Reprise of the ABC!

Just under 10 years on from their large last event, but a whopping one hundred years since their founding, we are now just over a week away from Safeguard Coaches celebrating their centenary… and they want you to be there! Some readers may remember the 29th March 2014 when Safeguard Coaches threw open the doors of their Ridgemount garage to mark their 90th anniversary, welcoming visitors to have a look around the compact site, enjoy rides on a real mix of vehicles including various visitors, and partake in refreshments.

A decade on, the operator has seen numerous changes in the intervening period. A move from their central Guildford site to a new base in Jacobs Well on the edge of Guildford, new vehicle types introduced (such as the Optare Metrocity, ADL Enviro 200, VDL Futura, latest incarnations of the Plaxton Leopard & Panther coaches, and a handful of MCV eVoRa-bodied Volvo B8RLEs which also introduced a revised bus fleet livery), a farewell to the pair of former X-reg Tillingbourne Optare Excels, a return to Bellfields following Arriva launching competition around Park Barn, a brief return to Onslow Village, eight routes taken on all previously operated by big group operators of which seven still remain in the portfolio (3, 18, 39A, 39B, 39C, 40, 81, 690), and of course survival through a global pandemic. One thing that hasn’t changed though, not just over the last decade but over the last century, is that the operation is still in the hands of the original founding family.

To mark this momentous occasion, a free to enter centenary celebration will be taking place 1200-1600 at Guildford Cathedral on Saturday 16th March. A day of family-friendly fun is promised, along with a static display of buses at the cathedral itself from where free heritage bus rides will depart over three routes:

• Route A to/from Guildford bus station via back entrance to the railway station. Departures every 20 mins from Cathedral 1215-1535 (then 1545/1555/1605), and from the bus station every 20 mins 1150-1530. Journey time of 10 mins each way.
• Route B to/from Park Barn. Departures every 20 mins from Cathedral 1225-1525 with a round trip journey time of 15 mins.
• Route C to/from Onslow Park & Ride car park. Departures every 10 mins from Cathedral 1200-1550 with additional trips at 1205 and 1555/1605/1615, and from Onslow Park & Ride 1155/1200/1205/1210/1215/1220 then every 10 mins until 1540. Journey time of 6 mins each way.

This of course isn’t the first time we have seen buses on a route ‘A’ heading up The Chase (the road between Guildford town centre and the cathedral) or on a route ‘B’ looping around the Park Barn estate in recent years, however these were on Arriva buses during the competitive phase which became their final years before giving up and withdrawing from the area. The letters A and B had in fact previously been used by Safeguard themselves on their Park Barn routes, albeit well before my time.

Visitors arriving by public transport can catch route A from both the bus and rail stations up to the cathedral, while those driving in by car must park at the Onslow Park & Ride site and catch route B as parking will not be available at the cathedral itself. Once there, passengers will be able to connect onto the third route, ‘C’, which will perform loops of the Park Barn estate that has been a key focus and consistent part of Safeguard’s bus operation since its construction in the 1950s. A map and timetable for these services can be found at the bottom of this blog post.

Vintage buses planned to be in service on the day include:

• UMP 227 – 1949 AEC Regal 4 (London Transport green)
• HOU 904 – 1950 Dennis Lancet (Aldershot & District)
• NLE 600 – 1953 AEC RF (London Transport green)
• OLD 566 – 1954 AEC RT (London Transport red)
• 595 LCG – 1964 AEC Renown (King Alfred)
• UOU 417H – 1970 Leyland Panther (King Alfred)

In addition to the heritage bus rides, a further static display of vehicles will be on show at the cathedral alongside some transport themed sales stands, and the Guildford Model Engineering Society (GMES) will be offering rides behind two of its miniature steam engines. However, it’s not just bus enthusiasts that will be catered for at the event.

The wider general public is equally as welcome to take part in the celebrations, with them finding bus washing, arts and crafts activities such as mask-making, a photo booth, puzzles, talks, and various other stalls and refreshments also on site. Visitors will even get to see the animals of a visiting mobile farm, listen to performances by the Guildford Rock Choir and Farnham Brass Band, and perhaps even receive a hand massage from one of The Fountain Centre’s therapists.

Further things proving this is just as much about the local community that Safeguard serve is that the event will be opened by Guildford’s mayor Musak Miah and compared by broadcaster Dave Guest, as well as local historian David Rose giving a presentation. Furthermore, the proceeds from sales of a special £5 centenary book will go to support The Fountain Centre at the nearby Royal Surrey County Hospital, a charity chosen in memory of a cherished Safeguard employee who was tragically lost to cancer last year. The Hive, formerly the Park Barn Social Centre, will be running the mask making stall.

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