(23 Feb 2021, 10:07 pm)MichealAaron Don't think there is plan to paint them. 6154 only got painted 2019 due to a crash
(23 Feb 2021, 10:12 pm)ne14ne1 Oh. Are they to be disposed of?
Odd that 2016 corporate liveried vehicles are going in to be adapted into 2019 corporate livery yet there’s still the obsolete Toonlink out there.
(23 Feb 2021, 10:12 pm)ne14ne1 Oh. Are they to be disposed of?
Odd that 2016 corporate liveried vehicles are going in to be adapted into 2019 corporate livery yet there’s still the obsolete Toonlink out there.
(23 Feb 2021, 10:16 pm)Dan They aren’t ‘going in’ - the adapted 2019 fleet livery is a simple, low-cost vinyl solution. A full repaint costs a lot more.
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(23 Feb 2021, 10:16 pm)Dan They aren’t ‘going in’ - the adapted 2019 fleet livery is a simple, low-cost vinyl solution. A full repaint costs a lot more.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm sure your average Joe / Josephine doesn't care what colour the bus is as long as it turns up on time. Doesn't matter if it's Toon Link, Pink with Yellow Spots, CityRider etc etc. And although they may grumble if a lower spec vehicle appear on a high spec route, they will still get on, they're hardly going to wait around however long in case the next on is a high spec vehicle.
(24 Feb 2021, 12:07 am)Rapidsnap I'm sure your average Joe / Josephine doesn't care what colour the bus is as long as it turns up on time. Doesn't matter if it's Toon Link, Pink with Yellow Spots, CityRider etc etc. And although they may grumble if a lower spec vehicle appear on a high spec route, they will still get on, they're hardly going to wait around however long in case the next on is a high spec vehicle.
(24 Feb 2021, 12:07 am)Rapidsnap I'm sure your average Joe / Josephine doesn't care what colour the bus is as long as it turns up on time. Doesn't matter if it's Toon Link, Pink with Yellow Spots, CityRider etc etc. And although they may grumble if a lower spec vehicle appear on a high spec route, they will still get on, they're hardly going to wait around however long in case the next on is a high spec vehicle.
(24 Feb 2021, 12:07 am)Rapidsnap I'm sure your average Joe / Josephine doesn't care what colour the bus is as long as it turns up on time. Doesn't matter if it's Toon Link, Pink with Yellow Spots, CityRider etc etc. And although they may grumble if a lower spec vehicle appear on a high spec route, they will still get on, they're hardly going to wait around however long in case the next on is a high spec vehicle.
(24 Feb 2021, 1:05 am)streetdeckfan I used to do that when every other bus on the X21 was an Omnidekka!
(24 Feb 2021, 12:07 am)Rapidsnap I'm sure your average Joe / Josephine doesn't care what colour the bus is as long as it turns up on time. Doesn't matter if it's Toon Link, Pink with Yellow Spots, CityRider etc etc. And although they may grumble if a lower spec vehicle appear on a high spec route, they will still get on, they're hardly going to wait around however long in case the next on is a high spec vehicle.
(24 Feb 2021, 1:05 am)streetdeckfan I used to do that when every other bus on the X21 was an Omnidekka!
But for each time that a vehicle which doesn't meet modern standards for comforts and features, customers who switched from other modes, such as cars, will lose faith and trust in the service provided...and will consider switching back to the car. Not to mention those who are existing customers, too.
I think it's time to ditch the 10-year old perception that people don't care about what spec bus turns up.
(24 Feb 2021, 8:16 am)omnicity4659 But for each time that a vehicle which doesn't meet modern standards for comforts and features, customers who switched from other modes, such as cars, will lose faith and trust in the service provided...and will consider switching back to the car. Not to mention those who are existing customers, too.
I think it's time to ditch the 10-year old perception that people don't care about what spec bus turns up.
(24 Feb 2021, 8:16 am)omnicity4659 But for each time that a vehicle which doesn't meet modern standards for comforts and features, customers who switched from other modes, such as cars, will lose faith and trust in the service provided...and will consider switching back to the car. Not to mention those who are existing customers, too.
I think it's time to ditch the 10-year old perception that people don't care about what spec bus turns up.
![[Image: 50975880363_358b0fc6c2_c.jpg]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50975880363_358b0fc6c2_c.jpg)
Go North East 6172 / YN57 FYP by kieron mathews, on FlickrGo North East 6172 / YN57 FYP by kieron mathews, on Flickr
6172 (formerly 9065) has been repainted and refurbished into Northern Coaching Voyager livery
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(24 Feb 2021, 1:15 pm)streetdeckfan Definitely agree.
