De-Regulation in Hastings

The Bristol REs

Updated 22 October 2000

Hastings and District Bristol REs

Bristol RE, one of many that the newly privatised Hastings and District Company ran in a variety of liveries, this one in a variant of the then bus livery of blue cream and yellow, seen at Hastings Station
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The blue cream and yellow bus livery mentioned above was the most common version on the REs as well as on the VRs and looked very smart on both. This bus is seen in Castle Street, in an area now pedestrianised.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hastings and District received REs from various sources and were not always quick to repaint them into fleet livery. This example in service in Hastings is in the livery of Potteries Motor Traction (PMT) with only the application of the Hastings and District fleetname below the windows..
 
 
 

Another view of a blue cream and yellow RE seen on route 26 in St Leonards with Stagecoach stickers. Unlike the Red and White company in Gloucestershire/East Wales these buses never received stagecoach stripes.
 
 
 
 
 

A Bristol RE with ECW body in the Hastings and District fleet, this time seen at Rye in the livery associated with the Rye Depot This photo kindly sent by Nigel Chatfield whose site is
http://www.southbus.co.uk/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  Bexhill and District

Bexhill and District were an independent company after Maidstone and District had closed their Bexhill depot. Routes were run in Bexhill using ex-Eastbourne Leyland Panthers,.later services were run using ex-Hastings REs. This bus, an early flat screen two door version had not run previously with Hastings.
 
 
 

Top Line

A procession of De-Regulation buses on St Leonards Sea Front headed by a Top Line single door National in the vivid yellow and black livery, followed by a two door example in the then Southdown NBC livery but with Top Line stickers, the final bus being a Hastings and District VR in the blue cream and yellow livery first introduced with the mini-buses.

Look out for updates of this gallery
 
 

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