You will have noticed that the tag line for this independent transport videos DVD production is ‘from Diesel to Electric’.  Indeed as time moves forward battery-electric buses are becoming more and more familiar on the roads of the UK and especially Leicester in the East Midlands.  This DVD programme visits Leicester, Derby and Loughborough during 2025 to record the changes taking place in the current bus scene.  However, our programme begins with some superb 8mm cine film taken during the 1970s in Leicester city centre of the Corporation buses and Midland Red – then part of the National Bus Company in action.  We see Leyland Titans, AECs and Bristol REs in the Corporation’s smart cream and maroon livery and some Midland Red D9 double-deckers all in action.  Our 2025 filming begins in Leicester at the Haymarket Bus Station on a very bright sunny April morning.  Other locations include Charles Street and the recently revamped St Margaret’s Bus Station.  The main bus operators in the city are Firstbus and Arriva, but we also see buses from Stagecoach and Centrebus.  The park & ride service is operated by Centrebus and is branded ‘Hop’ with the Yutong electric E9 buses painted in the same bright green livery as the electric buses of Firstbus and Arriva.  In 2021 the National Bus Strategy for England introduced the concept of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).  This encouraged bus companies to form partnerships with local authorities to improve bus services, Leicester being one of them.  This Enhanced Partnership has resulted in new buses and bus priority measures.  You will see the ‘Leicester’ logo on the buses.  First have introduced a fleet of electric Wright StreetDeck Electroliner BEV double-deckers and Wright GB Kite single-deck buses in the bright green livery with the fleet name of ‘Leicester electric’. They have also allocated some of the re-powered to electric Wright StreetDeck double-deckers, that can be identified by their Northern Irish registration numbers as well as featuring the latest Firstbus logo in place of the large ‘Leicester electric’ fleet name.  Arriva have introduced a fleet of 50 Wright StreetDeck Electroliner BEV double-deckers with low-height bodywork in the same bright green livery but with the Arriva swoop on the side with the fleet name of ‘electric’.  We also see a number of diesel Arriva buses in service on routes that run into Leicester.

Our next location is Derby.  We begin with a short piece of 8mm cine film from the 1970s before our 2025 filming at the bus station in the Derby city centre with further filming taking place at Moreledge, Corporation Street and Albert Street.  Here the operators are Arriva and the Wellglade group, which includes Trent-Barton, Kinchbus and Notts & Derby.  The Arriva buses are all diesels and are in the current livery with just a few still in the previous scheme.  The electric buses are provided by Trent-Barton’s brand-new Yutong GT12 coaches in a striking new ‘red arrow’ livery for the frequent route to Nottingham.  Trent-Barton have a few buses in their red generic livery, but all others are route-branded with bright colour schemes and names, e.g. ‘Mango’, ‘The Mickelover’, ‘Sixes’, ‘i4’, ‘Flyer’ – Kinchbus operate a ‘Skylink’ route and many more that you will see on this programme.  Our final location is Loughborough.  An interesting town with a variety of buses passing through including Arriva’s electric buses on the route to Leicester together with Kinchbus ‘Skylink’ and ‘Sprint’.  We even see a Nottingham bus and Centrebus together with Arriva buses on local services.  Plenty of variety to enjoy!