I was lucky to catch Belmont's Un-Econospeeded VDL Pulsar 1412 earlier on the 48. I then had the displeasure of catching Econospeeded 61 Reg 1473 later in the day on the 43. Whoever thought shifting up to 3rd gear while climbing out of Ushaw Moor saves fuel, It downshifted back to 2Nd and sometimes First again about 8 Times.
The ability to have a full and working kickdown in Vehicles especially for a very steep route is vital. Forced gear changes do not improve passenger comfort.