Buses on Screen: Holiday On the Buses (1974, Reg Varney)

The third 'On the Buses' movie. The opening scene features more than the usual red ex Eastern National KSWs. First seen is London Transport's RT925 (JXN303), but parked in the garage entrance is a red/cream Bristol LS/Eastern Coachworks registration identified by Mark Harrington as "almost certainly XHN404, a Bristol LS6B dual purpose withdrawn by United Automobile in July 1971." This would be United BUE4, new in 1955.

Stan (Reg Varney) is seen in the cab of KSW5G WNO476 (fleetnumber 2615 is seen). Suddenly a GREEN Bristol KSW appears, one not seen in the 'On the Buses' films before. This is JBD976, a 1953 KSW6B/Eastern Coachworks ex United Counties 939 - it collides with WNO476.

Mark Harrington notes "Another United vehicle appears as a fleeting glimpse during the same ‘crash’ scene, it is an unidentified lowbridge Bristol KSW as per the Eastern National ones used in the film, but can be identified as United due to ‘Vaux Beers’ adverts on the front. It appears for maybe a second!"
After this Stan and his conductor are out of a job, and they find themselves employed driving Crosville opentop Bristol Lodekka LD6G/Eastern Coachworks DLG817(XFM229) in Crosville livery modified to promote Pontins holidays. Metal fleet number plates are clearly visible.

At one point on a 'mystery tour' DLG817 passes another Crosville Lodekka, DFB138 (4206FM) an FS6B/Eastern Coachworks, although these are never clearly seen. Martin Ingle also notes a pair of Strachan-bodied Ford R192s used by Pontins as staff buses, EUR351K and EUR360K, in the background (seen here in 1975 at Pontins Prestatyn with Lloyds, Bagillt Guy Arab IV RDM200):

DLG817 apparently meets a sticky end when it gets stuck on the beach, but the shot of it mostly submerged in the sea is a fake.

Buses on Screen > Films > Films H > Holiday On the Buses (1974, Reg Varney)