North East Buses

(16 Sep 2015, 12:58 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]One annoying thing about e-leather seating, when you move the seats make a noise, annoyingly someone on this 7 can't sit still and the noise is infuriating.

Every time I've caught the 7, it's been deathly quiet, even when half full. Quite odd. Everyone on the 22 is usually too chatty to be able to hear farty seats

(15 Sep 2015, 9:46 pm)Diamond One wrote [ -> ]Where I am right now maybe the North East could introduce this idea of having bike racks on the front of the bus

I see the demand for bike racks like.......

Look at the 'Lime' vehicles, never a cyclist on board. 

If they want to come on board just fold the bike, OR RIDE IT YOU LAZY GIT. 

(16 Sep 2015, 1:18 pm)GX03 SVC wrote [ -> ]The new '14 E400s at Ashington don't have the problem. But the '57s do.

The Sapphire Pulsars and E400's creek like hell when people move about loads, this bloke is doing my head in now, even more so when I decided to move slightly causing a bit creeking and he's just turned round with a rather angry looking stare.

(16 Sep 2015, 1:20 pm)GX03 SVC wrote [ -> ]I see the demand for bike racks like.......

Look at the 'Lime' vehicles, never a cyclist on board. 

If they want to come on board just fold the bike, OR RIDE IT YOU LAZY GIT. 

My thoughts if someone tried to get on a bus with anything like a bike, scooter or skateboard is, you've made your choice stick with it.

(16 Sep 2015, 1:20 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Every time I've caught the 7, it's been deathly quiet, even when half full. Quite odd. Everyone on the 22 is usually too chatty to be able to hear farty seats

Often is like that on the E400's during the day, the one I'm on now has only had a small handful on upstairs although there was a fair few downstairs when I got on. Not all the passengers on the 7 are quiet, had a few passengers who have to shout to each other despite being next to them

(16 Sep 2015, 1:21 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]The Sapphire Pulsars and E400's creek like hell when people move about loads, this bloke is doing my head in now, even more so when I decided to move slightly causing a bit creeking and he's just turned round with a rather angry looking stare.

Might be worth turning your music up

Dealing with random starers and glarers is probably easy when you have the confidence to look them in the eye and say hello or ask if everything is OK. I understand that you find that incredibly difficult, though. Having a boy who stims and shrieks a lot, I've had to become a bit of a pro at dealing with people who are taken by surprise by us or else I'd never dare leave the house with him.

(16 Sep 2015, 1:29 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Might be worth turning your music up

Dealing with random starers and glarers is probably easy when you have the confidence to look them in the eye and say hello or ask if everything is OK. I understand that you find that incredibly difficult, though. Having a boy who stims and shrieks a lot, I've had to become a bit of a pro at dealing with people who are taken by surprise by us or else I'd never dare leave the house with him.

I can think of worse

Wasn't sure where to put this but:

Optare 30th Anniversary specials:

To commemorate 30 years of the name Optare this year, the company is producing a number of 30th anniversary special edition MetroCity and Solo buses. To be produced until the end of 2015, the buses will feature special badging and a choice of interior options to customer requirements.
Robert Drewery, Commercial Director, said, ‘We are thrilled to celebrate 30 years of leading the way in bus design. These vehicles
also mark the introduction of Optare’s customer focused business excellence program which will further improve product support, deliver operational and quality improvements and fund research and development to deliver attractive products for both operators and passengers.

From the bus and coach magazine. http://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/virtual-...ssue-1346/ (might need to sign up)

Howard Snaith have racks on their E200s

I was interested today to see the differences in Sapphire spec in North Wales to the North East.

Today I was on Arriva North Wales 4637 which was delivered (and presumably built) around the same time as the E400s for Durham & Darlington last year.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/111243429@...053446461/

This photo shows to superior 1 + 2 seating which is another level of comfort, surpassing National Express coaches. What can just be made out on the far left of the single seat is a solid leather arm rest made possible by the seat not being mounted right up against the wall of the saloon. This touch adds so much! These are marvellous, however I still found the Stagecoach Gold E300 marginally more comfortable.

(02 Feb 2016, 12:20 am)James101 wrote [ -> ]I was interested today to see the differences in Sapphire spec in North Wales to the North East.

Today I was on Arriva North Wales 4637 which was delivered (and presumably built) around the same time as the E400s for Durham & Darlington last year.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/111243429@...053446461/

This photo shows to superior 1 + 2 seating which is another level of comfort, surpassing National Express coaches. What can just be made out on the far left of the single seat is a solid leather arm rest made possible by the seat not being mounted right up against the wall of the saloon. This touch adds so much! These are marvellous, however I still found the Stagecoach Gold E300 marginally more comfortable.

Ooh. I could just sink into one of those.

Bet they fart, when you move, mind

Indeed they still do suffer from farty seat syndrome!

What somewhat took the shine off the experience was sharing the top with two people. One man who had just finished smoking a certain green leaf in the bus station before boarding and another man wearing a tracksuit top, pink skirt and purple leggings who spoke rather loudly On the phone.

