Citybus Fleet News 2002

Citybus News 2001
Citybus News 2000

  Veteran
    Fleetline 2863 still going strong - October 2001 Volvo
    B7TL 2938 (HCZ 2938) on the City Express

28/12/02 - Former Ulsterbus B10BLE 2817 is now painted in Citybus colours (without swoops) and is in use from Short Strand.

22/12/02 - B7TL 2939 has now gained another mega-rear advert; this time for EasyJet.

14/12/02 - RELLs 2505/6 have returned to service at Short Strand ex Reserve, whilst B10BLE 2782 is also back in use at Falls following completion of accident repairs. 2540 is now in Active Reserve, displacing sister 2521. B7TL 2939 is unusual for this batch in that it currently carries no mega-rear advert.

09/12/02 - Cityliner 2678 has a super-rear advert for Learn Direct. Ultra 2729 is the first to painted in the 'swoopless' low floor livery here. A large number of it's sisters still retain the red/ivory livery more than 3 years after the introduction of the sea green colours (2701-4/6-8/14/25/30/3/37-41/3-5/7/8/50).

01/12/02 - B7TL 2922 remains in use here despite speculation that it would transfer to GVS with sister 2921. Two recent mega-rears are Cityliner 2650 and B7TL 2926 for Learn Direct.

14/11/02 - Cityliner 2639 is to gain an overall advert for SmartLink in place of it's current one for Crimestoppers.

05/11/02 - B7TL 2926 has gained a mega-rear for LearnDirect.  Sisters 2921/2 are earmarked for transfer to Ulsterbus with B10BLEs 2817/8 going the other way.


18/10/02 - A £1.6 million joint project between Roads Service and Translink will provide Bus Priority and Real Time Information on some Citybus services from January 2003. Initially, the system will be operated on the Centre Link and City Express routes, and it is hoped to eventually include all Quality Bus Corridors and possibly some Ulsterbus Goldliner routes. The contract for provision of the system has been awarded to ACIS (Buckinghamshire).

07/10/02 - B10M/Premiers 1571/2 are returning to Ulsterbus, with Excaliburs 1561/2 expected in their place. Rumour suggests Ayats Bravo 2001 may also go to Ulsterbus.

06/10/02 - RELLs 2520/1 are now in Active Reserve, previously in Reserve. Tiger N-type 1455 has finally been withdrawn after having beeen stripped following accident damage in January 2000. B7TLs 2928/9 have both gained mega-rear adverts for Magners (again), both previously having carried ones for Guinness Cold. 

20/09/02 - RELL 2532 is currently damaged after an electrical fire and unlikely to be repaired.

18/09/02 - Tiger 2635 has gained a fleet livery front on it's Heinz overall advert, which it has now carried for 7 years! 2661 has lost it's super rear advert for Home Fuels.

16/09/02 - 2618 is the latest Tiger/N-type to regain fleet livery, in this case in place of the 'Citybus Clean Air' overall advertisement.

10/09/02 - Not previously mentioned are 2 further mega-rears - 2922 for Guinness Cold and 2926 for Coca-Cola.

08/09/02 - The vehicles detaxed for the school holidays were retaxed from 1st September for the new school term. Sadly the RELL fleet here has diminished, with 2505/6/20/1/40 being put into Reserve, along with unloved Dart 634. Also detaxed is B10BLE 2782 with accident damage. Moves see N-types 2623/8/30 go to Falls (23) and Short Strand (28/30), Cityliner 2669 go to Short Strand and B10BLEs 2787/8/9 go from Short Strand to Falls (87/8) and Newtownabbey (89). The familiar 4-journey tickets should soon disappear from use with Citybus, as it is intended to introduce Smart Cards under the Smartlink banner.

06/09/02 - Yet more mega/super rear adverts are 2922 (Guinness Cold), 2939 (Coca Cola), 2660 (Mitsubisi) and 2663 (AXA). Tiger/N-type 2613 is currently being repainted to fleet livery, previously an advert for Diamond Recruitment. RELLs 2463/2523 noted below as 'missing' have both been in Beatties since December 1999 after suffering accident damage. Dart 635 and RE 2511 have also arrived there and the Dart has already been broken up.

30/08/02 - 2926 has gained a mega-rear advert for Coca-Cola, whilst Tiger 2603 is back in fleet livery, previously having carried an overall advert for Guinness.

25/08/02 - 2645 now has a mega-rear for Mitsubishi. The ad. has been applied over the
number plate too.

21/08/02 - B7TL 2930 has gained a mega-rear advert for Coca-Cola, in place of the previous one for Big-W.

20/08/02 - Released for disposal are Dart/Wright 635 at Duncrue Street and RELLs 2511 at Newtownabbey, 2463/2523 (Unknown location-possibly Adelaide).

15/08/02 - Tiger/N-type 2625 returned to service at Falls in mid-July, with sister 2628 being detaxed at the end of the month for the remainder of the school holidays. RELL 2524 has been sold to Beattie for scrap.

30/07/02 - Cityliner 2646 has received an allover contravision advert for Guinness, with 2677 to follow.

28/07/02  -  Dart 635 has been withdrawn following it's engine fire. Tigers 2623/30 have both moved to GVS, from Falls and Short Strand respectively. The full list of vehicles off the road for the school holidays is:

Short Strand 629/36/9/40;  2512/20/2/5-8/30-4/62/75; 2610/8
Falls 626/7; 2505/6/14/7/35/7-9/47/8/51/2/4/6/9/73; 2625
Newtownabbey 2521/50/72; 2614; 3100-3
GVS 630-3;2516/40-3/5

23/07/02  -  Another two River Rock super-rear adverts are on Cityliners 2662/78.

