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ANE Ashington Vehicle Issues

ANE Ashington Vehicle Issues

 
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mb134



4,131
25 Jan 2021, 10:08 pm #1
I've noticed a significant increase in vehicle failures at Ashington recently, particularly on the Alnwick routes.

Just today the following failed:
7512 made it only a few trips into its 35 this morning.
7529 on the X15 around Belford.
7553 on the X18 around Amble.
7555 on the X14 at Newcastle.
7556 on the X15 at Berwick.

7511/12 appear to be increasingly unreliable, when I was last on 7511 in the summer it was ghastly. 7514 has just returned from 2 weeks off the road, before that it was struggling to make it through a day of service - indeed on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th it was taken out of service on the same board two days running. The 64 and 15 plates (the latter batch *still* had internal Yorkshire branding last I was on one late last year) are going the same way as the rest too, indeed 7555 was restricted to the 35 for a few months last year due to overheating on anything else. The Scanias are probably best ignored, all 3 are somehow out on MAX work today but that happens about once a week at best. 7445 has made it into service a whopping 5 times since Christmas Eve, though only actually completed a full board on 3 of those.

The near constant issues with the MAX deckers means that the 14-plate E400s are getting punted onto the X15/18 etc in their place as presumably they can cope better, leaving the MAX E400s to crawl through their day on the Sapphire routes instead. 

While new vehicles are desperately needed for those routes, I can't help but think engineering standards at Ashington are also falling. The same buses breaking constantly, something being kept on the 35s for months because of overheating (here's an idea, fix it?), 5-6 year old buses unable to perform on their branded routes, all this screams of a poor attitude by the engineering staff and a "that'll do" approach, rather than fixing stuff properly first time.

Then there's the appearance of their vehicles: Are depot management blind? Surely, even if they don't have a budget for full repaints, they can make stuff look half presentable.

The new MD being an "experienced engineering director" evidently means sod all. I see Whitby/Redcar had 2 Streetlites on the X93 today too due to a "shortage of serviceable deckers".
mb134
25 Jan 2021, 10:08 pm #1

I've noticed a significant increase in vehicle failures at Ashington recently, particularly on the Alnwick routes.

Just today the following failed:
7512 made it only a few trips into its 35 this morning.
7529 on the X15 around Belford.
7553 on the X18 around Amble.
7555 on the X14 at Newcastle.
7556 on the X15 at Berwick.

7511/12 appear to be increasingly unreliable, when I was last on 7511 in the summer it was ghastly. 7514 has just returned from 2 weeks off the road, before that it was struggling to make it through a day of service - indeed on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th it was taken out of service on the same board two days running. The 64 and 15 plates (the latter batch *still* had internal Yorkshire branding last I was on one late last year) are going the same way as the rest too, indeed 7555 was restricted to the 35 for a few months last year due to overheating on anything else. The Scanias are probably best ignored, all 3 are somehow out on MAX work today but that happens about once a week at best. 7445 has made it into service a whopping 5 times since Christmas Eve, though only actually completed a full board on 3 of those.

The near constant issues with the MAX deckers means that the 14-plate E400s are getting punted onto the X15/18 etc in their place as presumably they can cope better, leaving the MAX E400s to crawl through their day on the Sapphire routes instead. 

While new vehicles are desperately needed for those routes, I can't help but think engineering standards at Ashington are also falling. The same buses breaking constantly, something being kept on the 35s for months because of overheating (here's an idea, fix it?), 5-6 year old buses unable to perform on their branded routes, all this screams of a poor attitude by the engineering staff and a "that'll do" approach, rather than fixing stuff properly first time.

Then there's the appearance of their vehicles:

Are depot management blind? Surely, even if they don't have a budget for full repaints, they can make stuff look half presentable.

The new MD being an "experienced engineering director" evidently means sod all. I see Whitby/Redcar had 2 Streetlites on the X93 today too due to a "shortage of serviceable deckers".

Storx



4,481
25 Jan 2021, 10:44 pm #2
(25 Jan 2021, 10:08 pm)mb134 I've noticed a significant increase in vehicle failures at Ashington recently, particularly on the Alnwick routes.

Just today the following failed:
7512 made it only a few trips into its 35 this morning.
7529 on the X15 around Belford.
7553 on the X18 around Amble.
7555 on the X14 at Newcastle.
7556 on the X15 at Berwick.

7511/12 appear to be increasingly unreliable, when I was last on 7511 in the summer it was ghastly. 7514 has just returned from 2 weeks off the road, before that it was struggling to make it through a day of service - indeed on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th it was taken out of service on the same board two days running. The 64 and 15 plates (the latter batch *still* had internal Yorkshire branding last I was on one late last year) are going the same way as the rest too, indeed 7555 was restricted to the 35 for a few months last year due to overheating on anything else. The Scanias are probably best ignored, all 3 are somehow out on MAX work today but that happens about once a week at best. 7445 has made it into service a whopping 5 times since Christmas Eve, though only actually completed a full board on 3 of those.

The near constant issues with the MAX deckers means that the 14-plate E400s are getting punted onto the X15/18 etc in their place as presumably they can cope better, leaving the MAX E400s to crawl through their day on the Sapphire routes instead. 

While new vehicles are desperately needed for those routes, I can't help but think engineering standards at Ashington are also falling. The same buses breaking constantly, something being kept on the 35s for months because of overheating (here's an idea, fix it?), 5-6 year old buses unable to perform on their branded routes, all this screams of a poor attitude by the engineering staff and a "that'll do" approach, rather than fixing stuff properly first time.

