THE LONDON & HOME COUNTIES SHOWBUS BUS IMAGE GALLERY
Carousel Buses Mercedes Citaros
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 Carousel acquired three Mercedes Citaros for the A40 Wycombe - Heathrow service aided with funding from the British Airports Authority as part of the "freeflow heathrow" scheme. The three were cleverly registered CB51/52/53BUS and this is the one in the middle, CB52BUS, seen in Beaconsfield Old Town. The route is somewhat peculiar in comparison to Arriva services 74 and 300 that also served the A40 corridor, in that it refuses to leave the A40 and thereby avoids the main centres of population in both Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross. This is perpetuated in Uxbridge, where the stop is about as far from the Bus and Tube Station as it could be to give the illusion that it served the station and the route continues to Heathrow avoiding any likely areas where it might encounter a prospective passenger. The restrictions in the Greater London area are not of Carousel's making but at Transport for London's dictat. No passengers can be picked up or set down wholly between Heathrow and Uxbridge, such are the "advantages" of regulation. |
Citaro CB51BUS is seen with green fields behind - albeit opposite Loudwater's Tesco store, one of the few places that passengers boarded or alighted in the early days of the service.
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 The silver buses look good in sunshine and Beaconsfield provides a good setting once again. Red vinyls were due to be applied to the sides to match the purple ones on First Beeline's Heathrow Citaros and the Tellings' Darts on the 555 (blue on silver) and 441 (green on silver). The Citaro is CB51BUS again. |
 In summer 2007 one of the Citaros, complete with red vinyls, is seen on a morning school contract at the M40 Handy Cross junction. It is overtaking one of Arriva's new U9 dual door Darts about to run light to Uxbridge along the motorway to take up service. |
 Designated MB51, CB51BUS arrives in High Wycombe from Heathrow in July 2005. The service had gained in popularity and passengers liked the buses, the speed and reliability of the A40. Having been inital bargains fares to Heathrow increased, evenually becoming a premium fare. |
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