An unusual appearance by a Little Gem Iveco on the Centreline service, normally the preserve of the much more heavy-duty spec Dennis Domino, such as 1767 in the background.

Manchester, Portland Street, 26/04/1991.

Tags:   G M Buses Little Gem Iveco Fiat Robin Hood D513MJA Manchester Portland Street Centreline Minibus bus

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Manchester, Piccadilly Bus Station, 21/11/1989

Tags:   Walsh J P Executive City Nippy Iveco Robin Hood E221XJA Alkrington Manchester Piccadilly Bus Station

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Relegated from passenger use to the Revenue Protection Unit, ferrying teams of inspectors out to catch the fare dodgers.

Note the shelters that were in the background have been removed to make way for the Metrolink.

Manchester Piccadilly Bus Station, 18/06/1990.

Tags:   G M Buses Iveco Robin Hood D539MJA Manchester Piccadilly Bus Station Revenue Protection Unit Fiat 49.10 bus minibus

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The 341 between Ashton and Park Bridge was an unusual offering with a considerable history. The small village of Park Bridge, located in open countryside between Ashton and Oldham, came to prominence when an iron works was set up there in 1766. Originally linked to Ashton by the Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway, this was closed in 1959 and Ashton Corporation's service 4 ran several times a day as a replacement. This odd part-time working continued well into Selnec and GMT days, renumbered 336, then later 341, running down a narrow country lane, culminating in a suspension-crushing unsurfaced last section leading to the village itself. The iron works had long since closed (in 1963), by the time GMT pulled the plug on the 341 in 1985, due to rising costs and dwindling passengers. The fact they also chose to use a full-size decker on it, with a conductor to assist in reversing at the Park Bridge terminus and that it mirrored the much more frequent and well-used 409 for most of its journey couldn't have helped either.

Then, after deregulation, the PTE decided to have another go and resurrected it, realising it could go out to tender and could perhaps be run more profitably using a minibus. Vale's got the contract and it ran for a few years, when it was axed again.

Ashton-under-Lyne Bus Station, 08/07/1989. Scanned from a print.

Tags:   Vale Manchester Iveco Northern Counties 341 Park Bridge E183CNE G M Buses bus minibus Cheetham

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One of the ten Northern Counties dealer stock Ivecos that G M Buses had for a short while, operated in white with GMB fleetnames. Seen here after passing to Vale's.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Warrington Street, 30/03/1991.

Tags:   Vale Cheetham Iveco Northern Counties E185CNE Ashton-under-Lyne G M Buses bus minibus

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