Then there's the appearance of their vehicles: Are depot management blind? Surely, even if they don't have a budget for full repaints, they can make stuff look half presentable.

The new MD being an "experienced engineering director" evidently means sod all. I see Whitby/Redcar had 2 Streetlites on the X93 today too due to a "shortage of serviceable deckers".

Definitely an interesting discussion mind, I know I regular mention them - probably too much, but one of the Solo's has obviously had a window put out quite recently and the new one looks like it's been fitted by a 10 year old with literal gaps where they've missed the sealing which is just a mess at best and isn't straight at all looks like a quick slap it down, if you pushed the window hard you could easily put it out as it's not fitted properly. Then to add a bonus the heating was blantently broken aswell which is pleasant this time of year. Believe it was 2812.

I know there's another Solo which the door frame has corroded right through and was running in service in weeks with it not actually attached to the floor and another which has had a panel hanging off for months (believe that's finally been fixed now though).

If that's interior of the buses when it's visible I wouldn't want to know what it's like underneath where it's not visible and 2809, 2812 and 2813 are noticeable more unreliable that any other Solo in the fleet even known they've had no problems for a couple weeks and I believe are the only Solos left in the 1999 livery now - more lack of care.

Hopefully they'll spend the time in the next few weeks to improve the long going problems with Blyth aswell who've been having a lot of problems lately aswell when the timetable reductions come in for Covid.
Storx
25 Jan 2021, 10:44 pm #2

(25 Jan 2021, 10:08 pm)mb134 I've noticed a significant increase in vehicle failures at Ashington recently, particularly on the Alnwick routes.

Just today the following failed:
7512 made it only a few trips into its 35 this morning.
7529 on the X15 around Belford.
7553 on the X18 around Amble.
7555 on the X14 at Newcastle.
7556 on the X15 at Berwick.

7511/12 appear to be increasingly unreliable, when I was last on 7511 in the summer it was ghastly. 7514 has just returned from 2 weeks off the road, before that it was struggling to make it through a day of service - indeed on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th it was taken out of service on the same board two days running. The 64 and 15 plates (the latter batch *still* had internal Yorkshire branding last I was on one late last year) are going the same way as the rest too, indeed 7555 was restricted to the 35 for a few months last year due to overheating on anything else. The Scanias are probably best ignored, all 3 are somehow out on MAX work today but that happens about once a week at best. 7445 has made it into service a whopping 5 times since Christmas Eve, though only actually completed a full board on 3 of those.

The near constant issues with the MAX deckers means that the 14-plate E400s are getting punted onto the X15/18 etc in their place as presumably they can cope better, leaving the MAX E400s to crawl through their day on the Sapphire routes instead. 

While new vehicles are desperately needed for those routes, I can't help but think engineering standards at Ashington are also falling. The same buses breaking constantly, something being kept on the 35s for months because of overheating (here's an idea, fix it?), 5-6 year old buses unable to perform on their branded routes, all this screams of a poor attitude by the engineering staff and a "that'll do" approach, rather than fixing stuff properly first time.

Then there's the appearance of their vehicles: Are depot management blind? Surely, even if they don't have a budget for full repaints, they can make stuff look half presentable.

The new MD being an "experienced engineering director" evidently means sod all. I see Whitby/Redcar had 2 Streetlites on the X93 today too due to a "shortage of serviceable deckers".

Definitely an interesting discussion mind, I know I regular mention them - probably too much, but one of the Solo's has obviously had a window put out quite recently and the new one looks like it's been fitted by a 10 year old with literal gaps where they've missed the sealing which is just a mess at best and isn't straight at all looks like a quick slap it down, if you pushed the window hard you could easily put it out as it's not fitted properly. Then to add a bonus the heating was blantently broken aswell which is pleasant this time of year. Believe it was 2812.

I know there's another Solo which the door frame has corroded right through and was running in service in weeks with it not actually attached to the floor and another which has had a panel hanging off for months (believe that's finally been fixed now though).

If that's interior of the buses when it's visible I wouldn't want to know what it's like underneath where it's not visible and 2809, 2812 and 2813 are noticeable more unreliable that any other Solo in the fleet even known they've had no problems for a couple weeks and I believe are the only Solos left in the 1999 livery now - more lack of care.

Hopefully they'll spend the time in the next few weeks to improve the long going problems with Blyth aswell who've been having a lot of problems lately aswell when the timetable reductions come in for Covid.

26 Jan 2021, 12:02 am #3
I mean if you think that’s bad you should see other depots, I live in Darlington and friends with quite a few drivers so often am out and about with many of them, but 9 times out of 10 there’s a lot of vehicles off the road, the one that springs to mind is streetlite 1594 that’s been off the road since November

Pretty much any day that goes by in Darlington something else breaks down, I heard the other day that a driver was supposed to start at 7am and finally went on the road at 10:15 due to waiting for a bus because there was problems with quite a few of them

Eventually he had to swap over 2 buses for him to get a bus that was suitable for the route he was doing

I know Darlington even had/have a Redcar streetlite on loan because we are that short so it happens to all depots

Moral of the story is at least a bus turned up no matter what the state of it is, providing it will get you from A to B
Stuartphin1639
26 Jan 2021, 12:02 am #3

I mean if you think that’s bad you should see other depots, I live in Darlington and friends with quite a few drivers so often am out and about with many of them, but 9 times out of 10 there’s a lot of vehicles off the road, the one that springs to mind is streetlite 1594 that’s been off the road since November

Pretty much any day that goes by in Darlington something else breaks down, I heard the other day that a driver was supposed to start at 7am and finally went on the road at 10:15 due to waiting for a bus because there was problems with quite a few of them

