A-Line travel's new buses!

It was only around this time last year I was writing about local company A-Line travel getting a new Mercedes 709 to run the routes.

Since then big things have happened and a grant for £40'000 was aproved earlier in the year.

Soon after this Jim got to work bus hunting. He was after a Mercedes Vario with wheelchair capeabilities. I low floor Dart was not an option because of the route into St John on the way to Torpoint where it gets very narrow. And of course running costs would be higher!

So within months the first new Vario arrived. An extremely smart looking X891 YGU was sitting in the depot as I came down to it on a proper summer's day in April! Not like the weather we have now. This bus had the wheelchair lift, had just 30'000km on the clock I think it was, was amazingly clean and tidy inside and out, very comfortable, with a very strong engine! This waited in the depot along with the old Bedford which I will post about in the near future!

Then later on came another Vario. This time with different bodywork. R651 YCR was a elderly person's transport vechical in Bristol. One of a large fleet being sold off. X891 YGU was also used for that kind of thing though not in Bristol.

There is very little known to my knowledge about the 2 buses and if anyone could help with some history that would be much apericated. But who would have taken a photo of an old folk's bus!

Both have also now been painted in A-Line's brand new livery, much more of a corperate image has now been built up.