(01 Oct 2025, 1:00 pm)Arriva7446 wrote Electric buses are so boring, have no character at all, each model sounds the exact same. They are slow and will barely last 10 years without major expensive overhaul. That's why the gas buses and hybrids got retired early due to overhaul costs. They are not economical to buy or overhaul. Imagine how many more diesel buses could be bought for the same amount of cash. With the investment in electric buses you could probably replace every single bus in the North East with a brand new diesel for the same cost as the electrics coming.I have been critical of the Yutongs and I stand by what I say but electric buses are the future so all I can say is you better get used to it. They is a reason why Stockton has gone fully electric and why Slatyford and Sunderland are starting to go electric and why plans are starting to be made for Hartlepool to be electric within the next 5-10 years ( I would think they will be plans for South Shields as well) and that’s because Diesel buses will soon start to be phrased out, so certainly within the next 10 - 15 the majority of buses will be electric and within the next 20 other than preserved buses I would think all but a few service buses will be electric.
As the finances simply don't add up that's why the taxpayer has had to fork out for all these buses as no well run financially competent business would ever touch one.
Passenger experience is worse as the silence when the bus is idle means you have no privacy for any conversations and everyone will hear what you say. There will be no engine noise to drown out squeaks and rattles so these will be more noticeable.
I've ridden plenty of electric buses to make these conclusions. Optare, Wright, ADL +BYD, ADL Integral, Yutong, all of them are soulless. Generally try to avoid them as much as possible but rode Arriva Blyth's Enviro 400EV just for the novelty of riding a bus to Blyth which is not 15 years old, but it's slower than the very worst of their awful 12 plate Pulsars.
In 15 years bus enthusiasm will no longer exist as a hobby due to electric buses. The hobby will be dead. I have no idea why anyone is interested in the latest news of Stagecoach getting so many electric buses, other than to avoid them at all costs of course. Hope Stagecoach Walkergate don't get any as I use the 37 often these days. I know Walkergate had the Enviro 400H which i actually kind of liked as they did have character and still the diesel engine but I know they were unreliable and not well liked. They have been retired early as 11 plates all went in last 2 years whereas still plenty of 58 plate pure diesel around and plenty older elsewhere. Will be 10X as bad with pure electric.
You talk about electric buses killing off bus enthusiasm but that is complete nonsense. It’s just the next logical step, same as how trolly buses killed off trams, motor buses killed off trolly buses, the low floor entrance killed off the step entrance, so I would think bus enthusiasm will still be around in 15 years. Admittedly Teesside is not as good now with not as many bus types but if Stagecoach, Arriva and go ahead buying up various operators and independents closing has not killed the hobby then this certainly won’t.
As for the buses themselves at the moment they are not perfect but as technology continues to improve the buses will get better, look at the early examples of diesels some of them are just awful rackety things with high steps and uncomfortable seats, the later diesels are great compared to them the same will happen with the electrics over time. I would also expect the likes optare/switch Alexander Dennis, Wrightbus, Volvo etc are busy right now working on designs to interest operators to move away from yutongs and them to start appearing on the roads in the coming years. You say the buses won’t last a decade which could be try but the Manviros 200 didn’t last to long either Hartlepool withdraw there with barely 9 year’s service and ended up bringing in Darts from Yorkshire to replace them so it shows the diesels are not exactly long lasting either.
So yes in time all depots including the independent operators will eventually be electric.
(01 Oct 2025, 1:00 pm)Arriva7446 wrote Electric buses are so boring, have no character at all, each model sounds the exact same. They are slow and will barely last 10 years without major expensive overhaul. That's why the gas buses and hybrids got retired early due to overhaul costs. They are not economical to buy or overhaul. Imagine how many more diesel buses could be bought for the same amount of cash. With the investment in electric buses you could probably replace every single bus in the North East with a brand new diesel for the same cost as the electrics coming.I have been critical of the Yutongs and I stand by what I say but electric buses are the future so all I can say is you better get used to it. They is a reason why Stockton has gone fully electric and why Slatyford and Sunderland are starting to go electric and why plans are starting to be made for Hartlepool to be electric within the next 5-10 years ( I would think they will be plans for South Shields as well) and that’s because Diesel buses will soon start to be phrased out, so certainly within the next 10 - 15 the majority of buses will be electric and within the next 20 other than preserved buses I would think all but a few service buses will be electric.
As the finances simply don't add up that's why the taxpayer has had to fork out for all these buses as no well run financially competent business would ever touch one.
Passenger experience is worse as the silence when the bus is idle means you have no privacy for any conversations and everyone will hear what you say. There will be no engine noise to drown out squeaks and rattles so these will be more noticeable.
I've ridden plenty of electric buses to make these conclusions. Optare, Wright, ADL +BYD, ADL Integral, Yutong, all of them are soulless. Generally try to avoid them as much as possible but rode Arriva Blyth's Enviro 400EV just for the novelty of riding a bus to Blyth which is not 15 years old, but it's slower than the very worst of their awful 12 plate Pulsars.
