Tuesday 7 August 2012

Torbay's very own bus rally

TORBAY will once again play host to a seaside bus rally.

About 30 buses, several of which spent some of their working lives in the Bay, have already been entered for the free event being staged from 10am to 5pm on Sunday 2 September in Shedden Hill car park just off Torquay seafront.

Buses attending will hopefully include several former Devon General open-toppers, including an AEC Regent dating from 1934 right through to a recently restored 1997 Volvo single-decker which was originally used by Stagecoach to relaunch route 12 with larger buses after it outgrew the minibuses previously used.

The event is being organised by the Devon and Dorset Group of bus enthusiasts in partnership with Torbay Council and Stagecoach.

It is the fourth year running that the bus rally has been staged in the Bay, growing more popular each year, and organiser James Pratt is confident that this year's will be the best yet.

He said: "We were delighted with the success of last year's rally, and the feedback we received was fantastic. People love to have the chance to come along and see the static display of historic buses, and we will be running several free bus services to give visitors the chance to ride in these wonderful character-filled vehicles.

"Retired buses should not be consigned to museums, and as bus enthusiasts we are pleased to give people an opportunity to see them out and about and to have the chance to ride on them once again."

Visitors will be able to buy a souvenir programme including photographs and information about the vehicles, and there will be a timetable giving details of the free bus trips.

Cllr Robert Excell, Torbay Council's Executive Lead for Safer Communities and Transport, said: "This annual rally is filled with nostalgia, and James and his colleagues are to be congratulated on organising such an excellent event.

"It is an extremely popular event, with some wonderful opportunities for photographers, so I would encourage people to come along and have a great time."

Shedden Hill car park will be reserved for the vintage buses and pedestrians only during the event.

Further information about the rally, including a list of vehicles taking part, can be found on the running day website at www.TorbayVBRD.co.uk

2 comments:

James Pratt said...

Thanks for the plug Dave, you going to pop down on the day?

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