Ipswich Buses Ltd

Bank Holiday Monday 30 May 1994 – Suffolk County Council supported a number of ‘Suffolk Sundaybus’ services that additionally operated on Bank Holiday Mondays. Ipswich Buses 121 (G121 VDX) was passing through Barton Mills when working the 1236 Ely to Ipswich service 156. It is an East Lancs bodied Dennis Falcon new in August 1989. The building on the right was once the vicarage to the nearby St. Mary’s Church. The frontage had to be retained when the original property was demolished and it now stands in front of a modern day residential property.

Monday 13 October 2008 – 1406 hrs Ipswich Buses 133 (R133 FBJ), East Lancs Spryte bodied Dennis Dart SLF new April 1998, which is named ‘Coronation’, was seen at Shotley Marina ready to work the 1410 service 98 back to Ipswich. Shotley lies at the point of a peninsula where the Rivers Stour and Orwell flow into the North Sea. The cranes of the Port of Felixstowe can be seen in the background on the opposite bank of the Orwell. To the right (off camera) across the Stour is the much smaller port and town of Harwich.

Monday 13 October 2008 (1406 hrs) - Ipswich Buses 133 (R133 FBJ), an East Lancs Spryte bodied Dennis Dart SLF new April 1998 named ‘Coronation’, seen at Shotley Marina ready to work the 1410 service 98 back to Ipswich. It is not that often one gets the chance to photograph a bus so close to a boat! Shotley lies at the point of a peninsula where the Rivers Stour and Orwell flow into the North Sea. Just about visible across the River Stour is the port town of Harwich. The Stour, further upstream, is featured in numerous paintings by the artist John Constable. The river starts to flow as a small stream in the countryside near Wratting Common south-west of Newmarket.

Monday 13 October 2008 (1407) - Ipswich Buses 133 (R133 FBJ), an East Lancs Spryte bodied Dennis Dart SLF new April 1998 named ‘Coronation’, seen at Shotley Marina ready to work the 1410 service 98 back to Ipswich. It is not that often one gets the chance to photograph a bus so close to a boat! Shotley lies at the point of a peninsula where the Rivers Stour and Orwell flow into the North Sea. Above the trees on the right is the now derelict site of the former Royal Navy land based training centre named HMS Ganges which closed in 1976. The cranes of the port town of Harwich on the opposite bank can just be seen on the left over the wall. The Stour, further upstream, is featured in numerous paintings by the artist John Constable. The river starts to flow as a small stream in the countryside near Wratting Common south-west of Newmarket.

Monday 13 October 2008 (approx 1406) - Ipswich Buses 133 (R133 FBJ), an East Lancs Spryte bodied Dennis Dart SLF new April 1998 named ‘Coronation’, seen at Shotley Marina ready to work the 1410 service 98 back to Ipswich. It is not that often one gets the chance to photograph a bus so close to a boat! Shotley lies at the point of a peninsula where the Rivers Stour and Orwell flow into the North Sea. The cranes of the Port of Felixstowe, the busiest container port in the UK, can be seen in the background on the opposite bank of the Orwell. To the right (off camera) across the Stour is the much smaller port and town of Harwich.

Friday 2 February 2018 (1156) – Ipswich Buses 134 (SN53 AVG), a Transbus Dart new to Lothian (93) in October 2003, seen in Crown Street, Ipswich passing Tower Ramparts bus station.

Tuesday 4 September 2007 (approx 0953) – Ipswich Buses 137 (T137 KPV), an East Lancs Spryte bodied Dennis Dart SLF new June 1999, seen at Tower Ramparts bus station working on service 16.

Friday 2 February 2018 (1207) – Ipswich Buses 137 (SN53 AVP), a Transbus Dart new to Lothian (98) in October 2003, and 20 (Y436 NHK), an Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Trident new to Stagecoach East London (TAS436) in August 2001.

Friday 22 May 2015 (1025) - Ipswich Buses 138 (Y262 FJN), an Alexander ALX200 bodied Dennis Dart new to Stagecoach East London in July 2001 (number SLD262), branded for service X3 to the John Lewis/Waitrose store at Priory Heath.

Friday 22 May 2015 (1103) - Ipswich Buses 139 (Y271 FJN), an Alexander ALX200 bodied Dennis Dart new to Stagecoach East London in July 2001 (number SLD271), seen at Tower Ramparts bus station. Branded for service X5.

Friday 22 May 2015 (1017) - Ipswich Buses 143 (Y294 FJN) seen in Friars Street, Ipswich. It is a Alexander ALX200 bodied Dennis Dart that was new to Stagecoach East London in August 2001 (number SLD294). Following are Ipswich Buses 99 (X199 LBJ) and First 69428 (AU58 FFP). The iconic black glass building of the Willis Insurance Group forms a backcloth. The building was constructed in the early 1970s as one of the first projects of Foster Associates designed by Norman Foster and Wendy Cheesman. It has a rather bulbous footprint and sits within the area bordered by Princes Street, Friars Street, and Franciscan Way (and a footpath connecting the latter two). The rooftop features a rectangular unit housing the staff restaurant which is surrounded by a roof garden.

