New in August 1997 to Greater Manchester South, former Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancs Volvo B10M/Alexander bus 20910, R910 XVM, was donated to the Trust in spring 2019.
After seeing service in Manchester and West Cumbria, in 2014 it was fitted out as a mobile gym bus for Carlisle City Council. The bus was donated free to the project but it still cost a reported £44,000 of grant money to adapt and fit out!
Sadly the bus did not see many years of service in its new role and lay out of use for a number of years at Willowholme depot in Carlisle, getting to the point where Stagecoach wanted it shifted. As it had not moved far over recent times and one fuel tank had become insecure due to a corroded tank strap, the bus was lifted on the back of a commercial recovery truck to our Lillyhall yard
The Vehicle
All seats have been removed to create a central circulating area where exercise machines were fitted. This area is boarded along both sides, and currently shows pictures associated with fitness. The rear wheelarches protrude into this area. Behind these is a full width meeting room/office with door.
There are two storage cupboards over the front wheelarches. The offside cupboard contains a 240 volt consumer unit fed from a shore supply plug on the bodyside. This supplies a number of sockets inside the bus and LED lighting that runs the length of the ceiling of the main display area.
A retractable awning is fitted to the rearward part of the nearside. Another awning which had been fitted to the front part of the nearside has been removed.
Development
In 2022 a start was made on overhauling the bus, with the removal of the vinyls and awnings.
The Exhibition Bus, in use as the Gym Bus.
2023 saw the bus painted in to marron with cream and black lining and made its debut as a info/control bus at LN52, with some display boards placed along the interior, and proved to be popular with visitors. These were later replaced with wood strips to hold larger pin boards allowing us to swap and change displays to suit the events the bus attends, aswell as small display cabinet the was installed.
View onboard the Exhibition Bus, taken while adding the display boards.
The bus is currently on going project as we await fitting of the solar panels to help power the buses electrics.