Basildon Bus Station

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Basildon Bus Station South Walk, Southernhay



Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol KS5G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2300 Registration Number: DJN 554 Route Service Number: 241 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: October 1965 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1950 with ECW L27/28R body. Originally delivered to Westcliff-on-Sea and seen leaving by the original western exit. Withdrawn 11/1967.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol KS5G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2269 Registration Number: ONO 78 Route Service Number: Unknown Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1965 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1951 with ECW L27/28R body. Formerly numbered 1541 and withdrawn in 1967.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol LD5G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2527 Registration Number: 50 PPU Route Service Number: 254 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1967 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1959 with ECW H33/27R body. Formerly numbered 1558 and withdrawn in 1975.



Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol LD5G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2462 Registration Number: 324 GPU Route Service Number: 244 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: September 1972 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1956 with ECW H33/27R body. Formerly numbered 3293 & withdrawn in 1973. Note the space now occupied by the Eastgate Indoor Shopping centre.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6B Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 1640 Registration Number: RWC 607 Route Service Number: X10 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: June 1963 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: FLF6B coach with ECW CH37/18F body new in 1963. Later renumbered 2604. Note the bus alight point Island, parallel with Southernhay and now the site of the taxi rank.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2826 Registration Number: JHK 461C Route Service Number: 147 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: 1970 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1965 with ECW H38/32F body and withdrawn in 1980. Note above the top deck windows, aluminium beading along the roofline. A significant feature of this bus was that it used much more glassfibre as an experiment - a foretaste of the future.



Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2792 Registration Number: AVX 960B Route Service Number: 2A Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: June 1970 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1964 with ECW H38/32F body. Originally numbered 1669 and withdrawn in 1979.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2866 Registration Number: RVW 392D Route Service Number: 400 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: 1971 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1966 with ECW H38/32F body. Withdrawn in 1971. Shortly afterwards this bus was exchanged with W. Alexander & Sons (Midland) for a Bristol VR.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2814 Registration Number: GNO 790B Route Service Number: 2 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: May 1971 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1964 with ECW H38/32F body. Withdrawn in 1980.



Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6G Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2718 Registration Number: 98 TVX Route Service Number: 259 Photographer: Chris Stewart Year of photo: 5 September 1976 Copyright: Chris Stewart Comments: New in 1960 with ECW H38/32F body. Originally numbered 1589 and withdrawn in 1977.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6B Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2779 Registration Number: 992 KOO Route Service Number: Not known Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: March 1977 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1963 with ECW H32/32F body. Originally numbered 1656 and withdrawn in 1978. Note the original wall mural above the shops.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2919 Registration Number: AEV 813F Route Service Number: 26 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1968 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1968 with ECW H40/30F body. Destroyed by fire at Prittlewell depot (Essex) 1981.



Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2887 Registration Number: WNO 975F Route Service Number: 251 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: May 1970 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1967 with ECW H40/30F body and withdrawn in 1981.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2892 Registration Number: WNO 980F Route Service Number: 151 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1974 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1967 with ECW H40/30F body and withdrawn in 1981. Intermediate livery (NBC green/white) Yellow (Eastern National) above radiator.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2922 Registration Number: AEV 816F Route Service Number: 2 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: May 1977 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1968 with ECW H40/30F body and withdrawn in 1981.



Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol FLF6LX Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 2894 Registration Number: WNO 982F Route Service Number: 151 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: August 1980 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1967 with ECW H40/30F body and withdrawn in 1981.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT/SL6LX Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3000 Registration Number: CPU 979G Route Service Number: X10 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: 1968 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1968 with ECW H39/31F body and withdrawn in 1986. The first VRT SL and was the chassis shown at the Earls Court Show in 1968. It is now preserved and privately owned by a bus enthusiast.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT/SL6LX Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3001 Registration Number: CPU 980G Route Service Number: X10 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: March 1969 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: New in 1969 with ECW H39/31 body and withdrawn in 1986. Painted in duel-purpose livery.



Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3019 Registration Number: SMS 45H Route Service Number: 400 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: September 1971 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: Swopped in a deal involving 15 FLFs with W. Alexander & Sons (Midland). Seen with interim scrolls (no numbers) in Alexander blue livery.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3008 Registration Number: SMS 34H Route Service Number: 400 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: September 1972 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: Swapped for FLFs, seen here after re-paint into NBC green/white livery, but missing the NBC-style fleetnames and grey wheels.	Location: Basildon Bus Station Bus Type: Bristol VRT Bus Operator: Eastern National Fleet Number: 3005 Registration Number: LFS 287F Route Service Number: 400 Photographer: Bill Cansick Year of photo: April 1974 Copyright: W.T. Cansick (Paul Harrison Collection) Comments: ENOC VRT in NBC green/white livery, ex Eastern Scottish AA287, with curiously small "T" box front destination box fitted by ENOC.

All photos and caption information appear courtesy of
The History of Southend Corporation Transport website.
No unauthorised use is permitted - see website link above for more information.

Abbreviations:
ENOC; Eastern National Omnibus Company, ECW; Eastern Coach Works (Lowestoft, Suffolk).
Bus Type Codes:
KSW5G=kchassis Short Wide 5 cylinder Gardner engine.
LD5G=Lodekka 5 cylinder Gardner engine.
FLF6B=Flat floor Long Forward 6 cylinder Bristol engine.
FLF6G=Flat floor Long Forward 6 cylinder Gardner engine.
FLF6LX=Flat floor Long Forward 6 cylinder Leyland engine.
VRT=Vertical Rear-engine Transverse.

In 1958 development of Basildon town centre was well under way with the first shops opening later that year. Bus services up to then had operated routes on existing pre-new town roads and the few new roads either completed or under development, without being able to serve the town centre directly.

Following the completion of Whitmore Way and Southernhay, from May 4th 1958 service numbers 243, 244, 254 & 255 all had their routes extended to become the first services to use the new bus station in Southernhay. At the same time with Roundacre roundabout now partly operational the 244 route was extended again, during peak hours, to Laindon Railway station via the newly opened Laindon Link, thus becoming the first cross-town service.

Initially the passenger pick up point consisted of a double parallel island arrangement with buses entering from the eastern end. The South Walk pedestrianised shopping walk was at that time still under construction, with the parallel bus bay only partially developed against the entire length of South Walk. Interestingly during the early years to 1969 cars and other road vehicles were also permitted to park within the bus station area. (See note 1.)

New arrival/departure arrangement

During mid 1966 to August, the bus station was completely rebuilt and extended as one large bay. This meant the end of the double parallel arrangement - although a paved parallel section was retained alongside Southernhay, which some services would still continue to use for many years. An increase in services and coach arrivals had necessitated this work and the new 20 bay 'saw tooth' layout, numbered A - V (no letter I or O bays), with buses now entering from the western end has remained ever since. A further addition was a small information kiosk at the eastern end. This later fell out of use and was removed in 2022.

Weatherproof roof added

During the 1990s further development of the waiting area resulted in a new closed in weatherproof design encompassing the entire length of South Walk. A further change occured in the late 1990s when the single parallel island section became a pedestrian pick-up point following the re-siting of the Market Square/Market Pavement taxi rank.

Raised bus bay approaches

Over the winter of 2022 and the early months of 2023 the entire length of the bus bay approaches were raised to facilitate easier off/on access to the buses. During this time services using an affected bay were diverted to temporary pickup/put down points in a westerly direction along a stretch of Southernhay directly opposite the bus station until the works were completed. Each bay also received a three foot high yellow crash barrier.

Notes:

1) BASILDON URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL The Basildon Central Bus Station (Prohibition of Driving) Order, 1968
Notice is hereby given that on the 2nd January 1969 the Urban District Council of Basildon made two Orders under sections 1 and 2 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967, the effect of which will be to prohibit all vehicles other than those owned or operated by the Eastern National Omnibus Company Limited or its associated undertakings from entering the Basildon Town Centre Bus Station.
Source: London Gazette, 17/01/1969, Edition No. 44769, p. 664.

Page added: 2002

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