seen in Kings Lynn bus station working the 0950 ‘Excel’ branded Norwich to Peterborough service X94. It is a Plaxton Premiere 320 bodied Volvo B10M new in September 1996. After various improvement to the schedule over the years in September 2013 the service was upgraded and a fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double deckers took over wearing a dark blue and gold branded livery. A further rebranding occurred in February 2020 with the purchase of a batch of Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodied Scania N250UD double deckers sporting a two tone red and gold branded livery.

Sunday 22 September 1996 – First Eastern Counties 33 (P733 NVG) on display at Showbus showing the livery for the Peterborough-Norwich ‘Excel’ branded service X94. It is one of four Plaxton Premiere 320 bodied Volvo B10M coaches new in September 1996. After various improvement to the schedule over the years in September 2013 the service was upgraded and a fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double deckers took over wearing a dark blue and gold branded livery. A further rebranding occurred in February 2020 with the purchase of a batch of Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodied Scania N250UD double deckers sporting a two tone red and gold branded livery.

Tuesday 5 April 2011 (in the afternoon) - First Eastern Counties 27578 (AU58 EDJ) seen arriving at King's Lynn bus station when working the Peterborough to Lowestoft X1Excel service, a journey of 4 hrs 45 mins in length which operates every 30 minutes during the main part of the day. This style of Excel branding was rather bland compared with the liveries and branding for the service which followed. Firstly there was a blue and gold livery introduced in 2013 that was then replaced by a red and dark red livery in 2020.

Tuesday 5 April 2011 (in the afternoon) - First Eastern Counties 27578 (AU58 EDJ) seen leaving King's Lynn bus station when working the Peterborough to Lowestoft X1Excel service, a journey of 4 hrs 45 mins in length which operates every 30 minutes during the main part of the day. This style of Excel branding was rather bland compared with the liveries and branding for the service which followed. Firstly there was a blue and gold livery introduced in 2013 that was then replaced by a red and dark red livery in 2020.

Showbus, Sunday 21 September 2014 - First Eastern Counties 33813 (YX63 LKA) (with 33818 (YX63 LKG) on the right), two Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400 models new in October 2013 in the X1 Excel livery for operation on the Peterborough-Lowestoft X1 service.

Showbus, Sunday 21 September 2014 - First Eastern Counties 33818 (YX63 LKG) and 33813 (YX63 LKA), two Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400 models new in October 2013 in the X1 Excel livery for operation on the Peterborough-Lowestoft X1 service.

Friday 11 September 2015 (1318) – First Eastern Counties Buses 33811 (YX63 LJY) had just arrived at Norwich bus station working the 1005 Excel service X1 from Peterborough. It is an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400 new in September 2013.

Thursday 22 March 2018 (1347) – Two First Eastern Counties Buses ‘excel’ liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro400 buses seen during driver changeovers in London Road, King's Lynn close to the company garage in Vancouver Avenue. 33808 (YX63 LJO) was working eastbound on the 1210 service from Peterborough to Norwich and 33807 (YX63 LJN) was working westbound on the 1140 service from Norwich to Peterborough. They had both departed King's Lynn bus station at 1335 and 1340 respectively. On the right is The South Gate, one of the oldest surviving brick structures in the country. Largely unaltered since 1520 it was modified in the 19th century with the two smaller arches to the side of the main one. While the main arch was used for horse-drawn carriages, the smaller arches were intended for pedestrians. Photograph taken from on board Stagecoach 18280 (PX55 AHJ).

Thursday 22 March 2018 (1345) – First Eastern Counties Buses 33808 (YX63 LJO), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 new in September 2013, bogged down in traffic in London Road, King's Lynn bound for Norwich on the ‘excel’ service from Peterborough. This was the 1210 service from Peterborough that had departed King's Lynn bus station on time at 1340. Photograph taken from on board Stagecoach 18280 (PX55 AHJ).

Thursday 22 March 2018 (1208) – First Eastern Counties Buses 33818 (YX63 LKG), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 new in October 2013 seen in King’s Lynn bus station. It carries the livery for the ‘excel’ (XL) service that operates between Norwich and Peterborough.

Thursday 22 March 2018 (1236) - First Eastern Counties Buses 33811 (YX63 LJY), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 new in September 2013, leaving King’s Lynn bus station on the ‘excel’ (XL) service bound for Peterborough. The vehicles for this service (with at least 22 of this type numbered 33803-33824) are based at the King’s Lynn garage with two or three vehicles outstationed at Norwich. In the background are Stagecoach 10055 (SN13 EEB), 27647 (GX10 KYZ) and 19696 (AE60 JRO)

Thursday 22 March 2018 (1236) - First Eastern Counties Buses 33811 (YX63 LJY), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 new in September 2013, leaving King’s Lynn bus station on the ‘excel’ (XL) service bound for Peterborough. The vehicles for this service (with at least 22 of this type numbered 33803-33824) are based at the King’s Lynn garage with two or three vehicles outstationed at Norwich. In the background are Stagecoach 27647 (GX10 KYZ) and 19696 (AE60 JRO).

Thursday 22 March 2018 (1333) – First Eastern Counties Buses 33808 (YX63 LJO), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 new in September 2013, seen in King’s Lynn bus station bound for Norwich on the ‘excel’ (XL) on the 1210 service from Peterborough. Behind is Stagecoach 27642 (GX10 HBU), an Alexander Dennis Enviro300 new in June 2010 to Stagecoach (Southdown).

Saturday 20 October 2018 (1255) – First Eastern Counties Buses 33811 (YX63 LJY), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 new in September 2013, seen in Swaffham Market Place. It was working the 1040 XL (Excel) service from Peterborough to Norwich where it was due at 1353. In the background can be seen 33808 (YX63 LJO) working the 1140 XL (Excel) service from Norwich to Peterborough where it was due at 1457.

Monday 28 September 2020 (1145) – In February 2020 the First Eastern Counties Buses Excel (XL) service was upgraded with the introduction of a batch of new well appointed Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400 City bodied Scania N250UDs which had been delivered at the end of 2019 in readiness for the launch. A new red based livery replaced the blue and gold livery carried by the buses previously employed on the service. Two examples are seen here in Market Place, East Dereham. 36918 (YN69 XZY) was working the 1100 service B from Norwich to Peterborough and 36906 (YN69 XZK) the 0910 service B from Peterborough to Norwich. Note that the buses do not feature traditional style rear view mirrors, cameras now provide this facility. I had read of the planned upgrade at the New Year and was looking forward to a trip on the service soon after the launch. However, a bad back and then the Coronavirus Covid-19 lockdown put paid to that plan. So, some seven months on I ventured out especially to get a few photographs.