(02 Jul 2017, 7:04 am)Dan wrote I opted for a Volvo B7RLE on the service back to Bradford, and my, what a bus! I travelled on a Volvo B7RLE in Go North East's fleet from Ashington to Cramlington last weekend, and this sounded quite rough and would bang into gear every time, jerking passengers in the process. I'm a real fan of Volvo B7RLEs - some are even more lively than B10BLEs - but it's a shame that the B8RLE I recently sampled on East Coast Buses between Dunbar and the Scottish capital wasn't quite as fun.
I was pleased to see a Volvo B7RLE on the stand once I arrived back into Leeds City Bus Station. This was my final steed of the day, for the journey back to Wetherby. Normally confined to operation on service 1, this Volvo B7RLE was being given the chance to stretch its legs on the run out to Leeds and back to Harrogate. Although we would have benefited from a double-decker being allocated from a capacity perspective, the B7RLE was a lot of fun and a great way to end the day.
First in Aberdeen have quite a few B7RLEs, and while most are now 'Platinum', the remaining 10 often find their way onto my main routes. I can't think of another 'modern' vehicle that I enjoy quite as much as them. It is a shame that First only really operate inner-city routes, with no real opportunity for any of them to stretch their legs, as they always seem to want to do.
One evening I did manage to catch one to Danestone and back on the 1, which includes a small 50 mph section. It went up the hill with ease, leaving cars well behind it, and it was slightly disappointing when we turned into the 20 zone at the top.
I also find, and I'm unsure if this just applies to those I've sampled with First, that they seem to have some character, which is quite hard to come across in newer vehicles.