For sale: Malta bus used for Olympic torch parade in Kent
An old, converted Malta bus which was shipped to the UK and used for the Olympics Torch parade is now on sale on e-bay.
The old Leyland/AEC vehicle was built in the 1950s and has a valid UK MOT.
The original interior décor and original seats are included in the sale.
The bus, however, now also sports a rear platform scalloped with safe tread floored platform and chrome hand rails, rear gate and fold out step. It also has some tables inside, carpeted floor and a roof platform.
The guide price is £25,000
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37 Comments
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C Cassar
Oct 30th 2012, 08:37
The only 'tourists' who 'liked' the old wrecks are mostly in their 60s or older. The younger generations demand modern transport in the same way as in other EU nations they have visited. The Arriva system is the first step in achieving that after a 50 year embarassment. The new sysem only has problems because of those working there from the old system.
Mr Karl Ciarlo'
Oct 30th 2012, 09:07
How long has it been since your last update to reality Mr/Ms Cassar? I think the workers from the old system have long been gone from Arriva's ranks.
Johann Tonna
Oct 31st 2012, 11:53
The old "wrecks" have been giving service for more than 80 years, whereas today, the one year old service is already in a state of rolling WRECKS. This is the only embarassment I see. Plus I know of many youngsters who like the older buses more than today's crap, many of them Maltese.
P.S search Showbus on you tube or google and see how older buses are treated in UK.
Dr. John Seychell Navarro
Oct 30th 2012, 08:09
Somebody buy it and get it back.!!..It is definitely part of our Transport history. If it has been converted to a low emission all the better.
Johann Tonna
Oct 31st 2012, 12:00
Its been sold, now lets hope to see it back here where she belongs =)
Peter spiteri
Oct 30th 2012, 06:03
England gave us their bendy buses and laugh about it.We give them our traditional buses and make them happy!Nice one!
J. Pace
Oct 29th 2012, 21:44
These old buses were part of our culture. Go ask the Londoners to remove the cabs! They have indeed a factory that built these cabs.
Was something like this ever considered for our old buses, which were an attraction on their own? Probably it would have been cheaper...yet keeping our history alive.
Keith Camilleri
Oct 29th 2012, 21:28
This is not a case of Blue or Red, this is a case of Old or New, and the old was built the way that they were meant to be built.
Gone but never forgotten!!
K. Vella
Oct 29th 2012, 21:03
@m borg
Or you are misinformed or you are not following up the hefty investment the goverment is doing on our national heritage.
Heritage Malta has kept around 80 old buses to be restored to their original glory from a fleet of around 400 buses.
Johann Tonna
Oct 31st 2012, 11:42
I'm still waiting for that day when their royal highnesses decide to build the much awaited museum to accomodate these buses ... until then, they'll continue to rot in the ship building.
Nicki Gatt
Oct 29th 2012, 19:57
how can you miss something that used to kills us? I can tell you that black smoke I used to clean from a wall I had on the uphill of st.julians which used to be all black with the old buses. With the new arriva buses this is inexistent. I prefer to have a cleaner environment and better quality of air then having those old buses polluting and suffocating us (ask the pedestrians in front of Plaza)
Johann Tonna
Oct 29th 2012, 22:19
Tbh I still suffocate behind private cars emitting thick black smoke ..... what about those??
Omar Mizzi
Oct 30th 2012, 08:12
Yes, i miss them. They are far more stylish than these containers on wheels. As regards pollution it involves modifying the silencer and some engine adjustments.
noel demicoli
Oct 29th 2012, 18:18
"The old Leyland/AEC vehicle was built in the 1950s and has a valid UK MOT"
Now that is saying a lot, and here we took them off the road claiming safety and emissions issues!
C Cassar
Oct 30th 2012, 08:32
ER, no. This vehicle HAD to be refurbished in order to pass the UK MOT for it to be allowed on UK roads. That's the only reason it was done. Before this it was banned from UK roads because it did not meet any of the requirements in the same way as all of the other old wrecks that were in servce until last year.
m. borg (slm)
Oct 29th 2012, 17:29
The foreigners appreciate our heritage more than our brilliantly wise ministers.