(02 Feb 2016, 12:20 am)James101 wrote [ -> ]I was interested today to see the differences in Sapphire spec in North Wales to the North East.

Today I was on Arriva North Wales 4637 which was delivered (and presumably built) around the same time as the E400s for Durham & Darlington last year.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/111243429@...053446461/

This photo shows to superior 1 + 2 seating which is another level of comfort, surpassing National Express coaches. What can just be made out on the far left of the single seat is a solid leather arm rest made possible by the seat not being mounted right up against the wall of the saloon. This touch adds so much! These are marvellous, however I still found the Stagecoach Gold E300 marginally more comfortable.

I'm guessing in the North East we went with quantity rather than quality in our Enviro 400's, especially as the ones for the 7 where they were purchased for additional capacity, so it probably wouldn't be best getting Enviro 400's that probably would be licensed to carry around the same number of passengers as the Pulsars they replaced, although the E400's would obviously have a higher seating capacity and lower standing capacity. Not sampled Stagecoach Gold yet but the seats seem the same as the Enviro 400 MMC demonstrator GNE trialled last year, which is what I think Arriva should have gone with for their MAX and Sapphire buses.

(02 Feb 2016, 1:07 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I'm guessing in the North East we went with quantity rather than quality in our Enviro 400's, especially as the ones for the 7 where they were purchased for additional capacity, so it probably wouldn't be best getting Enviro 400's that probably would be licensed to carry around the same number of passengers as the Pulsars they replaced, although the E400's would obviously have a higher seating capacity and lower standing capacity. Not sampled Stagecoach Gold yet but the seats seem the same as the Enviro 400 MMC demonstrator GNE trialled last year, which is what I think Arriva should have gone with for their MAX and Sapphire buses.

These seats are heavier. I may be wrong, but I believe that the installation of these seats would result in the operator not being able to claim an enhanced rate of BSOG payment, due to the increased total weight of the vehicle.

Providing better quality seats may be able to be justified for some services, but I highly doubt it. I would expect this is why Go North East and Arriva North East stick to Esteban Civic V3 seating as their most 'luxurious' seating type.

(02 Feb 2016, 1:35 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]These seats are heavier. I may be wrong, but I believe that the installation of these seats would result in the operator not being able to claim an enhanced rate of BSOG payment, due to the increased total weight of the vehicle.

Providing better quality seats may be able to be justified for some services, but I highly doubt it. I would expect this is why Go North East and Arriva North East stick to Esteban Civic V3 seating as their most 'luxurious' seating type.

I wonder if the extra weight is offset by there being less seats overall on the vehicle? I've not done a count but there was clearly less seats on the Gold spec e300s compared to standard Stagecoach. 

The corridor these buses run on is served by 10 buses per hour and appeared to run as a 'walk-on' service Chester whereby as one bus departed the next pulled up out of layover to load. Although running less departures with higher capacity buses would be more economical, it could be argued that the combination of high spec interior plus ultra frequent Departures is more appealing to motorists opting to be first time bus users. Maybe this is the thinking behind this 'quality over quantity' and it may pay off in the long term

(02 Feb 2016, 1:07 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I'm guessing in the North East we went with quantity rather than quality in our Enviro 400's, especially as the ones for the 7 where they were purchased for additional capacity, so it probably wouldn't be best getting Enviro 400's that probably would be licensed to carry around the same number of passengers as the Pulsars they replaced, although the E400's would obviously have a higher seating capacity and lower standing capacity. Not sampled Stagecoach Gold yet but the seats seem the same as the Enviro 400 MMC demonstrator GNE trialled last year, which is what I think Arriva should have gone with for their MAX and Sapphire buses.

I have used Gold services in Oxford. I have sampled their S series a few times now.
Whilst there may be slight differences, it isn't noticeable.

To be honest, I cant notice the difference with GNE, Max nor Sapphire with regard to the plether they use.

I have noticed the lack of pitch and the angle of the seats on all and it does nowt for me.
No comfort at all as far as I am concerned. Regardless of the seating material.

I note Bensons for Beds and similar chain stores have a scale for their mattresses.
If a major bed retailer has to offer a range of support levels to appease their customers, then no wonder operators can't win over everyone.

If the operators asked what passengers were after, in terms of comfort, material, legroom, pitch, angles etc., I wonder what would win?

(02 Feb 2016, 2:54 pm)James101 wrote [ -> ]I wonder if the extra weight is offset by there being less seats overall on the vehicle? I've not done a count but there was clearly less seats on the Gold spec e300s compared to standard Stagecoach. 

The corridor these buses run on is served by 10 buses per hour and appeared to run as a 'walk-on' service Chester whereby as one bus departed the next pulled up out of layover to load. Although running less departures with higher capacity buses would be more economical, it could be argued that the combination of high spec interior plus ultra frequent Departures is more appealing to motorists opting to be first time bus users. Maybe this is the thinking behind this 'quality over quantity' and it may pay off in the long term

Pump priming a service is certainly not a new thing, but a massive gamble when doing it with high spec vehicles.

(02 Feb 2016, 3:22 pm)I\m Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Pump priming a service is certainly not a new thing, but a massive gamble when doing it with high spec vehicles.

