Provincial Photo Gallery

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Updated 07/04/02

People's Provincial

216 (KHC 816K) One of three Leyland Atlantean's acquired from Eastbourne in 1988. (photo Malcolm Audsley)
UPO 443T seen as a driver trainer at Bracknell for First Beeline. This was one of the last National's in the old green livery. Thanks to Noel Clark for the photo Click Here to visit his Leyland National website
2 (A302 KJT) in West Street, Fareham in Feb 1993. This is the later version of the livery without the red wheels, that feature went when Piers Marlow succeeded James Freeman as MD (photo Malcolm Audsley)
2 (A302 KJT) seen again two ,years later now in the uninspired cream/green livery in Stubbington  (photo Malcolm Audsley)
3 (H532 CTR) the unique ACE Cougar at Hoeford in March 1991 (photo Malcolm Audsley)
3 (H532 CTR) seen again in Northern Road Cosham in March 1991 (photo Malcolm Audsley)
3 (H532 CTR) Same location 5 years on (May 1996) and now in the cream/green livery (photo Malcolm Audsley)
C104 UHO The livery style adopted for the company in 1986, new style fleetname and dark green skirt on NBC green & white. Superceded by the emerald green "Peoples Provincial" scheme after privatisation Seen in Fareham, West street in October 1986. (photo Malcolm Audsley)
15 (HOR 415L) One of Provincial's original National's parked up for the weekend at Hoeford in March 1991. (photo Malcolm Audsley)
36 (MOW 636R) Another of Provincial's original National's at rest in Gosport bus station in February 1990. (photo Malcolm Audsley)
203 (WTN 658H) Purchased from Waddon, Caerphilly in Feb 1988, this former Tyne & Wear PTE Atlantean did not enter service until autumn 1988, when it's 83 seat capacity proved useful on schools services. It had a low profile with Provincial & was tracked down at Hoeford one Sunday in April 1989. (photo Malcolm Audsley)
88 (PKG 735R) Wickham Square October 1988 working the morning journey on the 55, one of Provincial's less famous routes. A Hampshire tender,it ran M-S as one journey from Hedge End via Botley, Curdridge, Shedfield & Wickham to Fareham in the morning with a return pm journey for shoppers + a M-F pm peak jny Fareham to Botley only. (photo & notes Malcolm Audsley)
100 (KDW 325P)  The only 10.3 metre National among the 19 purchased from National Welsh in November 1987. I've never known if this came in error, was intended for a particular service or was always intended to be sold on. Anyway never used and sold in December it is seen parked around the back at Hoeford in November, (the livery was N.Welsh "Caerphilly Busways"). (photo & notes Malcolm Audsley)
102 (NFM 68M)  Southampton, Bargate in January 1988. Originally an East Kent bus; National Welsh poppy red / white with dark green skirt panels courtesy of the Hoeford paintshop. This was pressed into service in this condition the previous month as an Xmas special, driven by lucky drivers in full santa rig. (the driver has been caught changing the blinds for the return trip, the 80 has never gone anywhere via Eastleigh ! ) (photo & notes Malcolm Audsley)
106 (NPD 154L)  Not perhaps the best advert for the newly privatised company; with patched up National green paintwork, dark green skirt and red wheels, wonky blinds. Stubbington Green February 1988.(photo & notes Malcolm Audsley)
125 (D125 DRV)  October 1986 & 125 is parked in Fareham bus station before entering service, from memory I think it was being used for publicity purposes as it seems to be loaded with boxes of timetables etc. (photo & notes Malcolm Audsley)
120 (D120 DRV)  Iveco minibus seen in Southampton on 26th October 1986. The first day of the newly privatised company. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
123 (D123 DRV)  Iveco minibus 123 in Fareham bus station in November 1986. The original Fareham minibus routes had letters (A - D) not numbers (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
118 (D118 DRV)  For a period Provincial ran evening & sunday journeys on otherwise Southampton Citybus services on H.C.C. tenders. 118 seen parked in the heart of Citybus territory at Vincents Walk in May 1988 on service 6A (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
118 (D118 DRV)  118 again, in a different livery style, approaches the new Fareham Bus Station in Feb 1994. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
16 (HOR 416L)  There have been some messages on the messageboard about HOR 416L, now with Fareham College.  Photographed at one of its earlier regular haunts Gosport Market June 2000. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
202 (WOW 993T) The ex Southdown PD3 in training bus guise. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
202 (WOW 993T) The ex Southdown PD3 in training bus guise (again). (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
201 (AOR 158B) Route 99 was a brave attempt to run an open top service based on Gosport, running as a circular 99A (anticlockwise) & 99C (clockwise). 201 is seen here in Stubbington Green  in June 1988. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
204 (UGR 701R)  was a 1989 purchase from Northumbria, one of 5 bought. They were more widely used than the earlier deckers, appearing on a variety of duties, initially running in Northumbria's livery. Seen here in Stubbington in July 1990 after repaint in Provincial livery. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
366 (RJT 148R)  The overall advert has graced several members of the fleet over the years. 366 in Cosham shows of a scheme for Fratton's Bridge Shopping Centre in this October 1995 view. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
392 (BCD 819L)  Ex Southdown National which arrived in May 1988. 392 heads along Commercial Rd. towards Portsmouth & Southsea Station in this February 1990 view. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
383 (NOE 561R)  Ex Midland Red (East) National is an overall advert for the Cascades Shopping Centre in Portsmouth seen in Fareham bus station in November 1994. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