Lucienne Dimech
Oct 29th 2012, 17:18
I remember when we used to complain about the old buses. Now that they are dead we praise them. Just like we do with human beings . We are never happy.
Leonard Cole
Oct 29th 2012, 16:47
Part of our culture being sold at the highest bidder !!! We have been robbed of a tradition part of Maltese Heritage and a Tourist attarctiion ...
P Mangion
Oct 29th 2012, 16:44
TM some months ago had stated that it would be refurbishing some of the old buses, including the necessary modifications to engines to comply with EU emissions standards.
it would be really nice to see them back on the road BUT quite frankly they did pose a bit of a problem to the elderly and less mobile passengers due to their high steps.
John Borg
Oct 29th 2012, 16:41
It will probably sell for more than if a "new" Arriva bus had to be sold.
Mark Vella
Oct 29th 2012, 16:39
This one used to be on time and never stopped, nor crashed in anything....
Maurice Cini
Oct 29th 2012, 19:48
Very well said!
Mark Formosa
Oct 29th 2012, 16:35
I do not miss these old busses at all. They did too much polution.... people already forgot the black smoke which we had to inhale if you had the bad luck to drive behind one of those busses? Tourists like to see these busses in Malta but they don't want them in their own country for sure, they want a clean comfortable ride... However i might say that we deserved better then the Arrive service.
Joe Borg
Oct 29th 2012, 17:13
The black smoke came out of the old engines ...
william cauchi
Oct 29th 2012, 17:15
Agreed Mark Formosa, the old buses really polluted, but, but...........fit them with new Euro 6 engines, refurbish the seating and new shock absorbers and we would have saved ourselves a nice lot of millions.
Let's start first by returning to sender those bendy buses and we would have a nice mix of tradition with some newer buses that can safely go round our towns and not London's boulevards.
Kurt Mifsud
Oct 29th 2012, 17:36
Mr Formosa - Speaking of pollution. Please do ride a bike behind an Arriva bus and please notice diesel spills. This happened to me more than once. And before anyone says something, I'm sure they are diesel spills!
stephen mifsud
Oct 29th 2012, 17:42
they could have spent the money to retro fit them with new engines Mark .... the old buses were oart of Malta history and flair not only just to us Maltese but all Tourists loved them .. we Maltese are the losers in this rasg decision to change the bus system from this lame government who is ruining Malta ...
E Bonnici
Oct 29th 2012, 17:56
As if Arriva's smoke is pure oxygen! Did you ever happen to be stuck behind one?
Robert Lewis
Oct 29th 2012, 18:00
Mr Formosa I still see a lot of the old buses transporting school children, do they still pollute or not.
Johann Tonna
Oct 29th 2012, 19:27
Mark Formosa, you're so wrong when you say "Tourists like to see these busses in Malta but they don't want them in their own country for sure". I know many who are willing to pay big bucks of money to get a bus out of Malta, and they are worth much more than 25,000. Black smoke is a thing of the past if they are serviced properly. Six Malta buses are already in UK, and more may be there soon.
Mike Chircop
Oct 29th 2012, 16:30
Several pictures are available on line, including in the Bank of Scotland colours
Joseph Borg
Oct 29th 2012, 15:46
Kemm kienu sbieh tal linja qabel li kieku kellhom iduruhom sew.
G. Ellul
Oct 29th 2012, 15:59
U jghaddu minn kullimkien bla ma jkissru jew jolqtu xejn.....!
D Schembri
Oct 29th 2012, 16:13
That would have been the best solution. Renovate the old buses. All tourists I meet say they missed the old maltese buses, something which they always associated with Malta.
Too late now, thank you Austin.
carmel parnis
Oct 29th 2012, 16:57
They were given a lot of chances to renovate but they never wanted to
Johann Tonna
Oct 29th 2012, 19:33
@ Carmel Parnis, Maltese buses were always renovated and cared after, and they still are. However there was a minority who kept their buses in disgrace, and it was that minority who gave the bad name to the rest.
R. Vella.
Oct 29th 2012, 15:46
the Old Malta Bus.... deeply missed !
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