In 15 years bus enthusiasm will no longer exist as a hobby due to electric buses. The hobby will be dead. I have no idea why anyone is interested in the latest news of Stagecoach getting so many electric buses, other than to avoid them at all costs of course. Hope Stagecoach Walkergate don't get any as I use the 37 often these days. I know Walkergate had the Enviro 400H which i actually kind of liked as they did have character and still the diesel engine but I know they were unreliable and not well liked. They have been retired early as 11 plates all went in last 2 years whereas still plenty of 58 plate pure diesel around and plenty older elsewhere. Will be 10X as bad with pure electric.
You talk about electric buses killing off bus enthusiasm but that is complete nonsense. It’s just the next logical step, same as how trolly buses killed off trams, motor buses killed off trolly buses, the low floor entrance killed off the step entrance, so I would think bus enthusiasm will still be around in 15 years. Admittedly Teesside is not as good now with not as many bus types but if Stagecoach, Arriva and go ahead buying up various operators and independents closing has not killed the hobby then this certainly won’t.
As for the buses themselves at the moment they are not perfect but as technology continues to improve the buses will get better, look at the early examples of diesels some of them are just awful rackety things with high steps and uncomfortable seats, the later diesels are great compared to them the same will happen with the electrics over time. I would also expect the likes optare/switch Alexander Dennis, Wrightbus, Volvo etc are busy right now working on designs to interest operators to move away from yutongs and them to start appearing on the roads in the coming years. You say the buses won’t last a decade which could be try but the Manviros 200 didn’t last to long either Hartlepool withdraw there with barely 9 year’s service and ended up bringing in Darts from Yorkshire to replace them so it shows the diesels are not exactly long lasting either.
So yes in time all depots including the independent operators will eventually be electric.
(01 Oct 2025, 1:00 pm)Arriva7446 wrote Electric buses are so boring, have no character at all, each model sounds the exact same. They are slow and will barely last 10 years without major expensive overhaul. That's why the gas buses and hybrids got retired early due to overhaul costs. They are not economical to buy or overhaul. Imagine how many more diesel buses could be bought for the same amount of cash. With the investment in electric buses you could probably replace every single bus in the North East with a brand new diesel for the same cost as the electrics coming.I have been critical of the Yutongs and I stand by what I say but electric buses are the future so all I can say is you better get used to it. They is a reason why Stockton has gone fully electric and why Slatyford and Sunderland are starting to go electric and why plans are starting to be made for Hartlepool to be electric within the next 5-10 years ( I would think they will be plans for South Shields as well) and that’s because Diesel buses will soon start to be phrased out, so certainly within the next 10 - 15 the majority of buses will be electric and within the next 20 other than preserved buses I would think all but a few service buses will be electric.
As the finances simply don't add up that's why the taxpayer has had to fork out for all these buses as no well run financially competent business would ever touch one.
Passenger experience is worse as the silence when the bus is idle means you have no privacy for any conversations and everyone will hear what you say. There will be no engine noise to drown out squeaks and rattles so these will be more noticeable.
I've ridden plenty of electric buses to make these conclusions. Optare, Wright, ADL +BYD, ADL Integral, Yutong, all of them are soulless. Generally try to avoid them as much as possible but rode Arriva Blyth's Enviro 400EV just for the novelty of riding a bus to Blyth which is not 15 years old, but it's slower than the very worst of their awful 12 plate Pulsars.
In 15 years bus enthusiasm will no longer exist as a hobby due to electric buses. The hobby will be dead. I have no idea why anyone is interested in the latest news of Stagecoach getting so many electric buses, other than to avoid them at all costs of course. Hope Stagecoach Walkergate don't get any as I use the 37 often these days. I know Walkergate had the Enviro 400H which i actually kind of liked as they did have character and still the diesel engine but I know they were unreliable and not well liked. They have been retired early as 11 plates all went in last 2 years whereas still plenty of 58 plate pure diesel around and plenty older elsewhere. Will be 10X as bad with pure electric.
You talk about electric buses killing off bus enthusiasm but that is complete nonsense. It’s just the next logical step, same as how trolly buses killed off trams, motor buses killed off trolly buses, the low floor entrance killed off the step entrance, so I would think bus enthusiasm will still be around in 15 years. Admittedly Teesside is not as good now with not as many bus types but if Stagecoach, Arriva and go ahead buying up various operators and independents closing has not killed the hobby then this certainly won’t.
As for the buses themselves at the moment they are not perfect but as technology continues to improve the buses will get better, look at the early examples of diesels some of them are just awful rackety things with high steps and uncomfortable seats, the later diesels are great compared to them the same will happen with the electrics over time. I would also expect the likes optare/switch Alexander Dennis, Wrightbus, Volvo etc are busy right now working on designs to interest operators to move away from yutongs and them to start appearing on the roads in the coming years. You say the buses won’t last a decade which could be try but the Manviros 200 didn’t last to long either Hartlepool withdraw there with barely 9 year’s service and ended up bringing in Darts from Yorkshire to replace them so it shows the diesels are not exactly long lasting either.
So yes in time all depots including the independent operators will eventually be electric.