(07 Dec 2015, 9:20 pm)MrPottski wrote A couple of points of view from some of the above:
MAX deckers - I cannot be the only one who thinks refurbishing 13 year old ex London stock, for a premium route, just doesn't make sense. I'm sure it's been previously mentioned these vehicles will have spent their lives dawdling around at 20mph, then they will be expected to be thrashed within an inch of their lives, without any kind of mechanical upgrades.
I agree with you, but mainly on the age front, it just doesn't seem cost effective, in a year or two they will have to be replaced anyway,
Hopefully they're similar, reliability wise, to the first set of B7s that arrived, I had a go on 7492 the other day and it seemed in better condition than some of the 57-plate E400s.
Still think age will be a problem, something private plates would help with. Trying to launch a premium service with buses that are clearly past their best isn't going to be as effective as it could be. However, as soon as you put plates on it's a different story.