I would imagine the circumstances this is best suited for is a route to a major conurbation operating via an an affluent area with high car ownership where the operator feels an opportunity to create new customers by offering a luxury product. Same principles apply on the new Manchester (mis)guided busway streetdecks and the same for Transdev in Harragate.

I've noted that during trentbarton's refresh of their indigo brand they've re-upholstered the seats from leather to fabric following customer feedback that the leather was unpopular. Are customers beginning to see through the leather being offered as a upgrade when in reality it's a cost saving through reduced cleaning time?

(04 Apr 2016, 10:50 am)James101 wrote [ -> ]I've noted that during trentbarton's refresh of their indigo brand they've re-upholstered the seats from leather to fabric following customer feedback that the leather was unpopular. Are customers beginning to see through the leather being offered as a upgrade when in reality it's a cost saving through reduced cleaning time?

I rather like the leather because I can see exactly how grubby or wet the seat is.

(04 Apr 2016, 10:52 am)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]I rather like the leather because I can see exactly how grubby or wet the seat is.

They're like a magnet for pasty crumbs!

(04 Apr 2016, 10:50 am)James101 wrote [ -> ]I've noted that during trentbarton's refresh of their indigo brand they've re-upholstered the seats from leather to fabric following customer feedback that the leather was unpopular. Are customers beginning to see through the leather being offered as a upgrade when in reality it's a cost saving through reduced cleaning time?

Personally I would just ask for some URBAN 90s  
The worst seats are the X66 leather ones

May be opening a can of worms here....why do you like urban90s?

(04 Apr 2016, 1:34 pm)James101 wrote [ -> ]May be opening a can of worms here....why do you like urban90s?

He must have a considerably better cushioned backside than the rest of us. I've just done the 35 minutes each way to Hartlepool and back on a Scarlet Band E200 and I ache!

(04 Apr 2016, 11:34 am)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]They're like a magnet for pasty crumbs!

At least you can see the pasty crumbs before they end up plastered to your arse!

I've noticed that they might be easy to keep clean, but probably won't stay looking reasonably good for 7-8 years like decent fabric seats, though. They have a tendency to rip and stretch with wear and tear.

(04 Apr 2016, 1:34 pm)James101 wrote [ -> ]May be opening a can of worms here....why do you like urban90s?

I like firm seats, the best are on GNE 619 and Arriva 1799 in my opinion, I don't know why though. The worst type of seats are bench style ones.

A lot of it depends on the padding in the seats. I find the eLeather is more comfortable once it's been worn in a bit, but I don't think there's anywhere near enough back cushion to be comfortable, when we're talking about Civic V2 or Civic V3 seating.

I had a ride out on Transdev's 36 service last week, taking the section between Harrogate and Leeds. The new Volvo B5TL/Gemini 3s that they have are fitted with proper leather coach seats upstairs, and leather Civic V3s downstairs. Whilst I didn't sample the seats downstairs, I did find the coach seats upstairs to be extremely comfortable. They are proper high back seats too - i.e. they still serve a purpose if you've above 5ft tall.


Transdev Harrogate & District: 3619 / BL65YYS by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr


Transdev Harrogate & District: 3619 / BL65YYS by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

(04 Apr 2016, 4:44 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]A lot of it depends on the padding in the seats. I find the eLeather is more comfortable once it's been worn in a bit, but I don't think there's anywhere near enough back cushion to be comfortable, when we're talking about Civic V2 or Civic V3 seating.

I had a ride out on Transdev's 36 service last week, taking the section between Harrogate and Leeds. The new Volvo B5TL/Gemini 3s that they have are fitted with proper leather coach seats upstairs, and leather Civic V3s downstairs. Whilst I didn't sample the seats downstairs, I did find the coach seats upstairs to be extremely comfortable. They are proper high back seats too - i.e. they still serve a purpose if you've above 5ft tall.


Transdev Harrogate & District: 3619 / BL65YYS by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr


Transdev Harrogate & District: 3619 / BL65YYS by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

Nah, don't like leather seats I just find them cold and squeaky

(04 Apr 2016, 4:47 pm)NK53 TKT wrote [ -> ]Nah, don't like leather seats I just find them cold and squeaky

That's a bit of a sweeping statement, isn't it? I don't know of any leather seats that squeak.

(04 Apr 2016, 4:13 pm)NK53 TKT wrote [ -> ]I like firm seats, the best are on GNE 619 and Arriva 1799 in my opinion, I don't know why though. The worst type of seats are bench style ones.

Bench seats are not the worst type the best bench seats are on several pacers

(04 Apr 2016, 4:13 pm)NK53 TKT wrote [ -> ]I like firm seats, the best are on GNE 619 and Arriva 1799 in my opinion, I don't know why though. The worst type of seats are bench style ones.

Oooh no!

I remember when I was younger, I was used to bench and coach seated Olympians on the X31. One day a, to me, 'new' Lowlander turned up, with those awful plastic Urban 90s, I remember people complaining, and wondering where the 'old' buses had gone to!

I always found bench seats more than good enough.