(02 Feb 2020, 10:55 pm)Adrian wrote I've not written a blog post for a while, but here's my latest piece after finally managing to try out the Harrogate Electrics: https://busesandbeyond.wordpress.com/202...wn-travel/

Comments and thoughts appreciated

Interesting read, I'm not usually one to complain, but leg room on pretty much all of GNE's fleet is horrendous. It is physically impossible for me to sit straight on the seats, hence why my first choice is to go for a table on the StreetDecks/E400s, or the emergency exit on a single decker. Failing that, I have no choice but to sit sideways and take up both seats, so it's great to see that some operators are sacrificing capacity for passenger comfort!

I'm a big fan of EVs, although with an electric drivetrain being so quiet, it's really noticeable when the bus itself is of low quality. The Yutongs for example, when they had the trial on the X66, it was creaker than the windows on the E200s! and you could fee the weight of the batteries on the roof going round corners. The same with the E200 EV that GNE trialed last year, things that were normally not noticeable over the sound of the engine, were very noticeable! Going off what you wrote, it seems like this wasn't an issue with the Volvos so that's also great to see!

I'm not a fan of that NSA system they have installed, the screen seems a bit too crowded for my liking. I much prefer what GNE have done with the newer system with the next stop taking up the full screen, although it is handy to see the next few stops you can get prepared to leave, which would be handy on a longer route where you're more likely to have things like phone chargers and tablets to put away.

The issue you mentioned about the tables not having stop buttons is the same issue with the E400s, if you're sitting at a table, you have to lean over and push the stop button in front of someone else, which can be quite awkward. Also, I've been on an E400 a few times where the stop buttons on the seats haven't worked at all, so it was only sheer luck that someone downstairs was getting off at my stop, as I didn't have time to walk to the front of the bus to push the only proper stop button (which is a chore in and of itself with the low height upstairs!)

The thing that shocked me (being a user of Durham Bus Station) was when you mentioned the supervisor telling the driver to go round to not block the stand. They need some at Durham to do that with Arriva!