Before they got the StreetDecks on the X21, I think I may have used it maybe once, it just wasn't a very pleasant place to spend the hour and a half up to Newcastle. Since then I've pretty much exclusively used the bus to get up to Newcastle.
If a 15 year old heap turns up instead, there's no way I'm getting it unless I have an appointment I need to get to. I'll wait the half an hour until the next one. When a service is advertised as having WiFi, USB, Tables and comfortable seats, I'd bloody hope a vehicle of that specification turns up. It's like booking an Uber Exec and a Vauxhall Astra turning up.
Tables might seem like a waste of money, but I use them for work every time I get the bus. There's no way I could work on my laptop sitting in a regular seat, there just isn't the space to open it up fully.
Fancy seats might seem like a waste of money, but when you're spending 4 hours a day on a bus, they really do make a difference.
USB ports and sockets might seem like a waste of money, but for those of us who spend the day getting emails and phone calls, they're basically essential when you also have mobile ticketing. If your battery runs out, you're stranded.
And sorry to burst everyone's bubble, buses weren't better 'back in the day', the services might have been, but the buses most certainly weren't. I genuinely don't understand why people think they were, is it the nostalgia?
Because I certainly wouldn't like to spend 2 hours sitting on what is no better than a slab of wood with no back support.
(24 Feb 2021, 1:15 pm)streetdeckfan Definitely agree.
Before they got the StreetDecks on the X21, I think I may have used it maybe once, it just wasn't a very pleasant place to spend the hour and a half up to Newcastle. Since then I've pretty much exclusively used the bus to get up to Newcastle.
If a 15 year old heap turns up instead, there's no way I'm getting it unless I have an appointment I need to get to. I'll wait the half an hour until the next one. When a service is advertised as having WiFi, USB, Tables and comfortable seats, I'd bloody hope a vehicle of that specification turns up. It's like booking an Uber Exec and a Vauxhall Astra turning up.
Tables might seem like a waste of money, but I use them for work every time I get the bus. There's no way I could work on my laptop sitting in a regular seat, there just isn't the space to open it up fully.
Fancy seats might seem like a waste of money, but when you're spending 4 hours a day on a bus, they really do make a difference.
USB ports and sockets might seem like a waste of money, but for those of us who spend the day getting emails and phone calls, they're basically essential when you also have mobile ticketing. If your battery runs out, you're stranded.
And sorry to burst everyone's bubble, buses weren't better 'back in the day', the services might have been, but the buses most certainly weren't. I genuinely don't understand why people think they were, is it the nostalgia?
Because I certainly wouldn't like to spend 2 hours sitting on what is no better than a slab of wood with no back support.
Could be worse, we could give them seats like this - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...0813518418
Regardless, in europe most modern bus seats are completely plastic though if you're lucky they may have a little bit of fabric on them - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...9026233011
I remember that wheel forward Wright Streetlite demo GNE (and A-Line) had, the seats weren't exactly comfortable on that - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...5354452339
I actually really like the seats on the StreetDecks, they're firm but not hard.
Much nicer than the seats on the E200/E400s, they're like sitting on a cushion, and don't have any support after about 30 minutes. They're alright for quick journeys, but for longer journeys I had to change seats.
(24 Feb 2021, 6:36 pm)Rapidsnap Could be worse, we could give them seats like this - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...0813518418
Regardless, in europe most modern bus seats are completely plastic though if you're lucky they may have a little bit of fabric on them - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...9026233011
I remember that wheel forward Wright Streetlite demo GNE (and A-Line) had, the seats weren't exactly comfortable on that - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...5354452339
(24 Feb 2021, 6:36 pm)Rapidsnap Could be worse, we could give them seats like this - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...0813518418
Regardless, in europe most modern bus seats are completely plastic though if you're lucky they may have a little bit of fabric on them - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...9026233011
I remember that wheel forward Wright Streetlite demo GNE (and A-Line) had, the seats weren't exactly comfortable on that - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...5354452339
(24 Feb 2021, 5:10 pm)Andreos1 I think it's too easy to say 'buses are better now'. I'm not sure that is always going to be the case. As was one of the favourite phrases of the apparent former member of this parish 'eezypeazy': "that's a wild statement to be throwing around". Something like that anyway... I think he was distracted by me being in the bath with my face cloth one night. He lurked around for a bit, said something about 'battleship grey', 'wibble wibble' and 'magic money tree' and he's not been seen again!
