Olympic Interlopers

The first of the 13 Stagecoach buses to enter service in Portsmouth for the Olympics have arrived. All of Portsmouth's 21 ADL Enviro300 single deckers are off to London for the Olympic Games, being replaced in Portsmouth by a mixture of different older vehicles. Thus, the Portsmouth bus scene will look very different for the next month or two, and it is an opportunity photographers should grasp. Matt, owner of the Stagecoach South forum, has already been out and about - visit the forum for piccies...

Some of the arrivals thus far have been Dart SLF/ALX200s that were being held in reserve by Stagecoach South Wales. Five Darts - part of the R---SWO batch - are due. 33614 (R614SWO) is one of the batch not coming to Portsmouth - some of its sisters are already in service.

Stagecoach have a Marshall Capital bodied Dart SLF in service, in Portsmouth! Former Stagecoach Devon example T132MGB - sister to pictured example T131MGB - is in service in the city having arrived from Stagecoach Devon's reserve fleet.

A couple of Dart SLFs new to Stagecoach Oxford have also arrived - 33803 and 33823 thus far. Pictured is sister bus 33801 (R801YUD) - a Dart SLF one time of Devon that hasn't arrived yet. 

It is strange to have these interlopers in Portsmouth, especially when the oldest Stagecoach bus regularly in Portsmouth comes from early 2004. The Darts are all around the average age of the First Hants & Dorset Dart SLFs too, although First in Portsmouth do have a pretty decent fleet. Yes, they still operate 5 Mercedes-Benz 709Ds, but a fleet of 22 Volvo B7RLEs along with regularly the 20 Scania Omnicitys, does mean First certainly aren't weak in Portsmouth.

I hope to go to Portsmouth on Saturday to grab some of my own piccies!