A BUS that once roamed the Island’s roads in the days of Connex – and later as part of the LibertyBus fleet – has found itself a new home in the UK thanks to a teenager’s preservation project.
Bus mechanic Edward Bishop (16), from Harpenden, took ownership of the Dennis Dart Caetano Slimbus, also known as ‘1113’ or the ‘Pink Lady’, at the start of this year.
Built in the early 2000s, it served Connex for 11 years, before being rebranded under LibertyBus in 2013.
Its current livery is the result of a ‘Democracy Week’ initiative that saw a local artist collaborate with students ahead of the 2022 election.
Mr Bishop, who already owns a small collection of UK buses, said he had been to Jersey a few times, adding: “I love these Darts, they are in really good condition – LibertyBus seem like a really good operator.”
Purchased for around £2,000 in January, the Pink Lady now resides in a yard in Harpenden.
Mr Bishop said that the long-term plan for 1113, now the inaugural vehicle of the ‘LibertyBus Preservation’ project, was for it to be painted back into the light blue colours it wore when it was new to Connex.
“I’m going to keep it as it is for now, because it is quite vibrant, it is quite a nice colourway,” he added.
LibertyBus director Kevin Hart said it was “great” that such preservation projects existed, noting that “it does happen quite a lot over in the UK”.
“Vehicles being preserved, done up and restored to their original glory – for someone so young to be able to do it and want to do it is just fantastic,” he added.
He explained that the Dart, which had come to the end of its life and was being used for school runs, had been destined to be “sold on or scrapped” along with ten of its sister buses.
Mr Bishop noted that, after being brought over to the UK, it passed an MOT “with flying colours”.
“It’s a credit to LibertyBus,” he added.
“They looked after it so well.”
Mr Hart said: “Just because we knew that vehicle was end of life, doesn’t mean to say we stopped spending money on it or stopped maintaining it – we do not compromise on maintenance and safety.”
Those interested can follow 1113’s story via the LibertyBus Preservation page on Facebook.
