The 2022 Showbus gathering on Sunday 25 September – number 50 since its founding in 1973 – will be the last, organiser Dr Martin Isles has confirmed. He had added a hope that the event will “go out on a high.”
The rally will be held at the Hertfordshire County Showground near St Albans. It is hoped that several buses which appeared at the inaugural 1973 event will form part of this year’s line-up, including a recently restored former Eastern National Bristol K5W that was used by Sir Paul McCartney’s group Wings on a tour of Europe.
Since its establishment, Showbus has become the largest coach and bus rally in the UK, peaking at over 500 entries. It has also been well supported by the industry, with numerous operators supporting it as it moved to various sites during its history.
Showbus 50 will acknowledge the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with a planned line-up of 70 buses to represent one from every year of her reign. Meanwhile, National Express – which in 2022 celebrates 50 years of its white coaches – will have a presence, and there will be a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Leyland National. Other milestones are also expected to also be celebrated, adds Dr Isles.
Prizes at Showbus 50 will be presented by Australian actor and singer Alan Fletcher, subject to any COVID-19 border controls. He is known as Dr Karl Kennedy in the TV show Neighbours and will be in the UK touring with his new show The Doctor Will See You Now.
While the large-scale Showbus vehicle gathering will bow out after 2022, Dr Isles says that the Showbus Flyby event will continue. Showbus Flyby was introduced in 2020 as a pandemic-induced alternative and it saw vehicles operate every few minutes along the A40 between Oxford and Beaconsfield Services on the M40.
In 2022, Showbus Flyby will be held on Sunday 18 September and one of its termini will be amended to be Brunel University, site of the first Showbus gathering in 1973. Some entries will be on static display on the same car park at Brunel that the debut Showbus utilised. The remainder will start from Oxford or Uxbridge to complete a loop of the route.
A Showbus Traders Village will be located in High Wycombe and Flyby buses will serve the town’s bus station. Beyond 2022, the Showbus Flyby route will be varied to capture different part of Buckinghamshire.
