(05 Nov 2017, 7:24 pm)Andreos1 wrote As pointed out above, a lot of the 'poorer' businesses dabbled and then moved on.
Even before Metro Cammel folded, they diversified away from buses (seeing them share their expertise with work on the MK4 ECML coaches and the T&W Metro.
Obviously Optare emerged and used the MCW designs for th MetroRiders and also the Spectra's.
The main players like Leyland stood the test of time and although the Lynxes were never as popular as a National (and never would be even if plated in gold), the organisation lasted beyond 86.
Like Seddon, Wrights had specialised in other areas before becoming involved in buses.
I wonder whether they would have lasted, if the others had withstood the pressures?
A Prestige that's brand new versus a brand new Streetlite? I know what I would choose.
A life-expired Prestige still on front line service versus a life-expired Streetlite? I'm guessing only time will tell.
I agree some of the failings of the vehicles mentioned would have been down to manufactures being in terminal decline by the time they left the factory. That said, I think the Northern Counties B10M or ‘Volly Olly’ were fantastically well put together.
Despite being part of Plaxton by 1995, other than the important accessibility issues BLM mentions, the models I mentioned were vastly superior than a Plaxton SPD. Where, as you rightly say, a new Streetlite vs new Prestige may be a close contest for passengers- I must say a new Streetlite has to be more attractive than the Arriva ‘Sunderland Connction’ SPDs of the era.
(05 Nov 2017, 7:26 pm)A BusLoverMum wrote The 22 didn't even consistently have low floor buses until the 61 reg pulsars arrived, about the same time it went half hourly. The 21 did, as that did the Sunderland runs from here, when we moved here 14 years ago and Nexus (or was it still Tyne & Wear PTE?) Obviously insisted on it but I couldn't take bigun into Durham on the bus, once he got too big and wriggly for me to carry because I couldn't physically get on the bus with him and a pushchair and shopping. (I guess if you needed to use a wheelchair, you just went to Peterlee to do all your shopping)
But yeah, a few years on and he liked to take walks to the top of Dunelm Road to see if any buses had broken down, there!
It’s a great point about the human impact allocations have on the everyday user. Mam & dad were in a similar position with 4 kids and no car. There was even one summer that due to an accident I used a wheelchair for a few months - getting very frustrated as my Mam explained we just couldn’t go out as she couldn’t be sure a ‘lo-liner’ would be working on our local route.