(24 Feb 2021, 5:10 pm)Andreos1 I think it's too easy to say 'buses are better now'. I'm not sure that is always going to be the case. As was one of the favourite phrases of the apparent former member of this parish 'eezypeazy': "that's a wild statement to be throwing around". Something like that anyway... I think he was distracted by me being in the bath with my face cloth one night. He lurked around for a bit, said something about 'battleship grey', 'wibble wibble' and 'magic money tree' and he's not been seen again!
(24 Feb 2021, 6:50 pm)Storx The Esteban Ciclo are the worst seats fitted on any bus around here which are fitted on the VDL Gemini's at Blyth above the wheel arch and the rear seats. Luckily we seemed to dodge the rest of the bus being fitted in them unlike the poor souls in London who got the whole bus fitted in them - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MOVYEYFn5Vc/TQ...CF0754.JPG
I've never been on the Enviro 200's at Durham, but I believe they're fitted with them throughout aswell.
Hope they never turn up here.
(24 Feb 2021, 6:50 pm)Storx The Esteban Ciclo are the worst seats fitted on any bus around here which are fitted on the VDL Gemini's at Blyth above the wheel arch and the rear seats. Luckily we seemed to dodge the rest of the bus being fitted in them unlike the poor souls in London who got the whole bus fitted in them - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MOVYEYFn5Vc/TQ...CF0754.JPG
I've never been on the Enviro 200's at Durham, but I believe they're fitted with them throughout aswell.
Hope they never turn up here.
The Toonlink Scanias are harmless but it’s disappointing for GNE to have an exacting, attention to detail approach on some projects and this seemingly laissez-faire attitude to others.
With the ‘any bus will do attitude’ from some enthusiast & operators (generally not GNE) I just think in a busy restaurant you don’t serve a customer who ordered steak some fish & chips and tell them they’re lucky they got anything, food is food.
(24 Feb 2021, 8:47 pm)streetdeckfan They look like the same seats we had on the Solos that ran on the 18 (can't remember which ones they were, but they've gone now)
If they are, they honestly weren't that bad. They were better than those bench style seats they used to have!
(24 Feb 2021, 8:47 pm)streetdeckfan They look like the same seats we had on the Solos that ran on the 18 (can't remember which ones they were, but they've gone now)
If they are, they honestly weren't that bad. They were better than those bench style seats they used to have!
(24 Feb 2021, 9:58 pm)Storx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csdS5wgHvFQ - That's one of them isn't it? Doesn't look like the same seats like.
The Ciclo's are pretty much just the Urban 90 v2, https://www.explorerticket.co.uk/img/ciclo.jpg that's probably a better photo and the 1cm of seating is all the padding they've got.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JQIGYEvrbVo/hqdefault.jpg - Can see it quite clearly on one of the Blyth ones there, grim things. I always thought they we're a DB300 thing until recently but found out they're an actual seat.
(24 Feb 2021, 9:58 pm)Storx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csdS5wgHvFQ - That's one of them isn't it? Doesn't look like the same seats like.
The Ciclo's are pretty much just the Urban 90 v2, https://www.explorerticket.co.uk/img/ciclo.jpg that's probably a better photo and the 1cm of seating is all the padding they've got.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JQIGYEvrbVo/hqdefault.jpg - Can see it quite clearly on one of the Blyth ones there, grim things. I always thought they we're a DB300 thing until recently but found out they're an actual seat.
Whilst we’re on the progression of comfort in recent years in surprised no-ones brought up the ex-London Olympians Arriva had for a bit (photo from gjm):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...5749344583
The rear seat being an anti-vandal spec solid plastic type as found in your local 1990s playpark. Rode one on the 22 a few times and Silent Bank took about a fortnight. Also freezing and sloshing rainwater on the floor. Maybe present-day Arriva aren’t so bad.
(24 Feb 2021, 9:56 pm)James101 The Toonlink Scanias are harmless but it’s disappointing for GNE to have an exacting, attention to detail approach on some projects and this seemingly laissez-faire attitude to others.
With the ‘any bus will do attitude’ from some enthusiast & operators (generally not GNE) I just think in a busy restaurant you don’t serve a customer who ordered steak some fish & chips and tell them they’re lucky they got anything, food is food.
(24 Feb 2021, 9:56 pm)James101 The Toonlink Scanias are harmless but it’s disappointing for GNE to have an exacting, attention to detail approach on some projects and this seemingly laissez-faire attitude to others.
With the ‘any bus will do attitude’ from some enthusiast & operators (generally not GNE) I just think in a busy restaurant you don’t serve a customer who ordered steak some fish & chips and tell them they’re lucky they got anything, food is food.
