Having arrived at Heysham Docks on the overnight ferry from Belfast last week, a new Wrightbus Eclipse 3-bodied Volvo B8RLE joins the Delaine Buses fleet this week as the Bourne-based operator modernises and expands.
In addition to the new single-decker, which will be used on front-line service, Lincolnshire’s oldest bus operator has ordered a 2004 former-Arriva Alexander-bodied Volvo B7TL double-decker from Ensignbus to meet increased school demand. Fleet size expands to 30.
Meanwhile, the introduction of the new bus coincides with a major ticketing upgrade with the launch of Ticketer machines across the fleet, a move that heralds the launch of contactless payments.
Not content with fleet and ticketing changes, Delaine has registered an additional local bus service on its Peterborough-Stamford corridor.
From 22 October, new hourly route 205 via Wittering replaces Centrebus route 9, which is being withdrawn the previous day.
Although staying up-to-date is very much at the forefront of Delaine’s latest developments, it is still mindful of its past.
Having recently built a museum to house the Delaine Heritage Trust’s five-strong fleet, the company will be operating a heritage bus running day on Saturday 29 September. Buses from the heritage fleet will operate every 30 minutes between Bourne and Stamford.
However, the star attraction is expected to be a Yeates Europa-bodied Leyland Tiger Cub bought new by Delaine in 1958, which completes 50 years in preservation, while heritage coach tours will feature Yeates-bodied vehicles.
Delaine traces its passenger-carrying history back to 1890 and celebrates 100 years of motor bus operation in 2019.
