2010 – Issue 2 of 4

Life after Cardiff
The first of the batch to leave Cardiff were sent to a bus works in
Rotherham on 4 May 2000 for some refurbishment work, and by the end
of the month 201 to 205 had departed Cardiff, and been allocated Reading
fleet numbers 946 to 950. The remaining buses 206 to 210 went by the
end of July becoming Reading 951 to 955, and followed by 211 to 215 in
August becoming Reading 956 to 960.
Excel 207 heads west over Ely Bridge (A.W.)
Although Reading had a large fleet of Excels, the Cardiff Buses had several
features that existing Reading examples did not have. After a spell of only
eighteen months in Reading R206-215 DKG were sold to Eastbourne
Buses in exchange for six Eastbourne Optare Spectra double-deckers.
The ten Excels settled into life on the South Coast as Eastbourne (38 to
47) and gained that operator’s attractive blue and cream livery. They
were to remain unique at Eastbourne.
Meanwhile back in Berkshire the Reading undertaking was starting to
experience problems with the Excel model, and was looking to
commence disposal of some early examples. By February 2005 they had
withdrawn a number of their own examples and found a ready buyer in
9