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The MCW Metrobus, for a long time
the most numerous bus type in London, is coming
to the end of its quarter century of service.
It's particularly sad for me to see them bow out,
as they were the type I grew up with. I watched
the later ones enter service and continue on,
through privatisation, to seven of the
post-London Buses companies. At the time of
writing less than fifty of the 1440 built (plus
two evaluatory mark IIs, 29 leased Harrow Buses
mark IIs and fourteen taken second-hand) remain
in service, and barring a very few stragglers are
unlikely to last the year out. After the Ms are
all gone, all that will be left of the London
Transport legacy is, of course, the Routemaster,
and I still say that after they go, so will I.
Here is a round-up of the survivors and their
likely future. Arriva London North took M 1276
out of service last month - that was the last at
Wood Green (WN). Seven (Ms 665, 1319, 1322, 1324,
1402, 1405 and 1406) remain at Tottenham (AR) as
crew-operated vehicles in support of Routemasters
on the 73. 2nd October is now set as the date of
the deeply unpopular and incredibly irresponsible
conversion of the 73 to articulated buses.
Amazingly, despite the conversion of the 125 (one
of the last two routes officially scheduled for
Metrobuses) to DLP operation last summer, M 718
has clung on at Edmonton (EC). It can only turn
out on the 34 now, but lately has been doing so
relatively frequently. Leaside Travel's large
cohort of Ms are still rostered on schools
services. Most are in the smart white, maroon and
blue but later repaints have been in all red with
a white band carried at skirt level.
First in London
have two halves at either end of town. The unit
formerly known as CentreWest can still put
thirteen Ms into the field - five at Alperton
(ON) in the shape of Ms 1245, 1258, 1377, 1378
and 1382 and eight at Uxbridge (Ms 348, 861,
1051, 1199, 1259, 1376, 1384 and 1438). All of
tapegrey, First Capital red and yellow,
CentreWest yellow-band and allover red can be
seen on these buses. Alperton's will finish
service imminently as new Volvo B7TLs edge them
off their supporting role on the 83 and 92, while
Uxbridge's linger on Buckinghamshire County
Council route 335, with forays to normal
double-deck routes 207 and U4. Two are about to
leave the country when the group moves on - Volvo
Olympians are already arriving to see them off.
First Capital East, as the legal lettering says,
retain three of the mark II Metrobuses new to
Harrow Buses and then bought by Capital Citybus.
171, 172 and 178 each carry a different livery
and were formerly known as Ms 1461, 1472 and
1478. They left their spare buses role on Rainham
(R) route 123 last month and continue as
dedicated rail replacement buses. They probably
have eight-figure SEMA fleetnumbers now.
London United's
last bastion of the M type was a crew route, the
94. All seven of the smartly repainted Ms that
were allocated as reinforcements for the also
departed Routemasters were ejected from Shepherds
Bush (S) in mid-January. Four of them (M 1243,
1344, 1345 and 1361) moved to Hounslow (AV) where
they support Volvo B7TLs and Dennis Tridents.
Fulwell (FW) retain a few Ms for rail jobs and
private hire work.
Metroline is
definitely the last holdout for the Metrobus,
with two dozen left. Willesden (AC) have four (M
391, 1042, 1181 and 1193) that they use as crew
buses on the 6 and 98. They are scheduled to be
stood down first, before the Routemasters
commence their exit from 1st March. Harrow Weald
(HD) can field seven (M 1032, 1034, 1035, 1045,
1383, 1395 and 1427). Ironically, this garage was
without the original M type for three years
during the Harrow Bus era, after which standard
examples returned. Look for them on the 182, with
occasional turns on the 140 and 186. Park Royal
(PR), which is not only really in the less
salubrious Harlesden but was known by that name
until recently, have M 342, 1197 and 1342. There
aren't enough AV-class Olympians here to fully
provision the 266, hence the Ms' continuation.
Cricklewood (W) have M 306, at twenty-four years
old the oldest M still in service. I rode it on
the 32 late last year, wheezing and spluttering
(it, not me!).
At the Metroline London Northern end, Holloway
used to run more than 100 Metrobuses. As capacity
fluctuates Ms come and go, and their current four
are M 1150, 1208, 1385 and 1408. Perhaps the last
garage to run any of the type in quantity is
Potters Bar, whose Hertfordshire County Council
routes aren't bound by age-related contracts. The
84 has survived incursions by Darts and Scanias
but still runs M 1076, 1114, 1189 and 1250. The
317 has also seen a lot of M appearances but will
be lost to Arriva London North shortly.
ABOVE:
Alperton's M 1377 (C377 BUV) does a turn
on the 92 on 1st August 2003 and is seen leaving
Ealing Hospital.
MIDDLE: The last double-decker to carry the
Cowie livery is Tottenham's M 1402 (C402 BUV), seen in
Park Lane on 5th September 2003.
BELOW: On 21st September 2003 M 1342 (C342 BUV) from Park
Royal is seen alongside Volvo Olympian AV 19 at
Brent Cross Shopping Centre.
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