Eventually he had to swap over 2 buses for him to get a bus that was suitable for the route he was doing

I know Darlington even had/have a Redcar streetlite on loan because we are that short so it happens to all depots

Moral of the story is at least a bus turned up no matter what the state of it is, providing it will get you from A to B

mb134



4,131
26 Jan 2021, 12:11 am #4
(25 Jan 2021, 10:44 pm)Storx Definitely an interesting discussion mind, I know I regular mention them - probably too much, but one of the Solo's has obviously had a window put out quite recently and the new one looks like it's been fitted by a 10 year old with literal gaps where they've missed the sealing which is just a mess at best and isn't straight at all looks like a quick slap it down, if you pushed the window hard you could easily put it out as it's not fitted properly. Then to add a bonus the heating was blantently broken aswell which is pleasant this time of year. Believe it was 2812.

Aye I didn't put anything about them into my post as I remembered it had been discussed recently, but yeah it's really not ideal. The MPDs, Scanias and older E400s really need to be put to work on something else. 

The cynic in me wonders if the seemingly patch and go approach is implemented by local management to an extent in order to force DBs hand to open the purse strings.

(26 Jan 2021, 12:02 am)Stuartphin1639 I mean if you think that’s bad you should see other depots, I live in Darlington and friends with quite a few drivers so often am out and about with many of them, but 9 times out of 10 there’s a lot of vehicles off the road, the one that springs to mind is streetlite 1594 that’s been off the road since November

Pretty much any day that goes by in Darlington something else breaks down, I heard the other day that a driver was supposed to start at 7am and finally went on the road at 10:15 due to waiting for a bus because there was problems with quite a few of them

Eventually he had to swap over 2 buses for him to get a bus that was suitable for the route he was doing

I know Darlington even had/have a Redcar streetlite on loan because we are that short so it happens to all depots

Moral of the story is at least a bus turned up no matter what the state of it is, providing it will get you from A to B

Oh without a doubt there are issues elsewhere, but isn't it funny that two of the depots that seemingly have some of the worst reliability at the moment are ones that are relying on 05 plate Scanias and 2008/9 E400s to run demanding express work? 

I only mention Ashington as I've never noticed it be quite as bad as the past few months have been. I think the same buses continually being problematic is indicative of poor maintenance routines, I get it happening once or twice but when you see the same stuff fail as often as some of them do, it's stands out. For as long as I've paid attention, Durham County have always looked to be worse than Northumbria in terms of general standards so I hold the latter to a higher standard, perhaps that's why this is standing out more.
Edited 26 Jan 2021, 12:16 am by mb134.
mb134
26 Jan 2021, 12:11 am #4

(25 Jan 2021, 10:44 pm)Storx Definitely an interesting discussion mind, I know I regular mention them - probably too much, but one of the Solo's has obviously had a window put out quite recently and the new one looks like it's been fitted by a 10 year old with literal gaps where they've missed the sealing which is just a mess at best and isn't straight at all looks like a quick slap it down, if you pushed the window hard you could easily put it out as it's not fitted properly. Then to add a bonus the heating was blantently broken aswell which is pleasant this time of year. Believe it was 2812.

Aye I didn't put anything about them into my post as I remembered it had been discussed recently, but yeah it's really not ideal. The MPDs, Scanias and older E400s really need to be put to work on something else. 

The cynic in me wonders if the seemingly patch and go approach is implemented by local management to an extent in order to force DBs hand to open the purse strings.

(26 Jan 2021, 12:02 am)Stuartphin1639 I mean if you think that’s bad you should see other depots, I live in Darlington and friends with quite a few drivers so often am out and about with many of them, but 9 times out of 10 there’s a lot of vehicles off the road, the one that springs to mind is streetlite 1594 that’s been off the road since November

Pretty much any day that goes by in Darlington something else breaks down, I heard the other day that a driver was supposed to start at 7am and finally went on the road at 10:15 due to waiting for a bus because there was problems with quite a few of them

Eventually he had to swap over 2 buses for him to get a bus that was suitable for the route he was doing

I know Darlington even had/have a Redcar streetlite on loan because we are that short so it happens to all depots

Moral of the story is at least a bus turned up no matter what the state of it is, providing it will get you from A to B

Oh without a doubt there are issues elsewhere, but isn't it funny that two of the depots that seemingly have some of the worst reliability at the moment are ones that are relying on 05 plate Scanias and 2008/9 E400s to run demanding express work? 

I only mention Ashington as I've never noticed it be quite as bad as the past few months have been. I think the same buses continually being problematic is indicative of poor maintenance routines, I get it happening once or twice but when you see the same stuff fail as often as some of them do, it's stands out. For as long as I've paid attention, Durham County have always looked to be worse than Northumbria in terms of general standards so I hold the latter to a higher standard, perhaps that's why this is standing out more.

L469 YVK



3,544
26 Jan 2021, 10:42 am #5
If DB were desperate, could they not do either of the following.

Option 1:
- 6x StreetDeck OM936 or Scania E400MMC for X93
- 7401-06 to Ashington for X18
- 7529-33 & 7553-56 for X14/X15 (will leave 2x spare)
- Don't know about X20?

Option 2x:
- 12x StreetDeck OM936 or Scania E400MMC for X18 & X93
- 7401-04 to Ashington for X15 (2x left)
- 7529-33 & 7553-56 for X14/X20 (2x spare)

Remaining B9TLs could then be used towards X93 extras.
L469 YVK
26 Jan 2021, 10:42 am #5

If DB were desperate, could they not do either of the following.

