Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) is taking part in the annual Winchester Heritage Open Days festival on 15 September.
The charity will display its collection vintage King Alfred coaches and buses at St Catherine’s Park and Ride and offer free rides to attendees.
In addition to that involvement on the final day of the 10-day history festival, FoKAB will use its heritage Leyland Atlantean open-top double-decker to provide a shuttle service for the Winchester Broadway and Hyde Street for the Hyde900 celebrations on 14 and 15 September.
The full fleet of 15 vehicles on display will include a 1929 Leyland Lion, as well as Leyland Panthers dating from 1970.
The vintage buses will take the public on some of the routes operated by King Alfred Motor Services between 1922 and 1973, starting from Broadway, near the statue of King Alfred the Great himself.
James Freeman, chairman of FoKAB, says: “The three themes for this year’s events: “routes, networks, connections”, could have been set specifically for our participation.”
Meanwhile, following a fire in December in which a 1950 Leyland Olympic belonging to FoKAB was heavily damaged, the charity is seeking input from businesses interested in restoring it.
Mr Freeman says: “We’re hoping to find one or more gifted people who know enough about vehicle restoration to be able to consider the wholesale rebuilding of this vehicle, while keeping as much as possible of the original.
“The plan comes first, of course, but then it will need somebody to take on the rebuild job.”
The volunteer-run FoKAB has been offering nostalgic rides to the public for 15 years in celebration of the work of the former municipal operator.
