Bedford JJL
Encyclopedia
The Bedford JJL was an innovative but ultimately unsuccessful bus model built by Bedford Vehicles
. The JJL could have been a success, but was ahead of its time in predicting the boom in the midibus
market, as seen by the success of the Dennis Dart
.
Only four JJLs were produced, along with a pre-production
prototype
, starting in 1979. The production vehicles produced were as follows:
The build date of the first chassis may indicate that this was the prototype that was converted to a production bus, although the bodywork numbers and build dates conflict with those found in.
Maidstone Borough Council
took delivery of the JJLs in 1981/82. UKK 335X and AVS 903T were sold to Brighton Buses
, and then to Northern Bus, Sheffield in 1992. EKX 648T also went to Brighton, but was scrapped in 1988 after a collision with a tree. HKX 553V was sold to Bournemouth Transport
(trading as Yellow Buses) in 1983, and then onto The Goodman Group, where it saw service with Rambler and Goodmans coaches. It is the last JJL in service, and has been exhibited at rallies.
Tricentrol of Dunstable produced a short version of Bedford's YMQ chassis, the YMQ/S, ten years after the JJL.
Bedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...
. The JJL could have been a success, but was ahead of its time in predicting the boom in the midibus
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...
market, as seen by the success of the Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
.
Only four JJLs were produced, along with a pre-production
Pre-production
Pre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
, starting in 1979. The production vehicles produced were as follows:
| chassis number | number plate British car number plates Vehicle registration plates are the mandatory number plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle, and have existed in the United Kingdom since 1904... | bodywork code | seating | built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRK0JL9008 | UKX 335X | Marshall 260250 | B24F | 1981 |
| IRK0JL9009 | AVS 903T | Marshall 260251 | B24F | November 1978 |
| IRK0JL9010 | EKX 648T | Marshall 260252 | B24F | 1978 |
| IRK0JL9011 | HKX 553V | Marshall 260253 | B24F | November 1979 |
The build date of the first chassis may indicate that this was the prototype that was converted to a production bus, although the bodywork numbers and build dates conflict with those found in.
Maidstone Borough Council
Boro'line Maidstone
Boro'line Maidstone, previously Maidstone Borough Council Transport was the municipal bus operator in Maidstone and the surrounding villages. Maidstone Borough Council Transport was formed in 1974 from Maidstone Corporation Transport following local government reorganisation...
took delivery of the JJLs in 1981/82. UKK 335X and AVS 903T were sold to Brighton Buses
Municipal bus companies
A municipal bus company is an operator of bus services owned by the local government authority. This article lists all current municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom....
, and then to Northern Bus, Sheffield in 1992. EKX 648T also went to Brighton, but was scrapped in 1988 after a collision with a tree. HKX 553V was sold to Bournemouth Transport
Transdev Yellow Buses
Yellow Buses is a bus operator based in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, owned by the RATP Group, a company owned by the government of France. Although most routes are restricted to the Bournemouth local authority area, an increasing number are expanding into the adjacent areas of...
(trading as Yellow Buses) in 1983, and then onto The Goodman Group, where it saw service with Rambler and Goodmans coaches. It is the last JJL in service, and has been exhibited at rallies.
- http://themunicipals.fotopic.net/p38061219.html EKX 648T in Maidstone Borough livery
- http://www.firstnight-cabaret.co.uk/brightonbuses/details.php?id=322 UKK 335X in Brighton Buses station shuttle livery
- http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1037107438036313870MVcSzE AVS 903T in Brighton Buses blue livery
- http://themunicipals.fotopic.net/p37528053.html AVS 903T in Brighton Buses station shuttle livery
- http://richardsbusphotos.fotopic.net/p1317919.html HKX 553V at Showbus 2003
- http://themunicipals.fotopic.net/p37284391.html HKX 553V in Yellow buses livery
- http://www.freewebs.com/colinsplace/buses/yellows/m10.gif HKX 553V in Yellow buses livery
- http://david806.fotopic.net/p33968316.html HKX 553V in Goodmans Coaches livery
- http://www.showbus.co.uk/p1/hkx553va61xfw.JPG HKX 553V in Rambler livery
Tricentrol of Dunstable produced a short version of Bedford's YMQ chassis, the YMQ/S, ten years after the JJL.