Saturday 3 February 1990 - Ipswich Buses 146 (B116 LDX) seen departing Tower Ramparts bus station. It is an Alexander (Belfast) N type bodied Leyland B21, one of four similar buses added to the Ipswich fleet in the Spring of 1985 which were part of a cancelled export order destined for the Egged Co-operative in Israel. The four buses were registered B114-117 LDX and ran with fleet numbers 114-117 for some time although they were later renumbered to become 144-147. The B21 was a chassis based alternative for export customers using components common with the integral Leyland National. Apparently two British Leyland factories participated in the production of the chassis. First that at Workington (the Leyland National plant) and then that at Brislington, Bristol (the former Bristol Commercial Vehicles plant). The bus carries a Bristol badge although sources quote that the DVLA records showed them as Leylands from the outset. These were the only B21s placed in service in mainland Britain. Ulsterbus and Citybus in Northern Ireland took delivery of six B21s and in 1991 Ipswich acquired these secondhand. To operate all ten B21s in mainland Britain made Ipswich Buses unique.

Friday 23 August 1991 – One of the four Alexander (Belfast) N type bodied Leyland B21 single deckers added to the Ipswich fleet in the Spring of 1985 which were part of a cancelled export order destined for the Egged Co-operative in Israel. The four buses were registered B114-117 LDX and ran with fleet numbers 114-117 for some time although they were later renumbered to become 144-147. The B21 was a chassis based alternative for export customers using components common with the integral Leyland National. Apparently two British Leyland factories participated in the production of the chassis. First that at Workington (the Leyland National plant) and then that at Brislington, Bristol (the former Bristol Commercial Vehicles plant). The buses carried Bristol badges although sources quote that the DVLA records showed them as Leylands from the outset. These were the only B21s placed in service in mainland Britain. Ulsterbus and Citybus in Northern Ireland took delivery of six B21s and in 1991 Ipswich acquired these secondhand. To operate all ten B21s in mainland Britain made Ipswich Buses unique.

Saturday 23 May 1992 - Ipswich Buses 147 (B117 LDX) seen in the yard of Constantine Road garage. It is an Alexander (Belfast) N type bodied Leyland B21, one of four similar buses added to the Ipswich fleet in the Spring of 1985 which were part of a cancelled export order destined for the Egged Co-operative in Israel. The four buses were registered B114-117 LDX and ran with fleet numbers 114-117 for some time although they were later renumbered to become 144-147. The B21 was a chassis based alternative for export customers using components common with the integral Leyland National. Apparently two British Leyland factories participated in the production of the chassis. First that at Workington (the Leyland National plant) and then that at Brislington, Bristol (the former Bristol Commercial Vehicles plant). The buses carried Bristol badges although sources quote that the DVLA records showed them as Leylands from the outset. These were the only B21s placed in service in mainland Britain. Ulsterbus and Citybus in Northern Ireland took delivery of six B21s and in 1991 Ipswich acquired these secondhand. To operate all ten B21s in mainland Britain made Ipswich Buses unique.

Friday 18 November 1983 - Ulsterbus 3000 (WOI 607) on trial with Ipswich Buses and seen here at Tower Ramparts bus station. It was a Leyland B21 with Alexander (Belfast) bodywork new in February 1982. About nine years later (circa 1991 after continued service in Northern Ireland) Ipswich Buses acquired the vehicle (#148) (later re-registered YBJ 159X).

Friday 18 November 1983 - Ulsterbus 3000 (WOI 607) on trial with Ipswich Buses and seen here at Tower Ramparts bus station. It was a Leyland B21 with Alexander (Belfast) bodywork new in February 1982. About nine years later (circa 1991 after continued service in Northern Ireland) Ipswich Buses acquired the vehicle (#148) (later re-registered YBJ 159X).

Saturday 16 May 1992 – Ipswich Buses 148 (WOI 607) seen inside the garage at Constantine Road. At the time Ipswich named its buses and this one carries the name ‘Maid of Connaught’. It was one of the six Alexander (Belfast) bodied Leyland B21s acquired from Ulsterbus/Citybus, Northern Ireland in 1991. The B21 was a chassis based alternative for export customers using components in common with the integral Leyland National. This one had chassis number B21-007 and became fleet number 3000 in the Ulsterbus fleet circa February 1982. In November 1983 the bus visited Ipswich on demonstration. Nearly eight years later in the summer of 1991 Ipswich acquired the vehicle along with the other five which had been Ulsterbus 3001 and 3005 plus Citybus 3002-3004. These five had corresponding WOI 3xxx series registration numbers with chassis numbers of B21-101 etc. In 1985 Ipswich had received four B21s which were to have been part of an order for the Egged Co-operative in Israel. However that order was cancelled and the buses were delivered to Ipswich as their fleet numbers 114-117 with registration numbers B114-117 LDX. They were later renumbered 144-147. To operate all of the ten B21s in mainland Britain made Ipswich Buses unique.

Saturday 6 June 1992 - Ipswich Buses 151 (WOI 3002) seen at the Old Cattle Market bus station in Ipswich operating service 26A to Hitcham. It carries the ‘Suffolkbus’ fleetname used for the rural services that operated from Ipswich to the rural communities north of the town (Hitcham, Coddenham, Debenham etc). It was one of the six Alexander (Belfast) bodied Leyland B21s acquired from Ulsterbus/Citybus, Northern Ireland in 1991. The B21 was a chassis based alternative for export customers using components in common with the integral Leyland National. This one had chassis number B21-102 and had carried fleet number 3002 in the fleet of Citybus, Belfast. In 1985 Ipswich had received four B21s which were to have been part of an order for the Egged Co-operative in Israel. However that order was cancelled and the buses were delivered to Ipswich as their fleet numbers 114-117 with registration numbers B114-117 LDX. They were later renumbered 144-147. To operate all of the ten B21s in mainland Britain made Ipswich Buses unique.