I'm sorry but I hate this livery. Well, it's not so much that I hate the livery, I just hate it on this bus. Regular visitors to Southbus will know that I am an ardent enthusiast of all things Maidstone & District. After years of National snot green (and post NBC variations on it), Maidstone & District finally adopt a new livery which has echoes of the good old days about it. Then after almost no time at all, Arriva come along and wipe out the name and livery in one foul stroke. It all seems too cruel - maybe I'm getting too emotional? At least Stagecoach allows companies to keep their names (Southdown enthusiasts will beg to differ on this point).

Anyhow, this is Arriva (Kent & Sussex) 5928, a Volvo Olympian with Northern Counties bodywork, pictured here at Showbus 1998. I'm sorry but try as I might, I can't work up much enthusiasm for it. Check out the photo-links below and you'll see what I mean.

You can paint this bus any colour you like and it would still look appalling. Arriva Kent & Sussex (who?) 3051, an example of the universally unloved Leyland Lynx, seen here with route branding for service 151 between Chatham and Tunbridge Wells via the Medway Valley.

OK a sight for sore eyes after the ordeal of the Arriva photos, Lincolnshire Road Car 2378, a Bristol Lodekka/ECW. Living in Maidstone & District land, I didn't see many Bristols when I was younger (excuse the pun) so it was something of a holiday treat.

Just to lower the tone of this site even further, here are the aforementioned pair of Bristols. United Counties Lodekka FS6G 712 with 692, a 1950 Bristol KS5G. Both vehicles have Eastern Coachworks bodies.

RF 433, showing blinds for Loughton garage. No RFs in Maidstone & District land although I always felt they had a similarity to M&D's Weymann bodied AEC Reliances. The RFs I encountered in my youth were in and around Kingston, some of the last remaining in service with London Transport. Why am I telling you this anyway? 

I like this Green Line RF168 because it reminds me of the 725s I used to see bombing up and down Hurst Road, Sidcup back in the 1960s. Of course, I didn't know they were RFs then - they were just Green Line buses to me (again, why am I telling you this?) 

Looking insufferably self satisfied is green roofbox RT 3496, showing blinds for the 301 service between Watford and Aylesbury, a route now worked by Arriva The Shires. 

Green RT2083 fitted with blinds for Garston garage.

Seen at Showbus 1998, Maidstone & District 3456, a Marshall bodied Leyland Leopard showing blinds for the 93 service which operated between Tunbridge Wells and Edenbridge, a likely haunt for the vehicle during its revenue earning days.

M&D AEC Regal/Weymann SO277 at Showbus 1998 showing blinds for service 57, Maidstone & Gravesend via Rochester.

Maidstone & District 2816, a Leyland Leopard PSU3 with Willowbrook bodywork.

Even for a dedicated Man of Kent (so dedicated I don't even live there anymore) Southdown has always been special. Queen Marys 409 and 279 pose by a Leyland Leopard 199 at Showbus 1998.

Possibly my favourite double deck of all time, the London RT represented here by red RTL453 (note the classic Picture Post eyes) and green RT2084.