Corgi 1/76 OM46515B Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 Brighton & Hove Coach Co. Brighton Marina & Queens Park

Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company, Brighton Marina & Queens Park

It was in 1884 that the Brighton, Hove & Preston United bus company was formed, a consequence of the amalgamation of a number of smaller horse bus companies and it soon became the main transport operator for the area, the forerunner to today’s Go Ahead Group owned Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company. The company has invested heavily in vehicles from Wrightbus, with seventy-seven second generation Wright Eclipse Gemini II vehicles on Volvo B9TL chassis being in the fleet, as of June 2017, all of which carry the names of people that have made a significant contribution towards the life of the local area during their lifetime. Bus No. 439, BF12 KXS, has carried the name of Phil Starr since July 2015, when it was transferred from Bus No.401 (latterly 919). Phil Starr, who died aged 72 in 2005 shortly after his last show, performed on stages across the world as a Drag Queen for more than 50 years and raised thousands of pounds for charity, including an orphanage in Thailand.