London Buses in France

[Ron Avery]

Not exactly on topic, but with all your eyes out there in France, has anybody seen or live next door to anyone who has an ex London double decker bus in their yard or barn?

I know of one near Civray in 86, but a contact believes that there are others perhaps near Albi in 81.

 Many have been bought by French people in the past, some used as mobile homes/shops/mobile advertising boards but it is difficult to keep track of where they went to or find out if any are for sale or being scrapped, so any info gratefully received, on the Forum or by PM.

Thanks

[Val_2]

One of the numerous brit-run wine caves just five mins from the Roscoff ferry terminal has an old red double decker stood in front of it along with a gruesome fish and chips 4€ board,sorry but it smacks of the Costa del Sol and not rural Brittany. I have actually seen this bus round and about Morlaix quite a lot over the past sixteen years but I imagine now it is insitu permanently.

[Viv]

Val,

I didn't realise that this bus actually ever moved from the traffic island or whatever it's resting on.

I know exactly what you mean - TACKY and Roscoff is such a pretty place.

Ron.

You know how you build a mental picture of some one, well you are now going to be forever seen in my mind as Blakey - he was always my favourite!

[Jc]

There's a London taxi at the front of a breaker's yard just south of Le Touquet.

[Punch]

I'm thinking of packing in the renovation game, and buying this;

 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Routemaster-Bus_W0QQitemZ4591109821QQcategoryZ9883QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Then I can stock it with Marmite , Walkers crisps, Cheddar cheese , Christmas crackers etc. and probably make more money than I ever will in my existing business. En plus, at least my 12 Grand would go to a decent cause and not line the pockets of the fonctionnaires of L'etat Francais

Paul

 

[Patf]

There was one being used as a cafe in Mirande 32 on one of the bank holidays this year. I didn't go in so don't know whether it was french or british owned. Pat.

[derf]

There is a French registered (33) Routemaster in Monségur Gironde that used to be operated as a curry restaurant, it was parked up in a field the last time I saw it, at Bergerac airport (24) there is a more modern type London Bus used as an office for airport parking and it's also for hire if you want it. 

[Richard-R]

Very un-France but there is one in down town Colombo, Sri Lanka thats used as a 'KFC' takeaway. Also seen a London taxi in a shanty just outside of Mombasa, Kenya.

[Christine Animal]

http://www.londonbus.fr/

http://www.busanglais.be/

http://www.mobypub.com/bus_anglais.html

[Ron Avery]

Merci bien Christine!!

Just what I was looking for

Thanks

[Happy Expat]

There was an old RT London bus on Ile d'Oleron near St Denis, French registered but in reasonable order a few years ago. Unsure if it is still there, perhaps someone knows ...

Bob (47)

[Marc]

Saw this on ebay!

bus anglaise deux etages

http://cgi.ebay.fr/bus-anglaise-deux-etages_W0QQitemZ4594820678QQcategoryZ97152QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Moulin Neuf]

Ron,  Just wanted to know if you won the bid?

Jan

[Ron Avery]

[quote]Ron, Just wanted to know if you won the bid? Jan[/quote]

Not bidding for this one NF, not really old enough, and these buses were a lot of trouble when in service with London Buses, which is why they got rid of them!!.  Nice mobile home though but probably very restricted as to where you could take it

[Marc]

There's one in Les Sables d'Olonne with 85 plates - I think its owned

by the local Toyota garage as it is usually parked opposite. 

Can't quite see the connection myself.[*-)]

[Christine Animal]

Did you see it was the last day for them in London today (yesterday?), too dangerous with the jump on/off platform at the back, causing accidents (about time they realised that, since 1953 I think it was).  It was on the French news tonight, they said they will be for sale at 8,000 euro.   [8-|]

[Ron Avery]

It wasn’t the last day for London buses as such, it was the last day in normal service of the open backed Routemaster.  It was good to see the BBC London News commemorated the demise of the Routemaster after 46 years in service with a racing driver driving one round a test track to see if it was better than a modern bus!!   I used to work for London Transport, overhauling them and putting them back together again after accidents and they were so easy to work with and maintain.  But the elderly and those with kids and shopping find them difficult to use, so with an ageing population in the UK perhaps the time was right for them to go, I do feel sorry for all the bus conductors though who have lost their jobs.   I think you will need more than 8000€ to buy, one more like 15000€ for one in good condition, not much use in France though as they are 4.3 metres high and would hit a lot of tress and power lines round here.

.

[Weedon]

Back in 1974 I bought a 1949 RT Double Decker converted as a camper, and used it for a couple of years before selling it (for a profit) to a company who planned to export it to Sri Lanka after first converting it back into its original condition.

You may think I was crazy to buy it in the first place and you would be right to do so as now I cannot imagine what possessed me.  My kids loved it and my wife thought I was barking mad.  I think she was right  [:$] weedon

[Jc]

Met a person in Portugal who bought a German bendy-bus to convert in to a motor-caravan.It apparently cost him a fortune,more than the value of the bus,to get it unstuck from a hump-back bridge in the wilds of Portugal.

[Christine Animal]

That sounded lovely Weedon, I would have loved that.  We got as far as an Esterfête, équipée Star for camping, so we could go off with the dogs in it.  We could stop anywhere, in the dunes, on the beach in the Cotentin (we love), Douarnenez, the Dordogne.  We crossed the Channel to go away with my parents in their caravan to Cornwall and Wales.  My Dad said he missed all the little faces in the windows when we were over there.  One day in France with my parents, we didn't have any more hand brake, so left it in first gear, parked on a slope in a town.  Juan, a Spanish mongrel souvenir, was sitting in the driving seat and the dogs must have knocked it out of gear and it was starting to go down the hill when luckily my father saw and jumped in.  The good old days...

Couldn't a "bendy-bus" get under a hump-back bridge...?