Cover picture:Classic Southdown Omnibuses 901 (DCA 528X), the ECW-bodied open-top Bristol VRT operated on the relaunched Seafront 12 route in Bournemouth. It was new to Crosville. MARK LYONS

Contents

NEWS
Stagecoach buying some of Bullock's buses; free bus plans for Greater Manchester; Diamond relaunches with two new identities; First orders 250 buses from Alexander Dennis; 'new' Optare wins Go-Ahead order

BUS PEOPLE
Former Optare managing director takes top job at Plaxton; Lord Stokes, the man who built British Leyland, dies age 94

INSIDE TRACK
Latin lesson of what BRT achieves in large cities

GLOBAL NEWS
Qbuzz takes routes from Arriva Nederland; more Stagecoach/First competition in North America; freak accident damages trolleybuses

IN LONDON
Blue Triangle route loss raises more questions; rail replacements; are London liveries becoming more drab?

MILLAR'S TALES
20 Years Ago: GM Buses' Routemasters remembered; Plaxton Elite in Siberia; Christmas in July in Plymouth

NINE WAYS TO ADD NEW LIFE TO BUS ROUTES
The story behind some of the bus industry's recent successes

CARLTON COLVILLE IS AT LAST IN THE LOOP
Britain's latest trolleybus extension is landmark for museum

NO AQUAMARINE, NO COWS' HORNS, DEFINITELY ARRIVA
We revisit the group's outpost on Majorca and find little corporate ID