The History

As recorded in the descriptions of ACT 11 and ACT14 (Daimler), Aberdeen Corporation had a small fleet of single deck vehicles which could be used for tours, excursions and private hires. By the late 1960s this fleet was somewhat dated and in 1968 two AEC Reliance’s (13 and 14) were delivered; a further example (40) came in 1970.

The AEC Reliance chassis was a common design throughout the country of a medium weight chassis for a single deck body with a horizontal underfloor engine. Although there were many Reliance’s in Aberdeen with other operators, these were Aberdeen Corporation’s first examples and all were AEC type 6MU2R. They had semi-automatic gearboxes and air brakes.

All these vehicles had Alexander of Falkirk ‘Y type’ steel framed bodywork with a single door at the front and had bus seats, as opposed to coach seats, for 45 passengers. As a concession to their use on coach work, all had a coach version of the Corporation livery and an illuminated panel below the first bodyside window which originally read “ACT”, “Grampian” post 1975. All were used not only on tours and hires but as driver only vehicles on new lightly loaded ordinary bus services.

Both 14 and 40 were sold off in 1983, 14 for use by operators in Longside then Forfar, and 40 to Grampian Fire Brigade, Aberdeen; 13 had come to an untimely end in 1982. In 1985, 14 was sold off for farm work in Fife before being acquired for preservation in 1989. The Fire Brigade sold off 40 to a coach operator in Peterhead in 1990 and it was acquired for preservation in 1997.