Megabus

Wednesday 6 March 2019 (1131) – Freestones Coaches ME54 BUS seen on the A11 near Kennett when working the 1015 Megabus service M16 from Stratford (East London) to Norwich. Earlier in the day it would have worked the 0700 service from Norwich down to Stratford. It is an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K400 that had been new to J&L Coaches, St. Leonards registered YT62 JBX. ME54 BUS is a representation of Megabus. .

Friday 16 July 2021 (0855) – Freestones Coaches ME54 BUS seen in busy traffic at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0745 Norwich to Stratford (East London) Megabus service M16. It is an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K400 that had been new to J&L Coaches, St. Leonards in January 2013 registered YT62 JBX. The registration it now carries is a play on ‘MEGA BUS’. I hadn’t seen this particular coach for a little while and whilst it still carries the Megabus name over the front windscreen and network destinations along the side windows, it now carries the Freestones Coaches name on the side.

Sunday 18 November 2018 (1127) – Fiveways roundabout a short time before the switch on of the new traffic lights. Freestones Coaches ME54 BUS is seen passing through when working the 1015 Megabus service M16 from Stratford (East London) to Norwich. It is an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K400 that had been new to J&L Coaches, St. Leonards in January 2013 registered YT62 JBX. ME54 BUS is a representation of Megabus.

Friday 16 July 2021 (0855) – Freestones Coaches ME54 BUS seen in busy traffic at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0745 Norwich to Stratford (East London) Megabus service M16. It is an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K400 that had been new to J&L Coaches, St. Leonards in January 2013 registered YT62 JBX. The registration it now carries is a play on ‘MEGA BUS’. I hadn’t seen this particular coach for a little while and whilst it still carries the Megabus name over the front windscreen and network destinations along the side windows, it now carries the Freestones Coaches name on the side.

Saturday 17 July 2021 (0854) – Freestones Coaches ME54 BUS seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0745 Norwich to Stratford (East London) Megabus service M16. It is an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K400 that had been new to J&L Coaches, St. Leonards in January 2013 registered YT62 JBX. The registration it now carries is a play on ‘MEGA BUS’. I hadn’t seen this particular coach for a little while and whilst it still carries the Megabus name over the front windscreen and network destinations along the side windows, it now carries the Freestones Coaches name on the side. It has had a replacement rear bumper by the look of things.

Saturday 3 July 2021 (0855) – Freestones Coaches S26 DDA seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0745 Norwich to Stratford (East London) Megabus service M16. It is an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K360 which was new to West Coast Motors (Craig of Campbeltown) in November 2011 registered YT11 LVL. When with WCM it was a regular performer on the joint WCM/Scottish Citylink service 926 between Campbeltown and Glasgow and carried a dual livery. On the forward half of the body it carried the red and white WCM livery and on the rearward half of the body it carried the yellow and blue Citylink livery. After leaving the WCM fleet it worked for Edinburgh Coachlines for a time where it appeared on Megabus services to Aberdeen and Inverness.

Saturday 3 July 2021 (0855) – Freestones Coaches S26 DDA seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0745 Norwich to Stratford (East London) Megabus service M16. It is an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K360 which was new to West Coast Motors (Craig of Campbeltown) in November 2011 registered YT11 LVL. When with WCM it was a regular performer on the joint WCM/Scottish Citylink service 926 between Campbeltown and Glasgow and carried a dual livery. On the forward half of the body it carried the red and white WCM livery and on the rearward half of the body it carried the yellow and blue Citylink livery. After leaving the WCM fleet it worked for Edinburgh Coachlines for a time where it appeared on Megabus services to Aberdeen and Inverness.

Sunday 12 December 2021 (1055) – Freestone’s Coaches S28 FSC, an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K410, seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0955 Megabus service M37 from Norwich to Birmingham. This service was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and after the service resumed it was expanded to operate Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays not only with this morning service westbound returning from Birmingham in the late afternoon, it also featured a morning service from Birmingham to Norwich with an late afternoon service from Norwich to Birmingham. Courtesy of a contributor to the East Norfolk Bus Blog website I am told this coach was originally registered YN16 WUL and so was new to City Circle, Newbridge, Edinburgh in May 2016. It appears to have had the wheelchair lift/door and destination displays added later.

Sunday 12 December 2021 (1055) – Freestone’s Coaches S28 FSC, an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K410, seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0955 Megabus service M37 from Norwich to Birmingham. This service was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and after the service resumed it was expanded to operate Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays not only with this morning service westbound returning from Birmingham in the late afternoon, it also featured a morning service from Birmingham to Norwich with an late afternoon service from Norwich to Birmingham. This livery is the latest style which has replaced that which featured the 'Megabus Sid' character. Courtesy of a contributor to the East Norfolk Bus Blog website I am told this coach was originally registered YN16 WUL and so was new to City Circle, Newbridge, Edinburgh in May 2016. It appears to have had the wheelchair lift/door and destination displays added later.

