VKB708 - Request for information

[buses7675 (Website Founder)]

VKB708 - Request for information
Hi All,

I've been doing a bit of light research on the origins of the registration plate VKB708 and was wondering if anyone can either confirm if my research is correct or not and could they add any more to it.

As far as I can gather this is the case.

First bus to have the plate was Liverpool Corporation Leyland PD2/Crossley, L252 VKB708

This lasted a lot longer than the rest of that batch (not sure what dates but until Merseybus times) as it was used for towing buses from Carnegie Road to Edge Lane or Green Lane?

The bus was later sold to preservationists for spares but the registration was retained by Merseybus and transferred to Leyland Tiger/Duple 7010 ex CKC625X.

Third vehicle to have the plate was Shearings Volvo B10M/Van Hool ex B483UNB which MTL acquired after they bought Fareway. This vehicle was Fareway fleet number 2, not sure on its MTL number however if anyone knows?

This vehicle was then later transferred to Heysham Travel, which MTL owned at the time and in February 2000 the entire of MTL was sold to Arriva and so Arriva ended up with it. Arriva then sold the Heysham Travel depot to Stagecoach in June 2000 and the vehicle became Stagecoach North West/Ribble 165 and later into the national system as 52002. It was used for driver training purposes, apparently at various depots too so not even kept 'locally' at all!


As when then know Arriva sold Gillmoss to GTL in 2001 which then sold out to Stagecoach in 2005.

The registration was in mid 2006 put onto what was the newest bus in Gillmoss at the time, Dart 34820 PX06DWF. This was transferred to Chester depot in around 2014 and retained the plate initially but the plate was brought back to Liverpool in 2017 and fitted to Poppy Bus Enviro400 19038 SN56AWH and has most recently been transferred in July 2019 to new Poppy Bus Enviro400MMC 10534 SN16OMY.

Of note Dart 34820 and Enviro400 19038 both got their original registrations back when they lost the VKB708 plate but Leyland Tiger 7010 became DEM269X rather than CKC625X again.

If anyone knows any more on that, or the fleet number it has on the Volvo B10M coach at MTL I would love to know!

[Bevan Price]

RE: VKB708 - Request for information

(04/08/2019 14:49)buses7675 Wrote:  Hi All,

I've been doing a bit of light research on the origins of the registration plate VKB708 and was wondering if anyone can either confirm if my research is correct or not and could they add any more to it.

As far as I can gather this is the case.

First bus to have the plate was Liverpool Corporation Leyland PD2/Crossley, L252 VKB708

This lasted a lot longer than the rest of that batch (not sure what dates but until Merseybus times) as it was used for towing buses from Carnegie Road to Edge Lane or Green Lane?

The bus was later sold to preservationists for spares but the registration was retained by Merseybus and transferred to Leyland Tiger/Duple 7010 ex CKC625X.

Third vehicle to have the plate was Shearings Volvo B10M/Van Hool ex B483UNB which MTL acquired after they bought Fareway. This vehicle was Fareway fleet number 2, not sure on its MTL number however if anyone knows?

In an Excel file dated 2000, I have this coach listed as Arriva 0002.

[buses7675 (Website Founder)]

RE: VKB708 - Request for information
Excellent, thank you. I thought it may have been 2/0002 but wasn't sure.

[Gillmoss 0324]

RE: VKB708 - Request for information
Interesting stuff on VKB's history Steve, nice to see it still around on a vehicle in the region too.