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Citybus, Belfast

Page last updated on 30th March 2009

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Belfast Corporation   H M S Catherwood Ltd.   Citybus   Lough Swilly   Lough Swilly photos   NIRTB 1935 - 39   NIRTB 1940 - 48   UTA 1948 - 56   UTA 1957 - 61   UTA 1962 - 66  

U'bus 1967 - 72   U'bus 1973 - 76   U'bus 1977 - 82   U'bus 1983 - 88   U'bus 1989 - 2006

Citybus took over the vehicles and services of Belfast Corporation in April 1973, with a mixed fleet comprising Daimler and Guy half cab double deckers, Daimler Fleetlines and Roadliners, AEC Swifts and a small number of Atlanteans. The first new vehicles were the final five Fleetlines which had been ordered by Belfast Corporation, followed by forty AN68 Atlanteans in 1975/76. As a sister company of Ulsterbus, it was inevitable that a common fleet policy would be introduced. This came in 1975 in the form of the first of 600 Bristol RELL6Gs with Alexander bodywork, with a batch of 40 for each operator. While this brought about the end of half cab conductor operated buses, the civil unrest in Ulster meant that further buses were also required.

Prior to the arrival of the new Bristol RELLs, the need for replacement buses was filled by the rebodying of buses (mainly Fleetlines) which had been destroyed, and the transfer of 32 Leyland Tiger Cubs and two Titans from Ulsterbus in 1974/75. 40 Atlanteans were placed in service in 1975/76, which were to be the last new Leyland double deckers to be bought by either company. From 1977 onwards the fleet began to be altered by the addition of second-hand buses from operators in the U.K. The first to arrive were ex London Transport AEC Merlins, followed by single deck Fleetlines from Northern General and Potteries. Ex London AEC Swifts came next, being followed by a group of former London Country AEC Merlins in 1979/80. Alongside these came further batches of new Bristol RELLs, as well as two ex Ulsterbus Bedford VAM14s, the latter being of note as the only front engined buses in the fleet at the time.

The next supplier of used buses was Crosville, who sent sixteen ECW bodied Bristol RELLs in 1980. A further batch followed them from United Automobile Services, and with these and new buses, the last ex London buses were withdrawn in 1981/82. Over the following few years further ECWs, from an increasingly varied selection of companies entered service, bringing a good degree of mechanical standardization to the fleet. As the years progressed the reducing availability of used RELLs meant turning to shorter buses, dual door vehicles, and finally some with Leyland engines instead of Gardner.

Three Leyland B21s arrived in 1982, followed by five Leyland Lynxes in 1986, but these were to remain little more than trial batches, being sold off after only only a few years service. The next major development was the introduction of Gardner powered Leyland Tigers from 1988 onwards, bringing a fleet of new mid-mounted underfloor engined buses to Belfast city routes for the first time. The last ECWs were withdrawn in 1991, with some returning to England for further service, and later preservation. The Alexander variety had been all withdrawn by 2000, with some passing to Bus Eireann for school transport, and some of the newer examples going to Lough Swilly.

1973

Opening fleet in April 1973, ex Belfast Corporation:

The following vehicles were operational at the takeover, and all were renumbered by the addition of 2000 to their previous B C T fleet numbers.

The following vehicles were taken over as withdrawn stock and not renumbered. 338 to 445 were used for spares, and 560 to 827 were later rebodied for Citybus:

New vehicles:

Rebodied vehicles:

1974

Rebodied vehicles:

1975

Citybus 2898 was one of the 40 Alexander bodied AN68s bought by Citybus in 1975. These buses were the last new Leyland double deckers to be bought by either Ulsterbus or Citybus.

1976

Rebodied vehicles:

1977

Citybus 2097 seen in central Belfast on August 22nd 1987. This bus later became Bus Eireann number BG18 (77-D-185), as depicted in the second photo (below). 2097 was sold for scrap at the end of 2000.

2154 is seen at Newtownabbey depot in February 1994, having been converted to single door for possible sale to Bus Eireann. However it was retained by Citybus due to a vehicle shortage at the time, and hence was not destined to join the B.E. fleet.

1978

1979

Rebodied vehicles:

1980

New in 1967, 701 was one of the oldest second-hand REs, arriving from Crosville in 1980 and seen here on route 11 on November 17th 1984. The route number co-incidentally matches the registration number.

Co-op allover advert 2348 provided a chance to sample free RE travel in Belfast, between the city centre and York House superstore. It is seen opposite City Hall on November 17th 1984.

NIR painted 2360 was one of four such buses (2357- 2360) used on the Rail-Link service during the 1980s, as seen at Central Station on January 26th 1985.

Donegall Square on November 17th 1984 with four-year-old bus 2415 between service journeys. This bus is now preserved by the Irish Transport Trust.

1981

One of three ex Ulsterbus Tiger Cubs transferred to Citybus in 1980 for towing duties, 428 carries UTA bodywork. These were to be the last UTA built buses to remain in use, until 1985, when Bedford YRQs replaced them. (Photo by Will Hughes).

2476 in central Belfast on route 38 to Four Winds on August 22nd 1987. This bus belongs to the third batch of REs to have registration numbers above 8000, the others being 2081 - 2120 and 2401 - 2430.

1982

2521 at Donegall Square on November 17th 1984. This bus is from the third last batch of Citybus Bristol RELLs and was new in 1982.

3004 was one of six Leyland Lion B21s bought in 1981/82, as potential successors to the Bristol RE model. However very few Lions were produced, and these six later joined some similar buses with Ipswich Borough Transport.

1983

749 was a former West Riding vehicle purchased in 1984 and was photographed on November 17th that year.

This August 22nd 1987 view shows 2554 painted to advertise Ulster Television. Behind it is one of the last surviving early 1970s Daimler Fleetlines.

1984

Citybus 2571 was passing the City Hall on a dull February day in 1994. Note that the livery has been revised to include a red stripe above the windscreen and the fleetname applied on the front.

1985

791 was a former Eastern National vehicle which was new in 1971, and is seen at Donegall Square on August 22nd 1987.

1986

Ex Eastern National 707 seen at City Hall on August 22nd 1987. This was one of the last such vehicles to be acquired.

1987

Citybus ran just two Leopards in passenger carrying service, both Plaxton bodied. 562 was photographed at the ITT rally in Bangor on April 25th 1987.

1988

785, somewhat appropriately, was new to Bristol Omnibus and was among the last of the second-hand REs to be acquired. This photo was taken on April 29th 1989.

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

2008

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