Sunday 12 December 2021 (1055) – Freestone’s Coaches S28 FSC, an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K410, seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0955 Megabus service M37 from Norwich to Birmingham. This service was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and after the service resumed it was expanded to operate Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays not only with this morning service westbound returning from Birmingham in the late afternoon, it also featured a morning service from Birmingham to Norwich with an late afternoon service from Norwich to Birmingham. This livery is the latest style which has replaced that which featured the 'Megabus Sid' character. Courtesy of a contributor to the East Norfolk Bus Blog website I am told this coach was originally registered YN16 WUL and so was new to City Circle, Newbridge, Edinburgh in May 2016. It appears to have had the wheelchair lift/door and destination displays added later.

Saturday 17 September 2016 (1509) – Freestone’s Coaches YN14 FVR, an Irizar bodied Scania seen negotiating Fiveways roundabout at Barton Mills in Suffolk when working the 1300 Megabus service M16 from London to Norwich. Megabus is a Stagecoach brand and Freestone’s a contractor. An Irizar bodied Scania new in April 2014 to Stagecoach Midland Red. (Sorry about the lamp post!)

Saturday 11 March 2017 (0910) – The arrivals garage of Victoria Coach Station, London. This was once the operational garage of Samuelson New Transport Limited and is still referred to as ‘Sammy’s’. Coaches enter from Eccleston Place and leave by the exit to Elizabeth Street which is on the right of this photograph. Departures leave from the main coach station and passengers have to cross Elizabeth Street to reach it. The Caetano Levante coaches are National Express owned SH208 (BX16 CMK) (on which I had travelled from Stansted) and Go-South Coast 7819 (BW16 LCN) that had worked service 032 from Southampton etc. Megabus vehicles were Stagecoach Western 50250 (SV62 BFF) and 50223(?).

Friday 15 March 2019 (1311) – The driver of the yellow sports car possibly thought I was taking a photograph of his/her pride and joy. So sorry to disappoint but I hadn’t even noticed it at the time. The intended subject was Freestones Coaches YN07 LFL which is partially eclipsed by the yellow creation. I tried to photograph the same coach during the previous April and that shot also had a passing car eclipse it! So, the quest still continues. The coach is an Irizar i6 bodied Scania K340 that had been new to Silverline, Solihull in June 2007 and was seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 1200 Norwich to Birmingham Megabus service M37.

Saturday 4 May 2019 (1333) – A ‘ticket’ for travel by Megabus service MP3 from Hull to Doncaster. Booked online and printed at home. The way of the world I suppose that tickets aren't what they once were. An A4 piece of paper doesn't quite have the same charm and souvenir value as a colourful printed ticket of old. Some passengers don't even have a paper ticket on Megabus, they just show their reference number on their mobile phone screen to the driver and that's it.

Saturday 4 May 2019 (1150) – Stagecoach East Midlands (Lincolnshire Road Car) 54077 (SF59 FYW), a Plaxton Panther bodied Volvo B12BT new in November 2009 to Stagecoach Scotland (Western Buses), seen arriving at the Paragon Interchange in Hull about to work the 1205 MegabusPlus service MP3 to London (St. Pancras). Normally service MP3 runs from Hull to East Midlands Parkway Railway Station in Nottinghamshire from where passengers then board the train to continue to London (St. Pancras). However, today was different as a result of the railway line closure for maintenance work so the coach was running all the way to the capital.

Friday 3 May 2019 (1241) – Stagecoach East Midlands (Lincolnshire Road Car) 54077 (SF59 FYW), a Plaxton Panther bodied Volvo B12BT new in November 2009 to Stagecoach Scotland (Western Buses), seen at the Paragon Interchange in Hull about to work the MegabusPlus service MP3. This service runs from Hull to East Midlands Parkway Railway Station in Nottinghamshire from where passengers then board the train to continue to London (St. Pancras).

Friday 3 May 2019 (1241) – Stagecoach East Midlands (Lincolnshire Road Car) 54077 (SF59 FYW), a Plaxton Panther bodied Volvo B12BT new in November 2009 to Stagecoach Scotland (Western Buses), seen at the Paragon Interchange in Hull about to work the MegabusPlus service MP3. This service runs from Hull to East Midlands Parkway Railway Station in Nottinghamshire from where passengers then board the train to continue to London (St. Pancras).

Saturday 4 May 2019 (1150) – Stagecoach East Midlands (Lincolnshire Road Car) 54077 (SF59 FYW), a Plaxton Panther bodied Volvo B12BT new in November 2009 to Stagecoach Scotland (Western Buses), seen arriving at the Paragon Interchange in Hull about to work the 1205 MegabusPlus service MP3 to London (St. Pancras). Normally service MP3 runs from Hull to East Midlands Parkway Railway Station in Nottinghamshire from where passengers then board the train to continue to London (St. Pancras). However, today was different as a result of the railway line closure for maintenance work so the coach was running all the way to the capital.