Brijan Tours are based in Botley, in Southern Hampshire, and operate mainly a network of coach services and school services. However, three bus services also are run by Brjan - all ex-Solent Blue Line routes. The 7 (Southampton - Bishops Waltham) and 17 (Bishops Waltham - Petersfield) are what's left of the old 52 route from Southampton to Petersfield. Darts are used on the hourly 7, with mainly minibuses on the infrequent 17. The 7 interworks with route 8 (Eastleigh - Bishops Waltham), a mixture of the old 48C and 48D routes in BlueLine days. To coincide with yesterday's post, Velvet aren't the only ones who have been purchasing Darts recently.
Five new Darts have been acquired by Brijan since February. The first is fleet number 107 (XLZ3106), a former Stagecoach Oxford and Western vehicle, although it was acquired from another independent. It was acquired back in February and some of you may have seen it in freshly applied Brijan livery back on the open day earlier this year. Former registration - N57KBW. 
Brijan Tours have also been busy with Stagecoach directly. Former Chichester based N452PAP became the first Alexander Dash bodied Dart to enter service with Brijan, and is numbered 109. She is seen on the right at Hedge End rail station, heading for Eastleigh on route 8. Brijan have also have acquired a number of the former London Dennis Dart/Alexanders previously in use at Winchester - N317/8/21AMC. N318AMC and N321AMC have been painted in white for future sale, where N317AMC has been painted into Brijan livery for future service. I'm not sure if this one is out and about yet - it hasn't been uploaded on the online company fleetlist yet.I hope to get the others soon, although Brijan is a company I don't photograph that often. For my photos of Brijan Tours, please click here.
Must be Darts on the 17 as well these days, the last Merc went earlier in the year.
ReplyDeleteBrian was reluctant to put anything larger out as there are narrow sections and heavy (as in HGVs)traffic - maybe the remaining 8.5m Darts (86 & 97) are the regulars these days?
Indeed - 97 is the regular bus on the 17, and is also a contender for the oldest Dennis Dart in PSV use, being Duple Dartline bodied G505 VYE - new to London United but acquired from Southampton minicoach operator AirLynx.
ReplyDeleteHadn't realised that the Alexander Merc 76 (which was occasionally used on the 17)and coach bodied Merc 78 (BT 05 BJT) (which I saw on the 17 in the snow earlier in 2010) had both gone.
Thanks Gents, you've solded the mystery of my missing 97 - I'll try Bishops Waltham soon to try and photograph it. That's the only Dart I'm missing as far as I'm aware, until N317 enters service.
ReplyDeleteYes, 78 was one of several coaches sold off in the summer, Brijan not being immune to the general economic downturn.
ReplyDeleteThere's an interesting tale about the disposal of 76, but probably not for a public forum!