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May 2008
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Reading Town Centre Day
30-05-08
As part of the Reading Children's Festival 2008, Town Centre streets and stores came alive today with a whole host of activities and entertainments. Attractions and activities in Broad Street included musicians, a mime artist, Punch and Judy shows, stilt-walkers, in-tent circus tricks, a balloon modeller, face painters, Reading Football Club's Young Royals stand, the 2-TEN FM Thunder team, the Central Reading Neighbourhood Policing team's mobile police station and Reading Buses.
Children taking turns to sit in the driving seat of 1103 in Broad Street today. Route 17 branded sweets were being given away.
More information about the event can be found on the Reading Borough Council website.
Ethanol OmniCity Double Decker Enters Service
27-05-08
The first ethanol powered Scania OmniCity Double Decker entered revenue earning service for the first time at around 3pm this afternoon with 1101 relieving one of the Spectras which have been deputising on the route during the route 20/21 repaint process. It was encouraging to hear several passers by comment on its impressive appearance.
1101 on route 17 today. Note the full colour destination display - bright green text on a purple background.
Ethanol OmniCity Double Deckers Launched
21-05-08
This morning saw the official launch of the ethanol powered Scania OmniCity Double deckers for Reading route 17. Officials gathered outside the Old Town Hall just before 9am to hear some short presentations in Victoria Hall, and then to go on a short tour to the Three Tuns and back onboard 1101.
1101 on display outside the Town Hall this morning with 1102 and 1103 in the background.
There appeared to be quite a lot of media interest, and here we see some of the officials posing for the cameras.
1102 and 1103 showing off additional branding to advertise route 17's new 24 hour identity. 1102 followed 1101 on its tour of Wokingham Road.
1101 is the only vehicle to have had its internal branding applied so far, but it is not now expected that any will enter service today. The branding is interesting because the nearside cove panels are much thinner than on the offside, but they have still been able to fit some useful information into this space. The real time information display is relocated from the established position above the stairs to the front window, and will feature all sorts of additional information about the buses and service as well making audio announcements.
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