Option 1:
- 6x StreetDeck OM936 or Scania E400MMC for X93
- 7401-06 to Ashington for X18
- 7529-33 & 7553-56 for X14/X15 (will leave 2x spare)
- Don't know about X20?

Option 2x:
- 12x StreetDeck OM936 or Scania E400MMC for X18 & X93
- 7401-04 to Ashington for X15 (2x left)
- 7529-33 & 7553-56 for X14/X20 (2x spare)

Remaining B9TLs could then be used towards X93 extras.

GNE6312



1,091
26 Jan 2021, 2:07 pm #6
DB are an absolute joke the lack of attention they pay to arriva (especially the NE) they should be forced to invest in arriva or be stripped of arriva and be banned from purchasing it with immediate effect and have all of arrivas operations handed over to each depots local authority (like Lothian is) and/or other companies willing to invest to modernise the aging fleets (such as those up here)
GNE6312
26 Jan 2021, 2:07 pm #6

DB are an absolute joke the lack of attention they pay to arriva (especially the NE) they should be forced to invest in arriva or be stripped of arriva and be banned from purchasing it with immediate effect and have all of arrivas operations handed over to each depots local authority (like Lothian is) and/or other companies willing to invest to modernise the aging fleets (such as those up here)

26 Jan 2021, 2:50 pm #7
(25 Jan 2021, 10:08 pm)mb134 I've noticed a significant increase in vehicle failures at Ashington recently, particularly on the Alnwick routes.

Just today the following failed:
7512 made it only a few trips into its 35 this morning.
7529 on the X15 around Belford.
7553 on the X18 around Amble.
7555 on the X14 at Newcastle.
7556 on the X15 at Berwick.

7511/12 appear to be increasingly unreliable, when I was last on 7511 in the summer it was ghastly. 7514 has just returned from 2 weeks off the road, before that it was struggling to make it through a day of service - indeed on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th it was taken out of service on the same board two days running. The 64 and 15 plates (the latter batch *still* had internal Yorkshire branding last I was on one late last year) are going the same way as the rest too, indeed 7555 was restricted to the 35 for a few months last year due to overheating on anything else. The Scanias are probably best ignored, all 3 are somehow out on MAX work today but that happens about once a week at best. 7445 has made it into service a whopping 5 times since Christmas Eve, though only actually completed a full board on 3 of those.

The near constant issues with the MAX deckers means that the 14-plate E400s are getting punted onto the X15/18 etc in their place as presumably they can cope better, leaving the MAX E400s to crawl through their day on the Sapphire routes instead. 

While new vehicles are desperately needed for those routes, I can't help but think engineering standards at Ashington are also falling. The same buses breaking constantly, something being kept on the 35s for months because of overheating (here's an idea, fix it?), 5-6 year old buses unable to perform on their branded routes, all this screams of a poor attitude by the engineering staff and a "that'll do" approach, rather than fixing stuff properly first time.

Then there's the appearance of their vehicles: Are depot management blind? Surely, even if they don't have a budget for full repaints, they can make stuff look half presentable.

The new MD being an "experienced engineering director" evidently means sod all. I see Whitby/Redcar had 2 Streetlites on the X93 today too due to a "shortage of serviceable deckers".
Thanks for using one of my photos  Big Grin
ThomasBooth123
26 Jan 2021, 2:50 pm #7

(25 Jan 2021, 10:08 pm)mb134 I've noticed a significant increase in vehicle failures at Ashington recently, particularly on the Alnwick routes.

Just today the following failed:
7512 made it only a few trips into its 35 this morning.
7529 on the X15 around Belford.
7553 on the X18 around Amble.
7555 on the X14 at Newcastle.
7556 on the X15 at Berwick.

7511/12 appear to be increasingly unreliable, when I was last on 7511 in the summer it was ghastly. 7514 has just returned from 2 weeks off the road, before that it was struggling to make it through a day of service - indeed on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th it was taken out of service on the same board two days running. The 64 and 15 plates (the latter batch *still* had internal Yorkshire branding last I was on one late last year) are going the same way as the rest too, indeed 7555 was restricted to the 35 for a few months last year due to overheating on anything else. The Scanias are probably best ignored, all 3 are somehow out on MAX work today but that happens about once a week at best. 7445 has made it into service a whopping 5 times since Christmas Eve, though only actually completed a full board on 3 of those.

The near constant issues with the MAX deckers means that the 14-plate E400s are getting punted onto the X15/18 etc in their place as presumably they can cope better, leaving the MAX E400s to crawl through their day on the Sapphire routes instead. 

While new vehicles are desperately needed for those routes, I can't help but think engineering standards at Ashington are also falling. The same buses breaking constantly, something being kept on the 35s for months because of overheating (here's an idea, fix it?), 5-6 year old buses unable to perform on their branded routes, all this screams of a poor attitude by the engineering staff and a "that'll do" approach, rather than fixing stuff properly first time.

Then there's the appearance of their vehicles: Are depot management blind? Surely, even if they don't have a budget for full repaints, they can make stuff look half presentable.

The new MD being an "experienced engineering director" evidently means sod all. I see Whitby/Redcar had 2 Streetlites on the X93 today too due to a "shortage of serviceable deckers".
Thanks for using one of my photos  Big Grin

V514DFT



2,225
26 Jan 2021, 4:10 pm #8
(26 Jan 2021, 12:11 am)mb134 Aye I didn't put anything about them into my post as I remembered it had been discussed recently, but yeah it's really not ideal. The MPDs, Scanias and older E400s really need to be put to work on something else. 