356 (GHB 789N) The ex National Welsh Nationals intended for the Portsmouth services were numbered from 300 upwards. 356 is seen here leaving Fareham bus station via Portland Street,on route 50 in June 1988. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
299 (ADV 299A) A former Devon General / Western National / North Devon Atlantean hired from Surrey operator Leisurelink for the 1994 summer season. Note the route number, chosen to mimic the 25 route operated by Transit's Blue/Red Admiral without further involving the legal profession who had been consulted when Provincial introduced services 17 & 18 which followed Blue Admiral's 17 & 18, Provincial's services swiftly became 117 & 118 (although how an intending passenger would confuse a Provincial VR for a Blue Admiral minibus was never explained). Southsea seafront June 1994. (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
SPM 21 Another in the series of open toppers hired in, Bristol FS SPM 21, on loan in August & September 1989, shows off its classical Brighton & Hove livery in Stubbington in August 1989. (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
517 (RHT 504S) At work in Portsmouth,  in the original style of livery. 517 is in Edinburgh Rd in the City Centre in March 1996. Note the T applied by the nearside trafficator: Hampshire C.C. applied an age limit to vehicles on tendered services & the T signified a vehicle in the, at the time, fairly elderly fleet which complied with the age limit (less than 18 years old, I think). (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
515 (NTC573R) Not the finest batch of vehicles ever operated by Provincial, or that's my opinion. They seemed "tired" both mechanically & bodywork wise, I think they had been worked hard by Bristol & needed more remedial work than Provincial were able to afford in the midst of the "bus wars" with Transit Holdings. Certainly they gave me more on road breakdowns than any other batch of buses on my daily commute to work & drivers passed on other tales, which I won't repeat, while we awaited the tow truck / replacement bus. Initially used on the 17/8 in Portsmouth they later also appeared on more general duties as shown here by 515 in cream/green approaching the new bus station in Fareham Feb 1996. (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
519 (TWS 908T)  A side view showing the centrally located staircase on these two door vehicles, this was point against them, as the design of the lower deck was far from perfect with few forward facing seats among the 27 provided. Seen at Walpole Road Gosport in March 1995.  (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
393 (BCD 821L)  An ex Southdown National loading in Fareham bus station in Feb 1994, nearly 21 years old !, and showing a "Portsmouth" 300 series fleetnumber. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
590 (HOR 590E)  Negotiations to hire this Atlantean from the Friends of King Alfred preservation group were presumably not hindered by James Freeman holding senior positions in both organisations. It ran every summer from July 1987 to the end of the 1992 season. It later carried advertising liveries but originally was in company colours as in these June 1988 photos taken in Stubbington. (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
ERV 254D  Another hired in open topper, Portsmouth Atlantean 7 (ERV 254D), operated from June to September 1989. As seen here it ran in Portsmouth, in Portsmouth livery + Provincial fleetname, competing with it's owners services ! (I photographed Portsmouth Atlantean 10 (ERV 252D) & PD2 2 (LRV 992) on their service that day)). (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
591 (NFX130P) August 1991 & 591 leaves the Victory behind as it sets off for South Parade Pier. These Fleetlines came from Bournemouth in 1991 and ran both as open top in summer and as conventional double deck in winter: they were fine in summer but my one experience "roofed" in winter (when one replaced a defective National on my morning journey to work in Southampton) proved the heating was totally ineffective or defunct, ice on the inside of windows anyone ! (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
592 (NFX131P) further along the route (Southsea Sea Life Centre) and two months earlier (June 1991) on the day of the "Southsea Spectacular" (explains the distant RM). I mentioned earlier the fallibility of my memory but look closely & I think you'll see the bus is being piloted by Company M.D. James Freeman, who I remember, after I sprinted through a gap in the traffic to leap on board, making a good job of touting for trade at every stop along the route ! (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
592 (NFX 131P) Showing off roof (usually the "wrong" one, (Bournemouth fleet numbers were still applied inside the front dome)) & later livery; 592 on rail replacement work at Eastleigh Station in November 1995. (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
594 (MOD 571P) The 1995 Southsea rally was graced by good weather as you can see from this view of VR open top 594 (in its original livery) on Clarence Esplanade. (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
603 (N603 EBP) UVG bodied Dennis Dart in original livery, seen turning into Fareham bus station in Feb. 1996 when only two months old. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
520 (AHU 514V) In typical Duxford weather, 520 was an exhibit at Showbus in September 1994. (Photo Malcolm Audsley)
751 (E751 EJO) Service changes on 28th May 1995 produced an increased requirement for minibuses, mostly from gains on Hampshire CC tenders. The Iveco's ordered (204-7) had not arrived by the due date, so to cover MCW Metroriders were hired from City of Oxford until 19th June; Oxford 751 (carrying f/no 1751 which would have signified allocation to Oxford's "Wycombe Bus" operation) turns into the Bus Station in June 1995. (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)
J556 GTP A demonstrator for it's bodybuilder Wadham Stringer, Dennis Dart J556 GTP was possibly on it's first loan to an operator when found at Southampton, Bargate in August 1991. (Photo and text Malcolm Audsley)

More pictures to come...