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Isle of Man National Transport 1977 - 2009

Bus Vannin 2009 onwards

Page last updated on 12th May 2013

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Dennis Dart 25 (DMN 25R) seen at Port Erin station in its original "Easyrider" livery. 25 was later renumbered 35 and was sold for preservation in October 2011, one of only three of the batch of 25 to remain on the island. Photo copyright Richard Davis.

Isle of Man National Transport Ltd. came into being from October 1st 1976, as a result of the merging of the two previous bus operators on the island, Douglas Corporation and Isle of Man Road Services. Being the larger of the two, it was the former IoMRS image that was to predominate, with the yellow buses being repainted allover red, or being withdrawn from service. The merger (takeover?) provided some interesting workings too, for when I visited the island in 1977 ex Douglas buses (in both yellow and red) were operating throughout the island. My notes show I encountered AEC Regent 8122 MN in Peel in that summer, still in yellow livery.

The first new buses continued the fleet policy of the Road Services fleet, these being a further seven Leyland Nationals to boost the fleet of these to twenty examples. Further double deckers were needed to replace older buses, and initially ex Northern General AEC Routemasters were considered, possibly to replace the Regents. However following the death of General Manager William Lambden around this time, the half cab idea was changed to buying fourteen 1965/66 Leyland Atlanteans from Merseyside PTE, resulting in the seemingly ludicrous situation of replacing 10 year old AEC Regents with 14 year old buses, although there was the desire to introduce driver only operation of double deckers. Ten similarly aged ex Ribble Leopards were bought in 1979/80, replacing among other things the four ex Douglas Bedford YRQs, three of which were just five years old. By 1984 all of these 1960s imports had gone, along with all the half cab deckers. Two other Leopards which joined the fleet in 1979 were ten year old Plaxton coaches new to Wallace Arnold, intended to meet the needs of the tourism market. Like the Road Services attempt at this sector in 1970/71, it was short-lived and the two coaches subsequently passed to Tours (Isle of Man) before being quickly sold on.

In the place of those Ribble and Merseyside vehicles came ten ex Preston Leyland Panthers (including the last one ever built) and 15 ex Tyne and Wear PDR2 Atlanteans with 78 seats. These two batches introduced dual door bodywork to the island for the first time, with the deckers also bringing in nearside staircases and panoramic windows, which may not have been the most suitable items for use on Manx roads. The next large batch of vehicles, in fact probably the largest group ever, was the 29 ex Merseyside PDR2 Atlanteans, again with Alexander bodies, but with smaller windows.

Some of the Merseyside buses entered service in green and white livery, not going in for repaint until later on. The early to mid 1980s also saw an epidemic of all-over advert buses, with an estimate at one point of some 60% of the double deck fleet being so adorned. In 1986 some degree of standardization was achieved with the purchase of nineteen more Leyland Nationals, three from East Kent and the rest from South Yorkshire PTE. A further PTE was used in the same year when fifteen Park Royal bodied Leyland AN68s arrived from Greater Manchester, the same operator also supplying one of its Seddon Pennine midi-buses.

In 1987 Robert Smith was appointed Transport Executive, and from the following year new buses began to be purchased once more. These were the first new buses since the 1977 batch of Nationals, the first new double deckers since 1968, and even more notable, the first new Leyland double deckers since 1964! The six Olympians also had Leyland bodywork, and were joined in 1989 and 1990 by two further batches of six and seven respectively; this “baker’s dozen” of vehicles also reintroducing Northern Counties bodywork for the first time since 1949. Two Leyland Lynxes joined the fleet in 1990, followed in 1991 by the fifth and final batch of Atlanteans, a batch of dual door Alexander bodied AN68 Atlanteans which came from Portsmouth. One of the Lynxes was turned out in the old Road Services livery, with two Nationals being repainted in Douglas Corporation livery to complement it.

Beyond this, 22 new Dennis Darts were delivered over the three years from 1992, accompanied by five ex Hull Dennis Dominators in 1993, eight used Olympians from Southern National and Metrobus, Orpington in 1996, and nine Leyland Lynxes from Halton Borough Transport in 1997. Further second hand Olympians began arriving in 1998, initially ex London, and were later joined by ex Dublin vehicles. New vehicles since then have included DAF and Dennis double deckers with step free entrances, as well as similarly equipped Dennis Darts to replace the earlier Plaxton bodied ones. By 2008 just thirteen Leyland Olympians remained in the fleet, with the other 73 members of the island's bus fleet being wheelchair accessible. Compared to 1976, the fleet total of 2008 had only increased by three vehicles, but the number of single deck buses had dropped from 36 to 12, with a consequent increase of double deck capacity from 47 buses in 1976, to 74 vehicles in 2008. A number of older Manx buses have been retained (or re-acquired) and restored by the company as a heritage fleet.

In 2009, a batch of eleven Wrights bodied Volvo B9TLs were placed in service. Apart from being the island's first Volvo deckers, they also introduced a new fleetname "Bus Vannin" and a new livery based on that of East Yorkshire. These vehicles in turn reduced the surviving Olympian fleet to just two buses, both on schools duties. With the withdrawal of these last Leylands, the Isle of Man's bus services are now totally worked by vehicles supplied new to the island, for the first time since 1967. Contrasting with this modern accessible fleet has been the opening of the Manx Transport Trust's museum in Jurby, where some examples of the island's former buses can be seen.

My thanks to John Davis, Richard Davis, Stephen Clough and Steve White for help received so far.

Opening fleet, October 1st 1976

The following list details the National Transport fleet of buses at the time of the merger between Isle of Man Road Services and Douglas Corporation Transport.

Total fleet = 94, comprising 20 ex Douglas and 62 ex Road Services, plus 12 other ex Douglas buses which were not renumbered or used by the new company.

1977

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2009

In 2009 Isle of Man National Transport Ltd. was rebranded as "Bus Vannin" and all current vehicles were given the new fleetname. Volvos 160 to 170 were the first new buses to be delivered with the title.

2010

2011

2012

2013

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