The cynic in me wonders if the seemingly patch and go approach is implemented by local management to an extent in order to force DBs hand to open the purse strings.


Oh without a doubt there are issues elsewhere, but isn't it funny that two of the depots that seemingly have some of the worst reliability at the moment are ones that are relying on 05 plate Scanias and 2008/9 E400s to run demanding express work? 

I only mention Ashington as I've never noticed it be quite as bad as the past few months have been. I think the same buses continually being problematic is indicative of poor maintenance routines, I get it happening once or twice but when you see the same stuff fail as often as some of them do, it's stands out. For as long as I've paid attention, Durham County have always looked to be worse than Northumbria in terms of general standards so I hold the latter to a higher standard, perhaps that's why this is standing out more.
I noticed it a few years back when the 57 Reg E400's used to be on the X21/X22, 9 times out 10 you wouldnt see a full allocation of 400s on there, you'd always get the renowns jumping in, and the likelyhood of it being 4510 or 4511 was very high, towards the end 4510 and 4511 were the worst 2 out of the lot,were literally falling apart, and must of had a severe leak somewhere cus they stank of damp,but were still seen as 'fit' to serve the public even after they left Newcastle/Northumberland, what i'll never fully understand is why 4512-4515 were the only ones refurbished along with the ALX300's,but ive since then found the answer, cus its Arriva,they do everything half arsed

Kind Regards
Tez
V514DFT
26 Jan 2021, 4:10 pm #8

(26 Jan 2021, 12:11 am)mb134 Aye I didn't put anything about them into my post as I remembered it had been discussed recently, but yeah it's really not ideal. The MPDs, Scanias and older E400s really need to be put to work on something else. 

The cynic in me wonders if the seemingly patch and go approach is implemented by local management to an extent in order to force DBs hand to open the purse strings.


Oh without a doubt there are issues elsewhere, but isn't it funny that two of the depots that seemingly have some of the worst reliability at the moment are ones that are relying on 05 plate Scanias and 2008/9 E400s to run demanding express work? 

I only mention Ashington as I've never noticed it be quite as bad as the past few months have been. I think the same buses continually being problematic is indicative of poor maintenance routines, I get it happening once or twice but when you see the same stuff fail as often as some of them do, it's stands out. For as long as I've paid attention, Durham County have always looked to be worse than Northumbria in terms of general standards so I hold the latter to a higher standard, perhaps that's why this is standing out more.
I noticed it a few years back when the 57 Reg E400's used to be on the X21/X22, 9 times out 10 you wouldnt see a full allocation of 400s on there, you'd always get the renowns jumping in, and the likelyhood of it being 4510 or 4511 was very high, towards the end 4510 and 4511 were the worst 2 out of the lot,were literally falling apart, and must of had a severe leak somewhere cus they stank of damp,but were still seen as 'fit' to serve the public even after they left Newcastle/Northumberland, what i'll never fully understand is why 4512-4515 were the only ones refurbished along with the ALX300's,but ive since then found the answer, cus its Arriva,they do everything half arsed


Kind Regards
Tez

26 Jan 2021, 6:55 pm #9
(26 Jan 2021, 4:10 pm)V514DFT I noticed it a few years back when the 57 Reg E400's used to be on the X21/X22, 9 times out 10 you wouldnt see a full allocation of 400s on there, you'd always get the renowns jumping in, and the likelyhood of it being 4510 or 4511 was very high, towards the end 4510 and 4511 were the worst 2 out of the lot,were literally falling apart, and must of had a severe leak somewhere cus they stank of damp,but were still seen as 'fit' to serve the public even after they left Newcastle/Northumberland, what i'll never fully understand is why 4512-4515 were the only ones refurbished along with the ALX300's,but ive since then found the answer, cus its Arriva,they do everything half arsed

4510 and 4511 were Newcastle based if I remember correctly so couldn't have been on the X21 X22. 4501 was also refurbished. 

I believe the Renowns were refurbished for the 35 quality upgrade back in 2012/2013.
omnicity4659
26 Jan 2021, 6:55 pm #9

(26 Jan 2021, 4:10 pm)V514DFT I noticed it a few years back when the 57 Reg E400's used to be on the X21/X22, 9 times out 10 you wouldnt see a full allocation of 400s on there, you'd always get the renowns jumping in, and the likelyhood of it being 4510 or 4511 was very high, towards the end 4510 and 4511 were the worst 2 out of the lot,were literally falling apart, and must of had a severe leak somewhere cus they stank of damp,but were still seen as 'fit' to serve the public even after they left Newcastle/Northumberland, what i'll never fully understand is why 4512-4515 were the only ones refurbished along with the ALX300's,but ive since then found the answer, cus its Arriva,they do everything half arsed

4510 and 4511 were Newcastle based if I remember correctly so couldn't have been on the X21 X22. 4501 was also refurbished. 

I believe the Renowns were refurbished for the 35 quality upgrade back in 2012/2013.

mb134



4,131
26 Jan 2021, 7:49 pm #10
(26 Jan 2021, 6:55 pm)omnicity4659 4510 and 4511 were Newcastle based if I remember correctly so couldn't have been on the X21 X22. 4501 was also refurbished. 

I believe the Renowns were refurbished for the 35 quality upgrade back in 2012/2013.
From memory 4509 stayed at Ashington so it was possibly that. Think 4513/5 did too but they were both refurbished so wouldn't have been as bad internally.

Those B10s were some of the best buses ANE have ever had mechanically, was a real blow when they went.
mb134
26 Jan 2021, 7:49 pm #10

(26 Jan 2021, 6:55 pm)omnicity4659 4510 and 4511 were Newcastle based if I remember correctly so couldn't have been on the X21 X22. 4501 was also refurbished. 

