Arriva Malta BUS 227

BUS 227

2005 Mercedes Benz Citaro AB

MB AB49T

Arriva Malta BUS 227.

New to Arriva London North as BX55 FWB, fleet number MA90.

Arriva Malta BUS 276

BUS 276

Optare Solo B29F

Arriva Malta

Registered by Optare in the UK as XE11 AAZ.  The last of 10 such buses for Arriva Malta.

FBY 807

FBY 807

1975 Bedford YRQ

Marshall B46F

New to Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, Reading.

HGM 616N; Y-0807

FBY 807 was, numerically, the last bus registered on Malta.

FBY 806

FBY 806

Malta Docks Forward Control

Zammit B40F

2507; Y-1507; Y-0806

FBY 805

FBY 805 was a 1997 Optare Excel B45F bus, one of Maltas' first low floor buses.  A unique vehicle, it was the only manual gearboxed Optare Excel ever built.  Unfortunately prone to cracking the windscreen, the body flexing quite badly on the (then) not too perfect roads, although strengthened in time!!

Originally registered Y-0805 on introduction to Malta.

FBY 804

FBY 804

Bedford SB

Debono B40F

2482; A-2482; Y-1562; Y-0862; Y-0804

FBY 803

FBY 803

Bedford SB

Barbara (1973) B39F

5576; A-5576; Y-1504; Y-0803

FBY 803 went on to achieve fame in the UK after being withdrawn.  It was purchased by Michael Pennington  and transformed into a Glamping Bus, named after his late Mother, Patricia.  Unfortunately, the venture failed, and 803 now resides at the North West Road Transport Museum in St Helens, Lancashire, Mr Penningtons' home town.  It has been seen to carry the registrations FCB 153 and FBY 803, neither of which hshow up on official websites.  Of course, Mr Pennington is better known by his alias, Johnny Vegas.

FBY 800

FBY 800

2003 King Long XMQ6113

King Long B45F

This replaced a Forward Control Bedford, previously registered 5568/A-5568/Y-1501, as seen here.