Three were delivered during May/June 1989: F710SDL [710] / F711SDL [711] & F712SDL [712]. The coach seating in this batch to the offside in the upper-deck were arranged back-to-back in bays. F710SDL [710] & F711SDL [711] were actually delivered as F701RDL & F702RDL respectively but were altered before entering service.

Eight were delivered during September/October 1989: G713WDL [713] / G714WDL [714] / G715WDL [715] / G716WDL [716] / G717WDL [717] / G718WDL [718] / G719WDL [719] & G720WDL [720]. The coach seating in this batch all faced forward unlike batch delivered in May/June 1989.

Five were delivered during May 1990: G723XDL [723] / G724XDL [724] / G725XDL [725] / G726XDL [726] & G727XDL [727]. They were identical to the batch delivered during September/October 1989 except that the second window along on the nearside of the upper-deck is of the opening type (whereas 710-720 were fitted with fixed glass) and the second window along on the nearside of the lower-deck is of fixed glass (whereas 710-720 were fitted with the opening type).

In April 1990 F712SDL [712] received a UniBus advertisement for "Brickfields Equestrian Centre".

Between 1992 and 1995 G724XDL [724] was repainted into a Colorbus advertisement for "Isle of Wight Radio" (Blue with Yellow Roof and white lettering on red background).

During early 1993 F711SDL [711] was repainted into the 1993 Island Explorer Cream & Dark Green livery, being the first vehicle to carry this livery.

Around 1994 the seating of F710SDL [710] / F711SDL [711] & F712SDL [712] was re-arranged to DPH41/29F.

Around the autumn of 1994 the seating of G713WDL [713] / G714WDL [714] / G715WDL [715] / G716WDL [716] / G717WDL [717] / G718WDL [718] / G719WDL [719] / G720WDL [720] / G723XDL [723] / G724XDL [724] / G725XDL [725] / G726XDL [726] & G727XDL [727] was rearranged to DPH41/29F, in that the offside of the upper-deck seating was arranged in bays with some seats facing rearward (similar to the batch delivered in May/June 1989). [per Buses magazine / Gavin Rowney]

Several of the batch were repainted into Mushroom & Dark Green livery:
During 1995: F712SDL [712]
Between 1995 and 1998: G726XDL [726]
Around 1995/1996: G720WDL [720] (with wording to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Southern Vectis being a PLC)
In August 1996: G724XDL [724]
In November 1996: G718WDL
In June 1997: G714WDL [714] & G725XDL [725]
Between June 1997 and early 1998: G715WDL [715] / G716WDL [716] & G720WDL [720]
In February 1998: G723XDL [723] & G727XDL [727]
In March 1998: F710SDL [710]
In May 1998: G713WDL [713]
In October 1998: F711SDL [711]

In May 1996 G719WDL [719] was repainted into a Colorbus advertisement for "Wightlink" ferries.

In September 1996 G717WDL [717] was repainted into a Colorbus advertisement for the "Isle of Wight County Press".

At some stage the first window of G718WDL on the nearside lower-deck was converted to an opening type instead of the fixed glass type in which it was supplied new, whereas the last window on the offside of the lower-deck was converted to fixed-glass type.

During February 1998 G725XDL [725] was stolen, overnight, from Ryde Depot and having been driven around the town it finally came to grief by being crashed into a front garden wall. This was the second such incident within three months, N810PDL having similarly been stolen and vandalised in December 1997 from Newport Depot.

In October 1999 F712SDL [712] was repainted into a special "Millenium" livery consisting of a Yellow & Orange upper deck and dark blue lower deck. At the same time the rear Registration Index Plate was repositioned centrally above the lower-deck rear window (it was previously offset to the nearside).

During the winter of 1999/2000 G727XDL [727] was fitted with an opening window on the second window along on the nearside of the lower-deck, following damage sustained when it was stolen from Newport Depot and crashed.

On 13 November 2000 the entire batch was reregistered thus:

During 2000 / 2001 the entire batch were refurbished internally at Barton Park, Eastleigh. New moquette seats were fitted, the lower seat backs being covered in grey-marl plastic. The dark brown trim around and above the window line was replaced with white plastic as was the internal part of the entrance platform doors, the internal areas below the window line were in grey-marl plastic. The lime-green handrails were repainted bright yellow. The floors had a red non-slip covering. They were also equipped with a public address (PA) system.
Externally they were repainted into the "Route Rouge" Red livery (except TIL6717 [717] & TIL6719 [719]), the rear Registration Index Plate was repositioned centrally above the lower-deck rear window (it was previously offset to the nearside - TIL6712 [712] had previously been so treated in October 1999) and, subsequently, Day-glow destination blinds were fitted. They were so treated in:
November 2000: TIL6715 [715] & TIL6716 [716]
December 2000: TIL6714 [714] & TIL6725 [725]
January 2001: TIL6712 [712] & TIL6727 [727]
February 2001: TIL6713 [713] / TIL6723 [723] & TIL6726 [726]
March 2001: TIL6710 [710] & TIL6717 [717]
April 2001: TIL6711 [711] / TIL6718 [718] & TIL6719 [719]
May 2001: TIL6720 [720] & TIL6724 [724]

Note: Vinyls applied on 19 January 2001 to TIL6712 [712] / TIL6714 [714] / TIL6716 [716] / TIL6725 [725] & TIL6727 [727]. [per Paul Budden & Gavin Rowney]

The remaining two were repainted into Route Rouge Red livery in:
September 2001: TIL6719 [719] [per Gavin Rowney]
February 2003: TIL6717 [717] [per Gavin Rowney]

In April 2004 TIL6727 [727] was repainted into Island Explorer Underline Blue livery [per Ian Rivett]. At the same time the upper-deck seating was replaced with bus-style units with the exception of the back seat and the offside-front seat [per Gavin Rowney].

