Capital Citybus - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Capital Citybus was a major bus operator for London Buses

London Buses

London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...

in North and East London. The company was eventually sold to First

First London

.First London is one of many operators of London Buses and owned by First Group. They did also run the Tramlink network, in a partnership with Tramtrack Croydon before June 2008. Their registered office is at Paddington station in London...

in 1998. Capital Citybus is not to be confused with the other former London bus and coach operator Capital Logistics

Capital Logistics

Capital Logistics is a former bus and coach operator in England. It was formed in August 1997 following the merger of Whyte's Airport Services and Capital Coaches the previous April. The company was sold to Tellings-Golden Miller in 1999...

, for whom in 1999 it provided amongst others relief buses for the troubled route 60 start up.

Company history

The company was established in 1990 with the purchase of the London tendered bus services of Ensignbus

Ensignbus

Ensignbus is a Purfleet-based bus and coach dealer, open top bus tour operator and bus service operator. Ensignbus has amassed 20 ex-London vehicles of various ages and conditions in a ....

by the Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

businessman T T Tsui

Tsui Tsin-tong

Dr. Tsui Tsin-tong Dr. Tsui Tsin-tong Dr. Tsui Tsin-tong (GBS, JP (1941 – 2 April 2010) was a Hong Kong entrepreneur, philanthropist and an antique connoisseur. He was also a Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference....

and his conglomerate CNT Holdings, which also owned bus operator Citybus

Citybus (Hong Kong)

Citybus Limited is one of the three major bus operators in Hong Kong. It provides both franchised and non-franchised bus service. The franchised route network serves mainly Hong Kong Island, cross-harbour routes , Ocean Park, North Lantau and Hong Kong International Airport...

.

Citybus purchased the London tendered routes, one garage and some vehicles. The company was rebranded Capital Citybus and gained a large number of routes after the collapse of London Buses

London Buses

subsidiary London Forest

London Forest

London Forest was a subsidiary of London Buses active between 1988 and 1991. Formed as one of the eleven operating divisions of London Buses in readiness for privatisation, the company initially operated from garages at Ash Grove, Walthamstow and Leyton on a network of routes in North-East London...

in 1991 and further tendering. Later, on December 21, 1995, CNT Holdings sold Capital Citybus to a Management Buy Out Team of the company.

In 1998 Capital Citybus became the second London bus operator to be sold to FirstGroup, after Centrewest. After a period of initially separate operation, the company has been fully amalgamated into the other First London

First London

operations, and the Capital name has been dropped from buses. The yellow f adorning the front of some buses is a reminder of the Capital Citybus livery.

London routes

Capital Citybus saw service on the following London bus routes

Liveries

As Capital Citybus originated from Ensign, the fleet experienced several livery iterations from their inherited blue and silver scheme, starting out as merely Ensign blue/silver vehicles with Ensign Citybus fleetnames painted over where the Ensignbus name was, into variations of yellow and silver. http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p38413184.html http://mapenn6052.fotopic.net/p12664004.html http://simonslondonpictures.fotopic.net/p23805128.html.

The company settled on an allover yellow livery with stylised C logos either side of the destination blind on the front of the bus. Initially buses had red fleetnames incorporating the Chinese characters "城巴" (Citybus) and the stylised C with the Capital Citybus name http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p45176619.html, along with taglines such as "moving comfortably ahead" and "here today... here tomorrow". After the sale of the company to its management, the fleetname was subsequently modified to just Capital Citybus. with the Chinese characters and stylised C phased out http://chris91271a.fotopic.net/p18980300.html.

Capital Citybus was a frequent contractor for British Rail

British Rail

British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...

and London Underground

London Underground

The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...

replacement service work, and during its existence operated specially liveried vehicles for Docklands Light Railway

Docklands Light Railway

The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...

http://simonslondonpictures.fotopic.net/p23805135.html and the East London Line

East London Line

The East London Line is a London Overground line which runs north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London.Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London...

http://simonslondonpictures.fotopic.net/p22263357.html http://eybusmansbusphotographs.fotopic.net/p45526639.html replacement services.

As the regulations changed regarding London tendered service liveries, a revised mainly red livery was introduced http://scanphotos.fotopic.net/p38478125.html.

As the company passed into First ownership, for a time there existed a subtly different First Capital red and yellow livery with the First Group flying f replacing the Citybus C on the front of buses, and First Capital replacing the Capital Citybus fleetname http://scanphotos.fotopic.net/p38478130.html. Now only the frontal f remains in an allover red First livery.

Fleet

Capital Citybus bought large numbers of new vehicles throughout the 1990s. These included the majority of the relatively rare Dennis Arrow double-decker.

http://mapenn6052.fotopic.net/p12664005.html 6 1991-built Northern Counties-bodied Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...

double-deckers
http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p38413194.html 23 1991-built Leyland
Leyland Bus
Leyland Bus was a British bus manufacturer. It emerged from the Rover Group as a management buyout of the bus business...

-bodied Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...

double-deckers
http://mapenn6052.fotopic.net/p43213968.html 20 1992-built Plaxton
Plaxton
Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...

-bodied Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz buses
Mercedes-Benz has been making buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995, the brand of Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches is under the umbrella of EvoBus GmbH, belonging 100 % to the Daimler AG.-Heritage:...

811D minibus
Minibus
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...

es
http://busesaroundlondon.fotopic.net/p33846924.html 10 1992-built Optare MetroRider
Optare MetroRider
The Optare MetroRider was a midibus built by Optare between 1989 and 2000. Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after Optare bought the rights following a decision by MCW to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.The MetroRider was an integral...

integral minibuses
http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p32317762.html 3 1992-built Alexander
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...

