View Latest Data |
|
Log-in Register |
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| From mid-2024 there was a program to replace cars in the (liveried) central fleet with vans and by mid-2025 the only ones that remained were three Mitsubishi Outlander, all of which were for emergency-related roles. The most easily seen of the three was 9054MIT, normally to be found in the car park outside the southern entrance to Harrow-on-the-Hill Station. When Ray visited on 6th July 2026, the Mitsubishi was gone, and in its place was a BYD Seal electric car carrying Incident Response Vehicle livery and fleetnumber 9836B (although the latter is not visible here due to reflections). Chinese firm BYD has been a major supplier of electric buses to London over the past decade, and has also supplied a number of cars and vans to London bus operators. However, this is the first BYD for the central fleet, and it brings the B suffix back into use after a long gap. The last Bedford-badged vehicle in the central fleet was Midi van 2457B, withdrawn in about 1998, although the B suffix was also applied to a number of Vauxhall vehicles until about 2002. The use of fleetnumber 9836 is interesting. A couple of months ago, two Vauxhall Vivaro minibuses were given fleetnumbers 9833V and 9834V, which we assumed were incorrect since they were about 300 higher than other contemporary deliveries. Now it seems that they were correct, but why? Is it possible that a very large number of vehicles have been ordered and assigned fleetnumbers? Time will tell. By the way, the other two Mitsubishi Outlanders were 8830MIT (believed to be based at Southwark Palestra, but very elusive) and 9162MIT with the Emergency Response Unit at Acton Works. It is possible that these have also recently been replaced. |
|||
| Photographer: | Photo ID: | 8415 | |
| Photo date: | 06/07/2026 | Size: | Regular. An extra large copy of this photo is available. |
| Subject/s: | |||
| Location/s: | |||
| Tags: | |||
| Date added: | 19/07/2026 | ||