Imber bus service

The Imber bus service (www.imberbus.org) is an annual one day a year bus service for the abandoned village of Imber on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, which has run since 2009 using vintage Routemaster buses, and from 2012 also featuring New Routemasters. Operated by the Bath Bus Company, it's run as a public transport bus service (ie registered with VOSA, collecting fares, running to a published timetable) running as route 23A, but all profits are donated to charity. It's used by locals, tourists, bus enthusiasts and churchgoers wishing to attend the annual patronal festival in St Giles' church. The service has so far always run from the town of Warminster. The route was initially a straight run to Imber to a terminus beyond, but from 2011 it has evolved to take in various stops on a number of routes, with most calling at an interchange at Gore Cross. The precise route (and hence stops served) depends on the specific timetabled journey, with some being circular, others being of a hub/spoke format on Gore Cross, and with some even missing out Imber altogether.

Service		2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Day		Sat 5 Sep	Sat 18 Sep	Sat 3 Sep	Mon 4 Jun*	Sat 3 Aug	Mon 25 Aug
Timetable				[1]	[2] (as 2011)	[3]	[4]
VOSA registration		[5] archive copy at the Wayback Machine	[6]	[7] archive copy at the Wayback Machine (Var 0)	[8] archive copy at the Wayback Machine (Var 1)	[9] archive copy at the Wayback Machine (Var 2)	[10] archive copy at the Wayback Machine (Var 3)
Stops used
Warminster		x	x	x	x	x	x
Imber		x	x	x	x	x	x
The Rose and Crown pub Tilshead		x	x	x	x	x	x
Shrewton, Parsons Green							x
Airman's Corner							x
The Bustard Inn pub	51.213803°N 1.870181°W / 51.213803; -1.870181		x				x
Gore Cross interchange (crossroads)	51.257913°N 1.988418°W / 51.257913; -1.988418			x	x		x
West Lavington				x	x		x
Market Lavington				x	x		x
Lavington Hill Vedette (sentry post)	51.279783°N 1.966928°W / 51.279783; -1.966928			x	x		x
New Zealand Farm Camp (temporary stop)	51.258585°N 2.038822°W / 51.258585; -2.038822			x	x		x
Brazen Bottom lay-by (temporary stop)	51.26691°N 1.979578°W / 51.26691; -1.979578			x	x		x
All Saints and St Mary church Chitterne	51.19566°N 2.012826°W / 51.19566; -2.012826					x
Stoke Hill							x
Buses used
Routemasters
No.	Reg.
RM5	VLT 5					x
RM25	VLT 25	x
RM613	WLT 613		x
RM1005	5 CLT		x	x	x	x	x
RMC1461	461 CLT						x
RMC1464	464 CLT						x
RMC1510	510 CLT		x	x	x	x	x
RM1978	ALD 978B				x	x	x
RCL2226	CUV 226C						x
RML2344	CUV 344C	x	x	x	x		x
RML2657	NML 657E			x	x
RML2665	SMK 665F	x			x	x	x
RML2735	SMK 735F	x	x	x		x
New Routemasters
No.	Reg.
LT1	LT61 AHT				x
LT24	LTZ 1024					x
LT98	LTZ 1098						x
LT150	LTZ 1150						x
LT246	LTZ 1246						x

^* - The 2012 service was moved to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Weekend.

In 2012, RM2185 (reg. CUV 185C) was also present, but parked up at Imber rather than operating on the service.

LT1's use on the 2012 service marked the type's first public use outside London, and the first while using the conductor to take actual fares. This was done partly to learn about how the design coped in a new environment, markedly different to its usual operating area in London, although LT1 operated the service in diesel only mode. LT24's use on the 2013 service was in hybrid mode - it was able to make the journey to and from London and run the service without refueling.

• Route
• 
  St Giles' Church, Imber
• 
  The Rose and Crown pub, Tilshead
• 
  The Bustard Inn
• 
  Gore Cross
• 
  Access road to New Zealand Farm Camp
• 
  Lavington Hill Vedette
• 
  All Saints and St Mary, Chitterne

• 2009 service
• 
  RML2665 (closest), RM25 (middle) & RML2344 (furthest away), as seen from the top deck of RML2735. They're all heading west in convoy with the last journey of the day from Tilshead to Warminster, pictured here on the leg between Gore Cross and Imber
• 
  The same convoy a little further on, approaching Imber

• 2010 service
• 
  RMC1510 heading east, departing Imber (St.Giles Church on the left) for Bustard Inn
• 
  RMC1510 in the same place (but incorrectly showing Warminster Station in the rear destination display)

• 2011 service
• 
  All 5 of the Routemasters oerating the 2011 service pause for a photo opportunity while operating the last journey of the day, the 17:48 to Warminster. They're pictured at Tinkers Track facing west, halfway along the final leg, from Imber to Warminster. Left to right: RM1005, RMC1510, RML2344, RML2657 & RML2735.
• 
  The temporary bus terminus at New Zealand Farm Camp, pictured at 17:19. Looking east, RMC1510 is arriving with the 16:53 bus from Brazen Bottom. Behind it is RML2344 with the 16:59 from Imber.
• 
  RML2735 & RM1005 at the temporary terminus at Brazen Bottom, having arrived from Warminster. They're facing SSW in line with the direct route to Gore Cross, a short drive away down the straight track - Lavington Hill Vedette and the long route back to Gore Cross is in the other direction, away from the camera.

• Other images
• 
  RM1005 leaves the training area through the access gate, heading east away from Imber onto the public road to Gore Cross. Despite wearing blinds for route 23A to Tilshead, the bus is infact empty - it visited Imber during one of the other open days (3 January 2011), to attend the cheque presentation to St. Giles Church for the previous year's bus service.
• 
  RM1005 displaying Imber blinds at the Regent Street Bus Cavalcade (22 June 2014)
• 
  LT98 at Metroline's engineering depot fitted with Imber bus destination blinds, two days before the 2014 service