I believe the Renowns were refurbished for the 35 quality upgrade back in 2012/2013.
From memory 4509 stayed at Ashington so it was possibly that. Think 4513/5 did too but they were both refurbished so wouldn't have been as bad internally.

Those B10s were some of the best buses ANE have ever had mechanically, was a real blow when they went.

V514DFT



2,225
26 Jan 2021, 9:10 pm #11
(26 Jan 2021, 6:55 pm)omnicity4659 4510 and 4511 were Newcastle based if I remember correctly so couldn't have been on the X21 X22. 4501 was also refurbished. 

I believe the Renowns were refurbished for the 35 quality upgrade back in 2012/2013.
Yes but even if they were Newcastle based, then its still possible for them to slot on to the X21/X22 if a breakdown happened elsewhere on the route,and those were the only buses available

Kind Regards
Tez
V514DFT
26 Jan 2021, 9:10 pm #11

(26 Jan 2021, 6:55 pm)omnicity4659 4510 and 4511 were Newcastle based if I remember correctly so couldn't have been on the X21 X22. 4501 was also refurbished. 

I believe the Renowns were refurbished for the 35 quality upgrade back in 2012/2013.
Yes but even if they were Newcastle based, then its still possible for them to slot on to the X21/X22 if a breakdown happened elsewhere on the route,and those were the only buses available


Kind Regards
Tez

Storx



4,481
26 Jan 2021, 11:50 pm #12
(26 Jan 2021, 12:11 am)mb134 Aye I didn't put anything about them into my post as I remembered it had been discussed recently, but yeah it's really not ideal. The MPDs, Scanias and older E400s really need to be put to work on something else. 

The cynic in me wonders if the seemingly patch and go approach is implemented by local management to an extent in order to force DBs hand to open the purse strings.

Yeah definitely agreed tbh, I wonder if there's still the spat about not being allowed Max especially since Northumbria haven't repainted a single full size bus into the new livery yet and it's been out for nearly 4 year now. (308 done with the transfer).

https://bustimes.org/vehicles/191629?date=2021-01-26 - Talking about taking the piss, that would be an 'enjoyable' journey.
Storx
26 Jan 2021, 11:50 pm #12

(26 Jan 2021, 12:11 am)mb134 Aye I didn't put anything about them into my post as I remembered it had been discussed recently, but yeah it's really not ideal. The MPDs, Scanias and older E400s really need to be put to work on something else. 

The cynic in me wonders if the seemingly patch and go approach is implemented by local management to an extent in order to force DBs hand to open the purse strings.

Yeah definitely agreed tbh, I wonder if there's still the spat about not being allowed Max especially since Northumbria haven't repainted a single full size bus into the new livery yet and it's been out for nearly 4 year now. (308 done with the transfer).

https://bustimes.org/vehicles/191629?date=2021-01-26 - Talking about taking the piss, that would be an 'enjoyable' journey.

mb134



4,131
27 Jan 2021, 12:12 am #13
(26 Jan 2021, 11:50 pm)Storx Yeah definitely agreed tbh, I wonder if there's still the spat about not being allowed Max especially since Northumbria haven't repainted a single full size bus into the new livery yet and it's been out for nearly 4 year now. (308 done with the transfer).

https://bustimes.org/vehicles/191629?date=2021-01-26 - Talking about taking the piss, that would be an 'enjoyable' journey.

Aye it's very odd, and it's not as if there aren't vehicles that are in dire need of a repaint either. 

Aye I saw that, replaced 1579 which failed before it made it back to Morpeth on its first trip this morning. 7515, a MAX decker, meanwhile was going about on the 35. Looking at their fleet in general, 19 year old 7484 seems like one of their most reliable buses, think that says a lot about the state of some of the E400s.
mb134
27 Jan 2021, 12:12 am #13

(26 Jan 2021, 11:50 pm)Storx Yeah definitely agreed tbh, I wonder if there's still the spat about not being allowed Max especially since Northumbria haven't repainted a single full size bus into the new livery yet and it's been out for nearly 4 year now. (308 done with the transfer).

https://bustimes.org/vehicles/191629?date=2021-01-26 - Talking about taking the piss, that would be an 'enjoyable' journey.

Aye it's very odd, and it's not as if there aren't vehicles that are in dire need of a repaint either. 

Aye I saw that, replaced 1579 which failed before it made it back to Morpeth on its first trip this morning. 7515, a MAX decker, meanwhile was going about on the 35. Looking at their fleet in general, 19 year old 7484 seems like one of their most reliable buses, think that says a lot about the state of some of the E400s.

27 Jan 2021, 12:59 am #14
(26 Jan 2021, 9:10 pm)V514DFT Yes but even if they were Newcastle based, then its still possible for them to slot on to the X21/X22 if a breakdown happened elsewhere on the route,and those were the only buses available

This never happened though?

The only time I remember Jesmond providing a bus for an Ashington route, outside of the examples below, was for a StreetLite on the X15 one evening. 

They'd only step in if there's significant disruption (such as ADL deciding to do rectification work on all the E400s in one day a few years back) or if the last bus failed to turn up. That was what I was told a few years ago, so the arrangements may not be in place anymore. Even then they manage to provide something better than 2 buses out of their whole fleet.
omnicity4659
27 Jan 2021, 12:59 am #14

(26 Jan 2021, 9:10 pm)V514DFT Yes but even if they were Newcastle based, then its still possible for them to slot on to the X21/X22 if a breakdown happened elsewhere on the route,and those were the only buses available

This never happened though?

