Do any of you have a type of bus you like/d travelling on the most?
What about the ones you dislike?
Old school 70's/80s buses are my personal favourite.
In no particular order, MCW Metrobus, ECW Olympian, National Mk2 (used to bang my head on the Mk1 luggage racks) and the Atlanteans were mine.
I quite like the Sxxx OFT type Olympians and enjoyed a ride on the Deltas/Vectas and Sigmas/Lances too. Always hoped for a ride on the last remaining Delta based at Washington before it went, but never had any joy.
Dislikes - anything small! Although I didnt dislike the Metrorider, the original Go-ahead Minilinks, the Merc minibuses, darts and the soulless modern midi-buses aren't favourites at all.
The Spectra rear down stairs seats at the very back had no padding and were shockingly uncomforable, so they fall into this category, alongside the Solo's (my first journey on one resulted in me sitting at the back, seeing a mate walking outside, turning around to wave and saying hello to a solid backed bus... Other passengers noticed my mistake)
Favourites have to be the Atlantean, Delta, Omnicity (Single & Double), and the Citaro bendies.
Worst: Metroriders, Spectres, Solos, and MPDs.
What are the Omnicity Deckers like?
Only ever been on an Omnicity single decker a couple of times, but I have seen plenty of the deckers kicking about in Nottingham (have never had the need to use them - always car, tram, train or foot when I am down there)
(13 May 2013, 9:15 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]What are the Omnicity Deckers like?
Only ever been on an Omnicity single decker a couple of times, but I have seen plenty of the deckers kicking about in Nottingham (have never had the need to use them - always car, tram, train or foot when I am down there)
I really like them. I was on one of the London United ones not so long ago. They're not too different from the singles to be honest, with the obvious addition of another deck
Completely forgot about these bad boys.
They used to work the 638 and for whatever reason, seemed longer than any of the other vehicles at the time.
They didn't seem to last long (if I remember correctly a white one was borrowed from Oxford about 10 years ago) - but loved riding them
www.flickr.com/photos/stagecoachuk/sets/72157632719417673/
Volvo B10M/Alexander PS and Volvo Olympian/Northern Counties Palatine and Palatine 2s are my favourite to ride on for pleasure, though I'd prefer to have a Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini (with WiFi and plug sockets) or a rigid Citaro for every day travel.
Least favourite... Darts (far too rattley), articulated Citaros (the squeaks are just irritating) and Volvo B7s of almost every kind of bodywork.
Some of my favourites are Omnicitys, I love them on the Arriva 24 always prefer an Omnicity over a Pulsar. Can't say I've been on a GNE Omnicity, there all based out of my neck of the woods. I am a bit of Versa fan the look, style and ride. I actually like the new solos on the GNE 700 they are nice and also the older Arriva solos.
The worst buses if been without shadow of a doubt are SPD's and MPD's. Rattling is beyond a joke, they sound as if they are going to break down, so loud I couldn't even talk to a friend on a MPD the other day as it was so loud. And I've never had a comfortable ride on a SPD!
Least favourite?
DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF and those Lynxes
Best?
I love those ones that run around Benidorm and other holiday resorts, some of them are Scanias not sure on others
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianac37/8723295274/
Honourable mention to the Leyland Nationals and the Metrobuses
(07 Sep 2013, 4:38 pm)gtomlinson wrote [ -> ]Least favourite?
DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF DAF and those Lynxes
Best?
I love those ones that run around Benidorm and other holiday resorts, some of them are Scanias not sure on others
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianac37/8723295274/
Honourable mention to the Leyland Nationals and the Metrobuses
I really should have put a National up there as a favorite. I remember when I was at college around 2002/03 time, and the Solars had not long been on the 194/294. There was a National running round on that rota for a good few month. I used to sometimes work out what time it'd be at the college heading my way home, and purposely go out for it. The Solars are good solid buses, but very few buses beat the good solid feel of a National.
As an enthusiast who also has to drive these things...
Favourites would consist of Omnicities, Volvo B9/10 varieties and ADL E300/400s - the Omnicities are just superb vehicles all round and although they feel massive when you're driving them, when looked after properly they perform faultlessly. The one I had yesterday whilst on service 5A between Middlesbrough and Brotton worked superbly even in the most challenging conditions I've ever driven in (bar driving a MAN in a few inches of snow on my last day at Stagecoach!), 4659 just kept cracking on even though the floods were getting worse as the afternoon went on.
