Sunday 21 May 2023 (1208) – On board convertible open top VDV 134S, a Bristol VR with Eastern Coachworks bodywork that was new to the Western National Omnibus Company Limited in November 1977 later being transferred to sister company the Southern National Omnibus Company Limited.

Now operating with A2B Travel Group and attending the Fenland Busfest at Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire.

Open top buses have been popular at holiday resorts for many years. Until the 1960s the buses were usually the oldest vehicles in the fleet which had already completed many years service as covered top buses operating normal services. In their twilight years some were converted to open top for summer service use carrying holidaymakers. For the greater part of the year they would be parked up in the garage not accruing too much expense.

In the 1960s the use of convertible buses caught on where a vehicle could be used on all year round work. The roof modules were removed for the summer season being replaced with guardrail/windscreen modules.

If my memory serves me right I seem to recall that the usual upper deck front seat configuration on the VR was a three seat unit on the offside and a single seat on the nearside. On this bus it has a transverse double seat on the offside and a longitudinal double seat on the nearside.

This seating layout existed in a photograph I took on 9 August 1984. On that day I, together with my wife and daughters during a family holiday in Dorset, travelled on this actual bus taking an exhilarating open top ride from Weymouth to Portland Bill.

Nice to see it again!