TIMEFRAME OF Q' RED BUS PIC POSSIBLY NARROWED TO BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND MAY 2014
New anon dig on UK thread finds a London train strike occurring FEB 6 2014 caused them to enlist the services of older classic buses that were not then in service. This is important because of the noticeable lack of the usual advertisements on the sides of buses. These older buses were brought out of mothballs temporarily so you would not expect to see adverts on them. The article also mentions a 2nd strike scheduled for 12 and 13 FEB 2014. Was the Flynn Cambridge Dinner around FEB 6 2014? Prior to this new information, we had only been able to put a bookend on the Red Bus pic at MAY 2014 when construction was evident on the building in the background of the Red Bus pic.
(Article below)
"As can be seen there was quite a variety of operators involved. Their liveries probably reminded some of those earlier days of tendered bus services in London, whereby the assigned operator ran their contracted route/s in the company livery of the time, during the 1980s and 90s. That was before the edict came down from 'on high', that all buses in London would be operated in red, as they are today, irrespective of the operator assigned.
Weather conditions during the two days of this week's operations were mixed and at times quite appalling, causing photography to be something of a challenge. But the transport 'paparazzi' rose to that challenge and have come up trumps despite those conditions, and the Focus Transport team are grateful to efforts provided by Brian Bell, Gerard Butler, Malcolm Conway, Rick Godfrey and Terry Wong Min. Anyone who would like further details of the images provided such as the 'culprit', vehicle detail or location, then do please contact the website and we shall do our best to provide such as required.
Another 48-hour strike is scheduled for next week on Wednesday and Thursday 12/13th February, and unless there is any negotiation between the respective parties, this will go ahead and the "EXTRA" buses will be back on the streets again.
Should you wish a more fuller narrative of the fine detail of these passed two days, you can probably do no better than join the London Omnibus Traction Society, where the detail will be published in the February edition of their newsletter. The following link will get you to their website http://www.lots.org.uk/" (end of article)
Although the old buses are still seen in use by private hire companies, even those would be expected to be seen with advertisements on them. The strike scenario does seem to provide a plausible reason for the lack of adverts on the Q Red Bus. If Q's pic did capture a moment during that London train strike, them we are talking FEBRUARY 2014. (maybe 6 FEB 2014)
https://www.focustransport.org/2014/02/classic-buses-cover-for-tube-strike-day_7.html?m=1