Midland Red West (First Midland Red)
Mercedes-Benz 709D — Overview
Demonstrators
C300OKM
From 23rd April 1987, Midland Red West Limited operated
a B20F Dormobile Mercedes-Benz 709D demonstrator for 3 days (R/No: C300OKM).
This vehicle was similar to the Mercedes-Benz
609D that Midland Red West purchased later the same year and it ran
operated from Redditch depot without legal lettering.
Vehicles acquired from First Bradford in 2000
1264-1270, 1275 & 1276
On 25th July 2000, First Midland Red Buses Limited started to take delivery of nine First Bradford Mercedes-Benz 709D minibuses with B23F Plaxton Beaver bodywork. They arrived at Worcester (Padmore Street) depot in small groups over the following few weeks and the bodywork was prepared for a repaint, they were then sent to Bristol to be painted into First Midland Red bus livery of red and cream. During August they were converted from B23F to B22F by replacing the last forward facing double seat on the offside with a single seat from a withdrawn Mercedes-Benz L608D. The change in seating layout was because First Midland Red minibus drivers are only contracted to drive vehicles with 22 seats or less.
After all nine vehicles had been repainted they were allocated to Kidderminster depot and put into service on the 3rd September 2000, replacing a similar number of the older Mercedes-Benz L608D minibuses.
Following service changes at Kidderminster in September 2005, all nine
of these vehicles were withdrawn.
Vehicles acquired from First Bristol in 2001
1805, 1810-1819, 1821-1822, 1824, 1830, 1889-1891, 1840, 1864 & 1873
At the end of August 2001, First Bristol (Cityline) received a number of Dennis Darts at their Muller Road depot to replace their L-reg Mercedes-Benz 709D minibuses. From 12th September 2001, a number of these minibuses started to arrive at Worcester (Padmore Street) depot to be prepared for service at Kidderminster. By Mid-December 2001, First Midland Red Buses Limited had received 20 of these minibuses from Bristol, and all had been painted into the new First “Barbie2” livery (some came from Bristol already in this livery) and put into service at Kidderminster depot, replacing a similar number of the older Mercedes-Benz 609D minibuses.
Near the end of 2002, some of these vehicles had become surplus to requirements at Kidderminster due partly to the arrival of a number of Mercedes-Benz O.814 Vario minibuses from Worcester, and partly due to Kidderminster cutting back some of their services. In September and October 2002 several of these vehicles were moved to Hereford (Friars Street) depot, with some being fitted with digital destination displays that had been removed from the Mercedes-Benz 609D minibuses they were replacing at Hereford.