16/07/02  -  Cityliners 2650/73 are two further to gain River Rock super-rear adverts. RELL 2524 has gone to Beatties for scrap

12/07/02  -  Once again Belfast is RELL-less over the summer holidays. Seen in Wellington Place just prior to this is 2530.

RELL 2530 in Wellington Place June 2002

11/07/02  -  More super-rear adverts are Cityliners 2672 (River Rock) and 2675/80 (AXA Insurance).

26/06/02  -  Cityliner 1406 has been repainted from CityExpress colours to standard Q-type livery, minus the upper red stripe.

14/06/02  -  Seemingly the proposed purchase of Olympians from Dublin Bus will not now take place. Dart SLF 641 has returned to Bangor, with 2932 coming back to Short Strand from GVS.

01/06/02  -  B7TL 2922 is a further one to carry a Guinness Cold mega_rear advertisement. Mercedes 0405s 2100-6 and B7TLs 2937-40 now carry Go! logos as the CityExpress is now a Go! route, complete with London style stops as routes 82-4.

30/05/02  -  Decker 2922 has returned from Bangor, with loan B10BLE 2824 going the other way. 2927 is a further Guinness Cold mega-rear advert.

22/05/02  -  Ending an era, Fleetline 2863 (EOI 4863) was sadly withdrawn on 9th April. Not only was this the last vehicle to originate with Belfast Corporation Transport, but also the last of a very long line of Daimlers to operate in Belfast, the first being CP6/Park Royal number 78 (CZ 4606) in 1934.

19/05/02  -  Cityliner 2645 is the first single decker to carry a super-rear advert for Guinness Cold.

13/05/02  -  2928 and 30 have had their mega-rears for Magners and Big-W replaced by ones for Guinness Cold.

09/05/02  -  Tiger/N-type 2629 has gained fleet livery, having carried an overall advert for Ledu since April 1995! It is the first N-type in the Citybus fleet to gain the 'no-stripe' style of livery.

05/05/02  -  Yet another Mega-rear is 2938 for NI Blood Transfusion Service, previously Big W.

29/04/02  -  Like 2679, Cityliner 2647 has a super-rear advert for Home Co-Ownership.

26/04/02  -  Cityliner 2679 is the latest with a super-rear advert, this time for Home Co-Ownership. B7TL 2922 is on loan at Ulsterbus Bangor in place of 2929.

23/04/02  -  Cityliner 2667 has appeared in an overall advertisement for the Odyssey Centre.

19/04/02  -  RELLs 2462/5/6/7/9/70/1/2/3/4/6/7/8/9/80 (WOI 8462) and 2482/3/4/5/6/9/90/1/2/3/4/5/8/9/2510/9 (XOI 2482) are now considered withdrawn from Reserve and have been sold to Beattie for scrap.

16/04/02  -  Cityliner 1407 is now in fleet livery, previously City Express. It is the first Q-type in the Citybusfleet to be painted without the red band above the windows.

03/04/02  -  Volvo B7TL 2929 has returned from loan at Ulsterbus Bangor

02/04/02  -  Cityliners 2671/7 have gained super-rear adverts for DOE Road Safety and Tiso respectively.

28/03/02  -  Volvo decker 2921 has lost it's mega-rear advert for Magners in favour of one for the NI Blood Transfusion Service.

13/03/02  -  Tiger/N-type 2626 has returned to service after repair from bomb damage. Forthcoming changes to the CityExpress see the following changes; 1A/B all journeys rerouted via Shore Road and Station Road; 1C journeys to/from Hydepark; 1D/E journeys via Lower Doagh Road (ie current 1A/B route); 1G journeys to/from Monkstown Avenue/Glenville Road; Some journeys also serve Forthill Drive rather than Ballyduff Shops. Confused??

09/03/02  -  Dart 635 (Short Strand) has been detaxed for repair following an engine fire.

06/03/02  -  Strangely, B10BLEs 2772/3 now have CityExpress fleetnames.

26/02/02  -  Vehicles to lose allover adverts for fleet livery are 2667 (7 Up), 2670 (Centra) and 2677 (Donegall Shopping Arcade).

25/02/02  -  Not previously mentioned is that B7TL 2934 is the 10th of these vehicles to gain an easyJet mega-rear advert.

14/02/02  -  RELL 2511 is now withdrawn after accident damage whilst 2517 is now at Falls.

05/02/02  -  Volvo B7TLs 2929 (on loan to Ulsterbus) is the latest to get an Easyjet mega-rear ad in place of it's previous Harp one.

30/01/02  -  B7TL 2933/7 have had it's Harp mega-rear advert replaced by an Easyjet one.

28/01/02  -  Volvo B7TLs 2931/2 (both on loan to Ulsterbus) have gained Easyjet mega-rear ads in place of their previous Harp ones.

23/01/02  -  Mercedes 2104 is the final one of these 6 in the Translink low floor livery.

22/01/02  -  Volvo B7TL 2925 is the third to gain an EasyJet rear end advert, replacing its Firestone Clothing one which lasted only a matter of weeks.

21/01/02  -  Volvo B7TLs 2923/4 have gained an EasyJet rear end advert in place of their previous Harp ones. 8 more are to be done.

20/01/02  -  Mercedes O.405 2105 is now in the green livery, leaving only 2104 of these 6 to be done.

14/01/02  -  Tiger 1460 was the vehicle taken on the Oldpark Road last week and later recovered by the Police. It had numerous windows broken but had returned to service by Saturday.

11/01/02  -  RELL 2517 is at GVS, not Falls as previously mentioned.

08/01/02  -  Decker 2929 has moved temporarily to Ulsterbus Bangor in exchange for Renown 2824 which this morning was on the Centrelink. RELL 2505 has returned to service at Falls.

02/01/02  -  Mercedes 0.405 2100 is the latest in low floor livery.

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