-bodied Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz buses
Mercedes-Benz has been making buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995, the brand of Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches is under the umbrella of EvoBus GmbH, belonging 100 % to the Daimler AG.-Heritage:...

811D minibuses
http://scanphotos.fotopic.net/p38478131.html 7 1992-built Northern Counties-bodied Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...

double-deckers
http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p31066386.html 1 1993-built Northern Counties Palatine
Northern Counties Palatine
The Northern Counties Palatine is a step-entrance double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK. It was built mainly on Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian chassis, although some were also built on DAF, Volvo B10M Citybus and Scania chassis...

-bodied Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...

double-decker
http://simonslondonpictures.fotopic.net/p23805146.html 2 1993-built pre-production Northern Counties-bodied Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....

YN2RV18Z4 double-deckers
http://busesaroundlondon.fotopic.net/p33846929.html 3 1994-built Northern Counties-bodied Volvo B6
Volvo B6
The Volvo B6 is a midibus manufactured by Volvo between 1991 and 2000. Its low-floor variant, the Volvo B6LE, was first built in 1994.The Volvo B6/B6LE chassis was built to compete with the Dennis Dart/Dart SLF chassis. It could be fitted with Volvo TD63E/TD63ES engine...

midibus
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...

es
http://chris91271a.fotopic.net/p18180241.html 1 1994-built Northern Counties-bodied Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....

midibus
http://mapenn6052.fotopic.net/p12664006.html 10 1994-built Alexander
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...

-bodied Volvo B6
Volvo B6
The Volvo B6 is a midibus manufactured by Volvo between 1991 and 2000. Its low-floor variant, the Volvo B6LE, was first built in 1994.The Volvo B6/B6LE chassis was built to compete with the Dennis Dart/Dart SLF chassis. It could be fitted with Volvo TD63E/TD63ES engine...

midibuses
1 1995-built Northern Counties-bodied DAF DB250
VDL DB250
The VDL DB250 is a double-decker bus sold in the UK through VDL Bus International's UK dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. A small number of DB250s have also been exported to Istanbul, Turkey.-DB250:...

double-decker
http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p37519319.html 11 1996-built Northern Counties-bodied Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....

YN2RV18Z4 double-deckers
http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p42700521.html 4 1996-built Optare Excel
Optare Excel
The Optare Excel is a low-floor full-size single-decker bus manufactured by Optare.Manufactured as an integral bus, the Excel was launched in 1995 as one of the first low-floor single-deck vehicles. The styling of the body was in keeping with existing Optare products, especially at the rear...

integral single-deckers
http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p36103516.html 16 1996/7-built Northern Counties-bodied Dennis Arrow double-deckers
http://chris91271a.fotopic.net/p18980303.html 16 1997-built Alexander
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...

-bodied Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....

double-deckers
http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p32359945.html 38 1997/8-built East Lancs-bodied Dennis Arrow double-deckers
http://andrew46.fotopic.net/p42393605.html 13 1998-built East Lancs-bodied Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....

SLF midibus
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...

es
17 1998-built Northern Counties-bodied Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....

double-deckers
22 1999-built Plaxton President
Plaxton President
The Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...

-bodied Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...

double-deckers

In addition to its new buses, Capital Citybus employed many second-hand vehicles, many from Ensign.

Bristol VR
Bristol VR
The Bristol VR was Bristol's rear-engined bus chassis, designed as a competitor to the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline.-Development:...

http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p39644929.html
MCW Metrobus
MCW Metrobus
The MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...

http://scanphotos.fotopic.net/p38478148.html
Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...

II http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p34441481.html
Dennis Dominator
Dennis Dominator
The Dennis Dominator was Dennis's first rear-engined double-decker bus chassis, it was launched in 1977. Dennis had been absent from the bus manufacturing market since the last Lolines were produced in 1967. The Dominator was described as bespoke, with numerous options...

(East Lancs) http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p32189686.html
Dennis Dominator
Dennis Dominator
The Dennis Dominator was Dennis's first rear-engined double-decker bus chassis, it was launched in 1977. Dennis had been absent from the bus manufacturing market since the last Lolines were produced in 1967. The Dominator was described as bespoke, with numerous options...

(Northern Counties) http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p31731700.html
Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...

(Alexander
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...

RL) http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p32189690.html
Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...

(Optare
Optare
Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....

) http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p31387637.html
Leyland Titan (B15)
Leyland Titan (B15)
The Leyland Titan was a model of double-decker bus produced by the Leyland Truck & Bus division of British Leyland from 1977 until 1984, almost exclusively for London Transport.-Development:...

(Park Royal
Park Royal Vehicles
Dating its origins back to 1889, Park Royal Vehicles along with its Leeds-based subsidiary Charles H. Roe was one of Britain's leading coachbuilders and bus manufacturers based at Park Royal, west London, UK.-Associated Commercial Vehicles:...

) http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p30846457.html
Bedford
Bedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...

http://simonslondonpictures.fotopic.net/p23805145.html
Scania K93 (Plaxton
Plaxton
Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...

) http://londonbusesbyadam.fotopic.net/p33181467.html

An early articulated bus

Articulated bus

An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...

, the Leyland-DAB

Leyland-DAB articulated bus

The Leyland-DAB articulated bus was an articulated bus built by Leyland-DAB in Denmark. The Leyland-DAB artic found customers in Denmark, and was the first modern style articulated buses in the United Kingdom, albeit with limited repeat orders....

appeared in Capital Citybus livery, with blinds for the London Red Arrow

Red Arrow (bus)

Red Arrow was branding given to two current and several former London bus limited stop routes used as high frequency commuter services in central London...

service http://londonbusphotosbybryan.fotopic.net/p46268331.html.

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Company history

London routes

Liveries

Fleet

External links