Big Picture: 1410

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On a recent holiday to Madeira, Tim Carter saw this Mercedes 0309 minibus service in the capital, Funchal. It is operated by Welcome Madeira and provides a shuttle between the cruise ship harbour and the town centre, travelling along the Avenida do Mar as far as the cable car station. This service is promoted on the City Sightseeing leaflet as the Purple Line, alongside the double-decker red and green lines and the blue line which uses Setra midibuses. The minibus is registered 97-RR-96, and has presumably been re-registered at some stage, as the yellow ribbon down the right-hand side of the number plate shows 77 over 08, indicating that the vehicle was first registered in August 1977.
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