The only time I remember Jesmond providing a bus for an Ashington route, outside of the examples below, was for a StreetLite on the X15 one evening. 

They'd only step in if there's significant disruption (such as ADL deciding to do rectification work on all the E400s in one day a few years back) or if the last bus failed to turn up. That was what I was told a few years ago, so the arrangements may not be in place anymore. Even then they manage to provide something better than 2 buses out of their whole fleet.

Jimmi



10,966
27 Jan 2021, 11:34 pm #15
(27 Jan 2021, 12:59 am)omnicity4659 This never happened though?

The only time I remember Jesmond providing a bus for an Ashington route, outside of the examples below, was for a StreetLite on the X15 one evening. 

They'd only step in if there's significant disruption (such as ADL deciding to do rectification work on all the E400s in one day a few years back) or if the last bus failed to turn up. That was what I was told a few years ago, so the arrangements may not be in place anymore. Even then they manage to provide something better than 2 buses out of their whole fleet.
There's been a few occasions in recent years Jesmond have provided a bus for an emergency allocation, 306 Pulsars have been on the X15 at least twice and I once had 4517 on the X20 from Alnwick to Newcastle (replaced by 7416 upon arrival).
Jimmi
27 Jan 2021, 11:34 pm #15

(27 Jan 2021, 12:59 am)omnicity4659 This never happened though?

The only time I remember Jesmond providing a bus for an Ashington route, outside of the examples below, was for a StreetLite on the X15 one evening. 

They'd only step in if there's significant disruption (such as ADL deciding to do rectification work on all the E400s in one day a few years back) or if the last bus failed to turn up. That was what I was told a few years ago, so the arrangements may not be in place anymore. Even then they manage to provide something better than 2 buses out of their whole fleet.
There's been a few occasions in recent years Jesmond have provided a bus for an emergency allocation, 306 Pulsars have been on the X15 at least twice and I once had 4517 on the X20 from Alnwick to Newcastle (replaced by 7416 upon arrival).

mb134



4,131
28 Jan 2021, 12:25 am #16
(27 Jan 2021, 11:34 pm)Jimmi There's been a few occasions in recent years Jesmond have provided a bus for an emergency allocation, 306 Pulsars have been on the X15 at least twice and I once had 4517 on the X20 from Alnwick to Newcastle (replaced by 7416 upon arrival).

The latter sounds like 7416 was doing 7416 things and likely failed at Haymarket on its previous trip, with the 4 hour window enough for Jesmond to get it going again. In its time at Ashington I don't think I had a single trip on it when it was working 'properly'. 

Wouldn't be surprised if the 306 Pulsars were also replacing 7416, most of the problems it had when I was on it got worse when idle, or starting back up after cutting out while idling (or not starting back up at all).
mb134
28 Jan 2021, 12:25 am #16

(27 Jan 2021, 11:34 pm)Jimmi There's been a few occasions in recent years Jesmond have provided a bus for an emergency allocation, 306 Pulsars have been on the X15 at least twice and I once had 4517 on the X20 from Alnwick to Newcastle (replaced by 7416 upon arrival).

The latter sounds like 7416 was doing 7416 things and likely failed at Haymarket on its previous trip, with the 4 hour window enough for Jesmond to get it going again. In its time at Ashington I don't think I had a single trip on it when it was working 'properly'. 

Wouldn't be surprised if the 306 Pulsars were also replacing 7416, most of the problems it had when I was on it got worse when idle, or starting back up after cutting out while idling (or not starting back up at all).

L469 YVK



3,544
29 Jan 2021, 4:04 pm #17
Why didn't Arriva have the foresight to slightly reduce service levels like GNE did? The situation at Jesmond is a shambles!

Whole of Arriva's operation needs ripping up and starting from scratch. Fingers crossed DB get rid and the right operators move in! Not saying GNE & Stagecoach are perfect but they're stable and not in a race to the bottom unlike Arriva.
L469 YVK
29 Jan 2021, 4:04 pm #17

Why didn't Arriva have the foresight to slightly reduce service levels like GNE did? The situation at Jesmond is a shambles!

Whole of Arriva's operation needs ripping up and starting from scratch. Fingers crossed DB get rid and the right operators move in! Not saying GNE & Stagecoach are perfect but they're stable and not in a race to the bottom unlike Arriva.

citaro5284



3,230
29 Jan 2021, 4:16 pm #18
(29 Jan 2021, 4:04 pm)L469 YVK Why didn't Arriva have the foresight to slightly reduce service levels like GNE did? The situation at Jesmond is a shambles!

Whole of Arriva's operation needs ripping up and starting from scratch. Fingers crossed DB get rid and the right operators move in! Not saying GNE & Stagecoach are perfect but they're stable and not in a race to the bottom unlike Arriva.
Quite surprised that they did not reduce their service levels a couple of weeks back - I think they are from tomorrow, but the amount of trips that has been lost over the past week has not been good, that is for sure.
citaro5284
29 Jan 2021, 4:16 pm #18

(29 Jan 2021, 4:04 pm)L469 YVK Why didn't Arriva have the foresight to slightly reduce service levels like GNE did? The situation at Jesmond is a shambles!

Whole of Arriva's operation needs ripping up and starting from scratch. Fingers crossed DB get rid and the right operators move in! Not saying GNE & Stagecoach are perfect but they're stable and not in a race to the bottom unlike Arriva.
Quite surprised that they did not reduce their service levels a couple of weeks back - I think they are from tomorrow, but the amount of trips that has been lost over the past week has not been good, that is for sure.

