AEC London & Country, Two-Tone Green, Epsom

As a consequence of bus deregulation in 1986, many new operators outside of London, as well as several traditional operators, took to the iconic AEC as a cheap and reliable vehicle to protect, or develop, their routes and services. By 1990, London Country South West had adopted the fleet name of ‘London & Country’, but the name of the company was not officially changed until 1993. London & Country acquired RM1183 from Southend Transport later that year and used it on Surrey Schools’ route 418 initially, whilst still in Southend livery. Graduating to Christmas shopper services on routes 406 and 408, the full London & Country two-tone green livery was applied, in probably the finest livery carried by an AEC. Operating on a Leatherhead based routes 406, 408, 410, 414 and 473 during 1994, as well as the Surrey Hills leisure buses, at the end of 1994 183 CLT was overhauled and repainted into Lincoln green. Sold on to Nostalgiabus for use on route 306, Kingston to Epsom, it was destroyed in an arson attack during December 1997.