On 28 January 2006 TIL6727 [727] went on hire to Solent Blue Line operating under contract on Rail Replacement Duties between Brighton and Haywards Heath. [per Dave Jolliffe]

Several of the batch were (or will be) repainted into 2006 Two-Tone Green livery and reseated to H47/29F by re-arrangement of the upper-deck seating with either Rowan Telmac or Urbanstar seats, in that all seats in the upper-deck now (or will) face forward - some vehicles retain some original high-back seating ?rear-seat only?:
on 10 April 2006: TIL6726 [726] (with replacement Rowan Telmac seating in the upper-deck) [per Dave Jolliffe]
on 9 May 2006: TIL6720 [720] (with Beige rear - see below) [per Dave Jolliffe]
on 18 May 2006: TIL6727 [727] (with Beige rear - see below) [per Gavin Rowney]
on 12 July 2006: TIL6715 [715] [per Ian Rivett]
on 14 July 2006: TIL6717 [717] [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 5 August 2006: TIL6719 [719] [per Gavin Rowney]
on 17 August 2006: TIL6714 [714] [per Ian Rivett]
on 2 September 2006: TIL6724 [724] [per Gavin Rowney]
by 11 October 2006: TIL6725 [725] [per Jonathan Kitcher / Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 18 October 2006: TIL6718 [718] (with Beige rear - see below) [per Gavin Rowney]
on 2 December 2006: TIL6716 [716] (with Beige rear - see below) [per Gavin Rowney]
by 27 March 2007: TIL6710 [710] [per Marc Morgan-Huws]

They were (or will be) named:
on 28 April 2006: TIL6726 [726] was named "Freshwater Bay". [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 10 May 2006: TIL6720 [720] was named "Compton Bay". [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 20 May 2006: TIL6727 [727] was named "Compton Chine" - on 26 May 2006 it was re-named "Afton Down". [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 14 July 2006: TIL6717 [717] was named "Scratchell's Bay". [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
shortly after 14 July 2006: TIL6715 [715] was named "Monk's Bay". [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 21 August 2006: TIL6719 [719] was named "Seagrove Bay". [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 7 September 2006: TIL6714 [714] was named "Alum Bay". [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 18 September 2006: TIL6724 [724] was named "Gurnard Bay". [per Marc Morgan-Huws / Jonathan Kitcher]
on 19 October 2006: TIL6725 [725] was named "Wheelers Bay". [per Paul Budden]
by 30 October 2006: TIL6718 [718] was named "Priory Bay". [per Jonathan Kitcher / Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 5 December 2006: TIL6716 [716] was named "Whitecliff Bay". [per Jonathan Kitcher / Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 27 March 2007: TIL6710 [710] was named "Orchard Bay". [per Jonathan Kitcher / Marc Morgan-Huws]

During spring 2006 a rear-end ContraVision advert for "IW Festival" (IWF) was applied to three of the batch, at the same time the rear Registration Index Plate was repositioned to below the lower-deck rear window to accomodate the advert:
on 21 April 2006: TIL6726 [726] (2006 IWF logo design Blue background ContraVision advert) [per Dave Jolliffe / Marc Morgan-Huws]
by 10 May 2006: TIL6720 [720] (2005 IWF logo design Beige background ContraVision advert) [per Marc Morgan-Huws]
on 19 May 2006: TIL6727 [727] (2004 IWF logo design Beige background ContraVision advert) [per Marc Morgan-Huws]

On 28 September 2006 TIL6723 [723] was withdrawn from service. [per Gavin Rowney]

On 27 January 2007 TIL6719 [719] had a rear-end ContraVision advert for "IW Walking Festival" applied. [per Marc Morgan-Huws]

By 25 February 2007 TIL6718 [718] had a rear-end ContraVision advert for "Route 9" applied. [per Marc Morgan-Huws]

By 25 March 2007 TIL6716 [716] had a rear-end ContraVision advert for "Route 9" applied. [per Dave Jolliffe]

Subsequent History

G723XDL / TIL6723 [723]:
On 28 September 2006 it was transferred to Wilts & Dorset and was allocated to Salisbury Depot (View1 & View2 & View3). [per Gavin Rowney]

A nearside-front view of G714WDL [714] in original Emerald Green & Cream livery turning into George Street off of the Esplanade, Ryde, on 29 May 1993.
[photo copyright of Peter Horrex]

Peter Horrex has a page devoted to a day on the Isle of Wight in 1993 at his British Buses web site