(02 Aug 2014, 7:25 pm)ross13 wrote are the 3 ex demo ecocities getting refurbed to same spec as darlingtons current ones and any idea when.they are due

(02 Aug 2014, 3:04 pm)tyresmoke wrote I know one that does...

As for the arrival of 4508, it appears to be the talk of the depot... One down 6 to go!

(03 Aug 2014, 8:40 am)Roland Pratt wrote Sad when the arrival of a 14 year old bus is a high spot!

(03 Aug 2014, 8:43 am)Roland Pratt wrote Will 4652/4/8 still get refurbished now they're staying at Stockton? The 21A isn't a Max route is it?

Will 4643/4/5 be getting high backed seats for Max services?

Might have made more sense to give 4643/4/5 to Stockton for the 21A as they were only refurbished not so long ago.

(03 Aug 2014, 9:30 am)tyresmoke wrote Yeah, it looks very smart from the photos I have seen of it, reckon Ashington have tidied it up before transfer. Should be allocated to 28/29s from Monday.


Not sure on plans to refurbish our Scanias, I would assume they might get a standard refurb with new seat covers, maybe new flooring and a repaint.
4643/4/5 will probably just get leather on their existing seats, though will try and confirm this - that's what the Geminis for Blyth got. Might have a point in swapping them around though...

(03 Aug 2014, 9:38 am)Roland Pratt wrote I hope 4510 gets a repaint if it is transferred. 4513 has just had a back end ad for up there so odd to send that down.

(03 Aug 2014, 9:30 am)tyresmoke wrote Yeah, it looks very smart from the photos I have seen of it, reckon Ashington have tidied it up before transfer. Should be allocated to 28/29s from Monday.


Not sure on plans to refurbish our Scanias, I would assume they might get a standard refurb with new seat covers, maybe new flooring and a repaint.

4643/4/5 may just get leather on their existing seats, though will try and confirm this - the Geminis for Blyth got headrests fitted though... Might have a point in swapping them around...

(03 Aug 2014, 11:11 am)mb134 wrote Are the B10BLE'S DDA compliant, if not how long do they have left?

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was introduced in 1995 and part of it related to the access requirements for all ‘land based’ forms of public transport including trains, trams, taxis, buses and coaches. The bus and coach sector is very important, and with the DDA spelling the end of the road for potentially a whole class of passenger vehicles, this is something brokers looking to place business in this sector should be fully aware of.

In essence, starting from January 2015 buses and coaches used for any kind of public transport or hire and reward must meet certain access requirements such as those for ramps, wheelchair access and dedicated wheelchair space. If they don’t they will be deemed illegal to operate. The first group of vehicles affected, those up to 7.5 tonnes GVW, will have to be compliant or out of service by the 31st of December 2014. A year later the same will apply to single-deck buses over 7.5 tonnes GVW and by the 1st of January 2017 it will include double-deckers. According to an industry expert on the topic, only around 75% of UK buses and coaches currently operated are actually DDA compliant.
The most obvious impact will be that step-entrance buses will effectively disappear from UK roads and this will have a significant effect on the values of these vehicles. Consider this. If an operator has the opportunity to purchase a used step entrance vehicle such as a Volvo Olympian they can only run it for a couple of years before it becomes a museum piece, scrap or in perhaps the best case scenario, a candidate for export achieving a fraction of its pre DDA value. Now, any funders asked to consider lending against vehicles which could potentially fall foul of DDA regulations are going to have to take a very conservative view on residual values. Even if the repayment period is scheduled prior to the deadline for DDA compliance, lenders will take into account that buyers for non-compliant vehicles are going to be few and far between long before then.

The other important aspect to consider is that not all existing low-floor buses meet the requirements of the DDA. Sometimes, only an expert will be able to confirm that a vehicle will meet DDA requirements or indeed if it would be viable to upgrade it.

