LATEST to join the ranks of ex-Isle of Man Transport buses adapted for further use is the 'Touring Tea Bus' - a 1988 all-Leyland Olympian - pictured on what is believed to be it's first day in its new guise.
According to the new operator's website: "The touring tea Bus is the first of a kind on the Isle of Man. We offer you the chance the see our beautiful Island in the comfort of a double decker bus while enjoying freshly brewed tea and home made delicious food."
The team behind the venture are listed on the website as Kath, Chris and Bob Dockerty.
The vehicle has been painted all over red with distinctive black and white advertisements. The lower saloon of the vehicle features tea, coffee and cake facilities, and revised seating arrangements to suit its new role.
The vehicle is a Leyland Olympian ONCL10/1RZ built in 1988 and delivered to the Island as part of a batch of six in that year. It has a Leyland body originally featuring 78 seats. These were the first new double deckers delivered to the Island since A.E.C. Regent V numbers 409/410 LMN were delivered to Douglas Corporation 20 years before. 83 was the last indigenous Leyland bus in PSV service on the Island when it was withdrawn in August 2009 following a series of commemorative runs marking the end of Leyland bus operation on the Island. It then passed to Andy Faragher and the then new Jurby Transport Museum for display.
Olympian 83 on a commemorative tour during its last week in service - Stevenson Way, Douglas August 2009
Other non-psv buses in regular use on the Island include Mann Sightseeing Tours BMN 65P, a Northern Counties bodied Olympian converted to open-top use in 2012, Age Isle of Man's "CHAT Bus", (Community, Health, Advice and Training) a Dennis Dart formerly SKO2 VMO (now MAN 111P), once Shevill (Stuarts) Carluke later Protours (Heswall), and taking on its new role in April 2010, the Living Hope Community Church Youth Bus, another Dennis Dart, and the Department of Education's venerable Computer Bus based on former Isle of Man Transport's Leyland National No 30, new in 1977 and used as a mobile classroom since 1998.
AGE Isle of Man's CHAT Bus at it's launch in April 2010.