Tayside Regional Council 271 (WTS 271T)
Chassis Volvo Ailsa B55-10 Mk II chassis no. 78008 ♦ Body Alexander AV H44/31D body no. AV23/3977/17
History
Tayside received a batch of six early Mark II Ailsas in 1979, having been an enthusiastic customer for the Mk I version. 271 is one of four of these buses now owned by TVVS. 271 entered service on routes 26/ 28/ 29 between Douglas and Charleston, but after only five years in service it was withdrawn and converted for use as a training bus, painted yellow and renumbered T1.
It was unusual at the time for a vehicle so young to be transferred to non-revenue earning duties, but it was felt that drivers should be trained on identical vehicles to the ones that they would be using regularly. A change in the law in July 1992 removed the requirement for drivers to be trained on a double-deck vehicle, and 271 was—even more unusually—returned to passenger service, operating mainly on the Fintry services 32/ 33. It was withdrawn in May 1996, following the delivery of new vehicles, and sold to former A1 Service operator Hill of Stevenston, Ayrshire. The bus was laid up with a leaking fluid flywheel in August 1999, and was sold to a member of TVVS in June 2000.
Restoration
The bus was rallied briefly after being repainted into original livery. It is currently off the road, but it is generally in very good condition, having spent ten years of its life out of passenger service. During 2011 the owner has been preparing it for an MOT with the intention that it will receive a full repaint next year.