Volvo B10B/M were what I trained on and they were also superbly capable machines at home doing absolutely anything. They still battle on on one of the most demanding routes in the Lakes (the 505 between Ambleside and Coniston) and its hard to see what can possibly replace them. B10BLEs are just the low floor equivalent of these heavy duty, ultra reliable machines... They're equally at home on express work as they are pottering around town all day (which is why their performance on the X7 has surprised me).
Volvo B9TL deckers are also very capable machines and far more reliable than their sister 7 litre machines. I first rode on these with First in Sheffield and they've quickly grown on me and I am pleased to see GNE investing in them now, they should last far longer than the B7s.
My liking of Enviro 300/400s comes from my time driving them in London for Stagecoach at the Paralympics which I think was one of the best times of my (admittedly short) driving career and something I was extremely pleased to get chosen to be part of! I spent the majority of the time there driving 5-a-side (blind) football teams between the Olympic Park and their venues, be it training or competitive). I got to drive a few E300s whilst training (route learning) and also when we were picking them up from storage after they had been converted inside. The difference between the ADL E300s and the MAN versions I was driving at Stockton was amazing!
An honourable mention for the Pulsars must be made as they are lovely buses to drive but you get the feeling they're very cheaply made and reliability will fall off a proverbial cliff at some point. The Cadets at Stockton are reaching that stage now, though they too are superbly suited to many of Arrivas routes and many have been at Stockton their entire lives and they'll be hugely missed by everyone when they're retired next year.
As for my dislike list, I'm afraid stuff like Optare Metroriders and the MANs at Stagecoach go in here, I spent two years driving primarily the ALX300 bodied MANs and they were ok but very boring buses to be honest, not superbly reliable either, the 18.240 chassis under the Enviro 300 bodied machines used on the 36 was quite frankly awful and they struggle to keep them on the road!
There's not much else I have a strong dislike for, all buses have + points and - points and it very much depends what routes they're used on as sometimes they're clearly not suited, much like the E400s at Whitby used on X93. Clearly unsuitable buses yet they're on a crusade to try and make them fit. The Omnicities on the 685 is another example of this. GNE using Citaro bendies from London on the 58 is a great example, the buses chosen were clearly not upto the demanding route. How many odd workings are seen on there everyday and this is despite chopping the frequency to Hadrian Park and therefore reducing the PVR required yet they still can't cover the PVR with Citaros! This is despite the Streetlite demo having its own diagram too...
(07 Sep 2013, 4:54 pm)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]GNE using Citaro bendies from London on the 58 is a great example, the buses chosen were clearly not upto the demanding route. How many odd workings are seen on there everyday and this is despite chopping the frequency to Hadrian Park and therefore reducing the PVR required yet they still can't cover the PVR with Citaros! This is despite the Streetlite demo having its own diagram too...
Surprises me that they didn't learn their lesson with the Vykings. They were fine running up and down to Putney Bridge in London on a nice flat route, but didn't know what had hit them doing the Bishop to Newcastle runs.
My favourite Buses Are
MCW MetroBus
I had many a ride on these beautiful machines as a child on the Washington Based Xpress Services and I was rather guttered when they were withdrawn in 2006 I think it was. But in June at the Durham Howlands Park and Ride Bus Rally I got to relive some of those memories as I got Northern UTN 501Y back into Durham. Only bad thing was the Windows were sealed so you couldn't open them and the fact it was like a Furness, Hottest bus I have ever been on. Minus a Routemaster at Seaburn a few weeks back.
Dennis Dart MPD
Now I know everyone hates these Buses, Personally i'm not a Fan of the Batch GNE bought in 2000/2001, but the Batches they bought between 2002 and 2004 are simply a pleasure for to ride on everyday on the M2/M3 and it's amazing they are still going 10 Years on, and still sounding rather healthy, despite a select few suffering reliability issues lately, mainly rear suspension snapping.
But other than that I think they've been a great purchase by GNE I think and still have a good few years left in them despite incoming regulation requirements which will lead to there withdrawal from service which a great shame. I'll quite guttered in a few months when there replaced by Versas also. But overall a Superb little Bus in my opinion and if I had the Money, which I don't currently I would happily preserve one of them.
