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+--- Thread: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2013 (/showthread.php?tid=1248)
RE: Go North East - Latest - stagecoachbusdepot - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 7:18 pm)mattdw92 This is exactly my view point. The previous Diamond Citaros on it were 40 seats and 28 standees, they were upgraded to bendies because of capacity, which is still an issue at peak times. The new Versa are 44 seats and 23 standees. And in an age of increasing bus usage with the encouragement of ditching the car - yup, it is a backwards step. The long chassis length with the front to rear axle distance isn't great for its turning circle either. Wish I was a fly on the bus wall.
It does beggar belief that they took the Citaros off to increase capacity and are now going small(er? - I always think the Versa looks cramped compared to a Citaro) again. Hate it when companies pay no attention to capacity issues - or pay attention then presumably think 'fuck it, lets cram them in again'!
RE: Go North East - Latest - lesybear2002 - 04 Oct 2013
I live on the 58 route and think the Versa is a bad choice, a decker would be a far better choice. The times Ive hsd a Olympian or B7 its always been busy upstairs and the bendies are often full of standees.
RE: Go North East - Latest - BJ10VUS - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 7:33 pm)lesybear2002 I live on the 58 route and think the Versa is a bad choice, a decker would be a far better choice. The times Ive hsd a Olympian or B7 its always been busy upstairs and the bendies are often full of standees.
The problem is the route. I think if it was a straighter route, bendies would be a good idea, but it's not suitable for Leam Lane and Whitehills. It's a nightmare when two pull up in Felling Square too, not helped by cars parked on double yellows.
RE: Go North East - Latest - citaro5284 - 04 Oct 2013
You have to remember ETM data would have been used as well to check passenger loadings. If GNE did not think the Versa would not work...they would not have bought them.
RE: Go North East - Latest - Andreos1 - 04 Oct 2013
This Bendy v Versa debate reminds me a lot of when the Marshall Darts and Wright Handybus's were brought in 20 years ago to take over from Nationals/Lynx'es in Washington/Sunderland and Delta's/Lance's around Gateshead.
Look what happened there?
I genuinely don't get it.
I have said since the begining that the Bendy's weren't suited around Leam Lane, but the Versa's aren't suited for the 58.
Capacity issues are a problem at times on the 58 as it stands, so what the hell is going to happen on a smaller bus?
At times, I seriously wonder what goes on at GNE towers (I'm being carefully I don't go down the route Mr Malarkey went down here) - especially with the recent events specific to the 1 and now the 58.
RE: Go North East - Latest - mattdw92 - 04 Oct 2013
We could debate till we're blue in the face, time will tell! But I will be placing a timer on how long they will last, similarly as I did with the bendies.....
RE: Go North East - Latest - lesybear2002 - 04 Oct 2013
Sooner rather than later I hope
RE: Go North East - Latest - stagecoachbusdepot - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 7:42 pm)citaro5284 You have to remember ETM data would have been used as well to check passenger loadings. If GNE did not think the Versa would not work...they would not have bought them.
Problem is they probably did similar monitoring when they concluded the Omnicities were suitable for the 21/22... GNE's track record doesn't exactly full you with confidence!
RE: Go North East - Latest - BJ10VUS - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 8:47 pm)stagecoachbusdepot Problem is they probably did similar monitoring when they concluded the Omnicities were suitable for the 21/22... GNE's track record doesn't exactly full you with confidence!
What year was that? Because, I'm not sure they got rid of the Wayfarers until around the June changes in 2010.
RE: Go North East - Latest - mattdw92 - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 8:55 pm)BJ10VUS What year was that? Because, I'm not sure they got rid of the Wayfarers until around the June changes in 2010.
Omnicity Angels were 2007. Probably less technical tests and the demand back then wasn't there, so down grading from decker was plausible.
RE: Go North East - Latest - stagecoachbusdepot - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 9:01 pm)mattdw92 Omnicity Angels were 2007. Probably less technical tests and the demand back then wasn't there, so down grading from decker was plausible.
It was an unmitigated disaster, which meant the Tridents were pulled off the Coaster and repainted to rescue things, which still didn't really work so they had a stroke of genius and bought the Vykings that were hardly a raging success. I'm sure at the time that the Omnis were getting pulled off the late Peter Huntley freely admitted they should never have been purchased for the route...
And back even in 2007, the loading data would have been available to GNE if they had wanted to look at it - maybe not as easily accessible, but they clearly would have had a means of monitoring loadings.
RE: Go North East - Latest - Adrian - 04 Oct 2013
There was a knackered Prince Bishops Solar parked up in one of the laybys on the Wessington Way at about 10.30pm. Just after the retail park on the way to Sunderland.
RE: Go North East - Latest - Michael - 04 Oct 2013
What a shit time to breakdown, haha
RE: Go North East - Latest - Adrian - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 10:26 pm)Michael What a shit time to breakdown, haha
Looks like its staying there the night. I don't even know why it would have been around there.
RE: Go North East - Latest - Malarkey - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 10:29 pm)aureolin Looks like its staying there the night. I don't even know why it would have been around there.
running back to the Depot after working off route on the 56 or something perhaps.
Re: RE: Go North East - Latest - Adrian - 04 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 10:57 pm)Adam Malarkey running back to the Depot after working off route on the 56 or something perhaps.
Was on the west bound carriageway. That's why I didn't understand why it would have got there.
RE: Go North East - Latest - Michael - 04 Oct 2013
Driver having a nap maybe,
it does seem odd that it was parked on the west bound side of the road
RE: Go North East - Latest - Andreos1 - 05 Oct 2013
(04 Oct 2013, 9:15 pm)stagecoachbusdepot And back even in 2007, the loading data would have been available to GNE if they had wanted to look at it - maybe not as easily accessible, but they clearly would have had a means of monitoring loadings.
Even without fancy ticket machines, loadings can be analysed.
Nowt better than the human eye or interviewing drivers.
I wonder if decisions were made by the failure of drivers to 'press the button' in relation to day or month tickets? Particularly a Day Rover or Network Travelticket.
Even with a dodgy buzzfare machine, drivers would just wave a passenger on.
It doesn't seem to happen so much now - but I could go for ages without seeing my ticket or other passengers tickets, registered on the machine on boarding.
RE: Go North East - Latest - Tom - 05 Oct 2013
(05 Oct 2013, 8:18 am)Andreos1 Even without fancy ticket machines, loadings can be analysed.
Nowt better than the human eye or interviewing drivers.
I wonder if decisions were made by the failure of drivers to 'press the button' in relation to day or month tickets? Particularly a Day Rover or Network Travelticket.
Even with a dodgy buzzfare machine, drivers would just wave a passenger on.
It doesn't seem to happen so much now - but I could go for ages without seeing my ticket or other passengers tickets, registered on the machine on boarding.
I've noticed a few drivers doing that. - A lot of them never 'press the button'' in relation to Nexus CAT's either.
RE: Go North East - Latest - Wellsey18 - 05 Oct 2013
The thing is the 58 is at its busiest at peak times so mornings between 8-9 then at nights between 4 and 6, just because the bus is going to be packed at these times doesn't justify gne buying double deckers for the service, the versas will be great during the day because its still a well used service, but its not so well used that it would need deckers or bigger single deckers, you look back at when they used citaros they were only ever jam packed at peak times