They say that every cloud has a silver lining and large numbers of redundant vehicles legislated out of existence must be replaced. It’s estimated that around 30,000 new buses will need to be brought into service by 2017 and this means that over the next few years we could well see a lot of buying activity as operators upgrade their fleets. It’s also good news as well for those operators which already have DDA compliant vehicles as they will become sought after assets which lenders will not only be happy to fund but which may also, in some circumstances, appreciate in value.

(03 Aug 2014, 8:40 am)Roland Pratt wrote Sad when the arrival of a 14 year old bus is a high spot!

Most likely because their has never been renowns at the depot before, I wonder if the passengers will notice any difference between them and the crusaders?

(03 Aug 2014, 11:21 am)tyresmoke wrote 4516-4523 are, however 4501-15 (bar 4503 obviously!) are not. So they'll have to be withdrawn by end of 2015.

(03 Aug 2014, 11:20 am)G-CPTN wrote The need for vehicles to be accessible to DDA standards is being phased in over six years. The dates by which different vehicle types have to be compliant are:

• 1 January 2015 – all buses and coaches up to 7.5 tonnes GVW
• 1 January 2016 – single-deck buses over 7.5 tonnes GVW
• 1 January 2017 – double-deck buses
• 1 January 2020 – coaches

(03 Aug 2014, 12:14 pm)Philly rf wrote What's crack with y ebr buses are they going are they staying just a lot of people have said different things some say their going some say their staying.
Ps if this has been mentioned on here before I'm sorry for bringing again

(03 Aug 2014, 11:52 am)mb134 wrote Currently, are there any DDA compliant coaches available?

(03 Aug 2014, 12:26 pm)G-CPTN wrote Yes, a wheelchair lift is required if the vehicle is high-floor:-

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Howard_Snaith_coach_Volvo_B7R_Plaxton_Prima_YN09_DXZ_Metrocentre_rally_2009_pic_2.JPG

(03 Aug 2014, 12:31 pm)Dan wrote Common for the plugs on the Sapphire Pulsars not to work or not? Will get fleet number when I get off...

(03 Aug 2014, 12:18 pm)tyresmoke wrote They're staying this year, all allocated to Durham eventually.

(03 Aug 2014, 12:34 pm)mb134 wrote I know it isn't a Pulsar but the one on 7502 was intermittent yesterday maybe if lots of people are using them at the same time?

(03 Aug 2014, 12:36 pm)Dan wrote I'm the only person on board under 60 years of age! The other four passengers aren't using the power sockets.

Tried multiple sets, but to no avail.

Had no luck with Sapphire this week!

(03 Aug 2014, 12:31 pm)Dan wrote Common for the plugs on the Sapphire Pulsars not to work or not? Will get fleet number when I get off...

(03 Aug 2014, 12:39 pm)mb134 wrote Ah right ok just thought it may be a possibility.

Joining you on the bad luck front, the Wi-Fi was dodgy yesterday on 7502 as well, or at least didn't work anywhere near as easily as 7509's did

(03 Aug 2014, 11:20 am)G-CPTN wrote The need for vehicles to be accessible to DDA standards is being phased in over six years. The dates by which different vehicle types have to be compliant are:

• 1 January 2015 – all buses and coaches up to 7.5 tonnes GVW
• 1 January 2016 – single-deck buses over 7.5 tonnes GVW
• 1 January 2017 – double-deck buses
• 1 January 2020 – coaches

(03 Aug 2014, 12:42 pm)Dan wrote I got the Wi-Fi to work on 7505 yesterday, but it was that slow I turned it off. Was taking liberties when it was taking about 30 seconds to send a message, so went back to using my own data.

Plugs worked yesterday though, and the journey was quite pleasant...after I put my earphones in!

(03 Aug 2014, 12:45 pm)mb134 wrote I could have walked faster than 7502 along the A1 yesterday, my days it was slow, how was 7505?
Yeah there was a screaming baby on mine so I decided that music was the best way as well