(03 Jul 2015, 11:42 am)Dan wrote Not at all.

I'd suggest that a depot being completely low-floor is more or less expected of large operators these days, and this is why it's not ideal when those operators with high-floor vehicles remaining in their fleets allocate them to public services if they are not scheduled to do so.

I think that the customer expectation is moving on from low-floor vehicles to vehicles which feature 'new' on-board bus technology; such as free Wi-Fi, power sockets and Next Stop Announcements, as well as more comfortable seating. This is typical of new builds only, though some operators do refurbish existing vehicles within their fleets to this upgraded specification.

It wasn't expected at the time Hartlepool went low floor though.

I don't think most bus passengers give a fig about wifi, power sockets and next stop announcements, only a few enthusiasts and technophiles. Comfortable seating on the other hand is badly overdue as standards have plummeted since the days of Leopards and Tigers etc, and that is largely as a result of politically correct DDA pressure groups.