Other Favourites include Olympian Variations, Mercedes Citaro and Wright Gemini 2 to name a few.
My Dislikes I have to say are SPD's like everyone else, and I wasn't particular fan of any of the other Darts GNE had minus the one with the WrightBus Bodywork which I quite liked. I wasn't a fan of GNE's early batch of Optare Solo either which they bought at a similar period to the MPD's. I'm not a fan of those Smokey Joes also known as the Plaxton Prestiges either, sooner they are withdrawn the better also.
Favourite
Leyland National
Leyland Atlantean
MCW Metrobus
Citaro
Scania
Omnicity
Dislike
MPD
SPD
Versa
Any kind of Dart Variation
Solo
(07 Sep 2013, 5:50 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote [ -> ]My favourite Buses Are
MCW MetroBus
I had many a ride on these beautiful machines as a child on the Washington Based Xpress Services and I was rather guttered when they were withdrawn in 2006 I think it was. But in June at the Durham Howlands Park and Ride Bus Rally I got to relive some of those memories as I got Northern UTN 501Y back into Durham. Only bad thing was the Windows were sealed so you couldn't open them and the fact it was like a Furness, Hottest bus I have ever been on. Minus a Routemaster at Seaburn a few weeks back.
Dennis Dart MPD
Now I know everyone hates these Buses, Personally i'm not a Fan of the Batch GNE bought in 2000/2001, but the Batches they bought between 2002 and 2004 are simply a pleasure for to ride on everyday on the M2/M3 and it's amazing they are still going 10 Years on, and still sounding rather healthy, despite a select few suffering reliability issues lately, mainly rear suspension snapping.
But other than that I think they've been a great purchase by GNE I think and still have a good few years left in them despite incoming regulation requirements which will lead to there withdrawal from service which a great shame. I'll quite guttered in a few months when there replaced by Versas also. But overall a Superb little Bus in my opinion and if I had the Money, which I don't currently I would happily preserve one of them.
Other Favourites include Olympian Variations, Mercedes Citaro and Wright Gemini 2 to name a few.
My Dislikes I have to say are SPD's like everyone else, and I wasn't particular fan of any of the other Darts GNE had minus the one with the WrightBus Bodywork which I quite liked. I wasn't a fan of GNE's early batch of Optare Solo either which they bought at a similar period to the MPD's. I'm not a fan of those Smokey Joes also known as the Plaxton Prestiges either, sooner they are withdrawn the better also.
Do you not get that stale urine type smell on the MPDs when the heating is on full pelt? Makes me dislike them even more.
Like
Optare Versa (Cummins)
Mercedes Citaro
Wright Streetlite
VDL Merit
Dislike
ELC Vyking
Dennis Dart SPD
Plaxton Prestige
(07 Sep 2013, 7:49 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]Do you not get that stale urine type smell on the MPDs when the heating is on full pelt? Makes me dislike them even more.
Just a word of advice, don't sit on the back row of seats if you're on the 689...
Second degree burns on your arse because the bus doesn't stop.
(07 Sep 2013, 8:00 pm)Daniel wrote [ -> ]Just a word of advice, don't sit on the back row of seats if you're on the 689...
Second degree burns on your arse because the bus doesn't stop.
The 873 is similar!
(07 Sep 2013, 7:49 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]Do you not get that stale urine type smell on the MPDs when the heating is on full pelt? Makes me dislike them even more.
Yeah on the odd one sometimes, I thinks it more of a Sweat like smell or fumes from the Heat coming the engine or something, rather than urine
(07 Sep 2013, 8:01 pm)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]The 873 is similar!
Is that still going? I am thinking about the Morpeth/Hexham service?
(07 Sep 2013, 8:05 pm)BJ10VUS wrote [ -> ]Is that still going? I am thinking about the Morpeth/Hexham service?
Oops no, seems the 873 got culled last summer! Glad I got a ride on it while it still existed then! Hexham is busy on a summer Tuesday on market day though... Superb time to go for photos.... But that's not for this thread!
Can't believe I forgot to mention Volvo Olympians in my original post too! The ultimate superb vehicle!