RobinHood



632
29 Jan 2021, 8:07 pm #19
(29 Jan 2021, 4:04 pm)L469 YVK Why didn't Arriva have the foresight to slightly reduce service levels like GNE did? The situation at Jesmond is a shambles!

Whole of Arriva's operation needs ripping up and starting from scratch. Fingers crossed DB get rid and the right operators move in! Not saying GNE & Stagecoach are perfect but they're stable and not in a race to the bottom unlike Arriva.

Maybe you can supply them with that crystal ball they should have used?

The changes are coming in from Sunday, but they have been in planning long before Newcastle started losing all of their journeys this week. I'm also aware the Durham County depots will follow on 14 Feb with reduced service levels too.

If only they had that crystal ball so they could have known half the depot at Newcastle would be told to self isolate because of one positive result.

You can't complete a full set of schedules in a few hours. Apparently they couldn't revert to anything they did last year on the first lockdown as the services have changed since so had to replan, schedule duties and get it all agreed with local trade unions before a date can be committed to.

Also, just to highlight - how can Arriva be accused of holding a 'Race to the bottom' when they were the only operator who actually wanted (and tried) to maintain normal service levels - but now ultimately can't. Also, Arriva were the only operator to reinstate absolutely 100% service levels EVERYWHERE in Sept. GNE didn't and neither did Stagecoach - the former having already changed service levels and the latter holding down all of the weekend frequencies.

Sometimes the comments on here show how out of touch the enthusiasts really are with how bus operators actually work.
RobinHood
29 Jan 2021, 8:07 pm #19

(29 Jan 2021, 4:04 pm)L469 YVK Why didn't Arriva have the foresight to slightly reduce service levels like GNE did? The situation at Jesmond is a shambles!

Whole of Arriva's operation needs ripping up and starting from scratch. Fingers crossed DB get rid and the right operators move in! Not saying GNE & Stagecoach are perfect but they're stable and not in a race to the bottom unlike Arriva.

Maybe you can supply them with that crystal ball they should have used?

The changes are coming in from Sunday, but they have been in planning long before Newcastle started losing all of their journeys this week. I'm also aware the Durham County depots will follow on 14 Feb with reduced service levels too.

If only they had that crystal ball so they could have known half the depot at Newcastle would be told to self isolate because of one positive result.

You can't complete a full set of schedules in a few hours. Apparently they couldn't revert to anything they did last year on the first lockdown as the services have changed since so had to replan, schedule duties and get it all agreed with local trade unions before a date can be committed to.

Also, just to highlight - how can Arriva be accused of holding a 'Race to the bottom' when they were the only operator who actually wanted (and tried) to maintain normal service levels - but now ultimately can't. Also, Arriva were the only operator to reinstate absolutely 100% service levels EVERYWHERE in Sept. GNE didn't and neither did Stagecoach - the former having already changed service levels and the latter holding down all of the weekend frequencies.

Sometimes the comments on here show how out of touch the enthusiasts really are with how bus operators actually work.

Storx



4,481
29 Jan 2021, 8:22 pm #20
(29 Jan 2021, 8:07 pm)RobinHood Maybe you can supply them with that crystal ball they should have used?

The changes are coming in from Sunday, but they have been in planning long before Newcastle started losing all of their journeys this week. I'm also aware the Durham County depots will follow on 14 Feb with reduced service levels too.

If only they had that crystal ball so they could have known half the depot at Newcastle would be told to self isolate because of one positive result.

You can't complete a full set of schedules in a few hours. Apparently they couldn't revert to anything they did last year on the first lockdown as the services have changed since so had to replan, schedule duties and get it all agreed with local trade unions before a date can be committed to.

Also, just to highlight - how can Arriva be accused of holding a 'Race to the bottom' when they were the only operator who actually wanted (and tried) to maintain normal service levels - but now ultimately can't. Also, Arriva were the only operator to reinstate absolutely 100% service levels EVERYWHERE in Sept. GNE didn't and neither did Stagecoach - the former having already changed service levels and the latter holding down all of the weekend frequencies.

Sometimes the comments on here show how out of touch the enthusiasts really are with how bus operators actually work.

Well said, it's pointless though they're blinded by a fancy repaint or some gimmicky brand on the side of the bus to hide the service cuts that certain operators up here have been doing for years now.
Storx
29 Jan 2021, 8:22 pm #20

(29 Jan 2021, 8:07 pm)RobinHood Maybe you can supply them with that crystal ball they should have used?

The changes are coming in from Sunday, but they have been in planning long before Newcastle started losing all of their journeys this week. I'm also aware the Durham County depots will follow on 14 Feb with reduced service levels too.

If only they had that crystal ball so they could have known half the depot at Newcastle would be told to self isolate because of one positive result.

You can't complete a full set of schedules in a few hours. Apparently they couldn't revert to anything they did last year on the first lockdown as the services have changed since so had to replan, schedule duties and get it all agreed with local trade unions before a date can be committed to.

Also, just to highlight - how can Arriva be accused of holding a 'Race to the bottom' when they were the only operator who actually wanted (and tried) to maintain normal service levels - but now ultimately can't. Also, Arriva were the only operator to reinstate absolutely 100% service levels EVERYWHERE in Sept. GNE didn't and neither did Stagecoach - the former having already changed service levels and the latter holding down all of the weekend frequencies.

Sometimes the comments on here show how out of touch the enthusiasts really are with how bus operators actually work.

Well said, it's pointless though they're blinded by a fancy repaint or some gimmicky brand on the side of the bus to hide the service cuts that certain operators up here have been doing for years now.

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