(14 Sep 2016, 6:14 pm)Adrian wrote 3996 interior shot


Bus Interiors: Go North East: 3996 GX03STZ Scania N94UD Omnidekka by emdjt42, on Flickr

DDA stuff becomes pretty moot by the time you've climbed a steep spiral staircase.

The seats at least have handles on. I consider the seating arrangement on the lower deck of the Angel B5Hs to be more of a problem as there are several seats with nothing, anywhere, to grab when a bus goes around a corner (the ones right at the front and the rear facing seats, near the back - I've almost fallen off both lots on a roundabout, as I have fairly low muscle tone in my torso and can't brace myself very well!)

(14 Sep 2016, 6:34 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Didn't realise the stairwell protruded so far into the aisle either (unless its the angle of the shot).  I thought there were minimum gangway widths associated with DDA also.

Streetlites and solos have narrow gangways all the way back.

(14 Sep 2016, 6:20 pm)JP6004 wrote Surely they are compliant as technically it is an open top bus albeit a covertable one. Do the regulations state that all open toppers now have to have to have handrails just pointing to the sky...? Least the seats have handles to grab onto

No idea how they will get around open-top vehicles, but if the spec stipulates vertical handrails then they need fitting somehow.

Obviously this is the same for the visual displays re 'bus stopping'. These are to be fitted on both decks along with bell pushes (which also have height and spacing rules) according to the info in the DDA thread.

(15 Sep 2016, 10:04 pm)Andreos1 wrote No idea how they will get around open-top vehicles, but if the spec stipulates vertical handrails then they need fitting somehow.

Obviously this is the same for the visual displays re 'bus stopping'. These are to be fitted on both decks along with bell pushes (which also have height and spacing rules) according to the info in the DDA thread.

Yep, lack of bell pushes is problematic for anyone, given that they (naturally) discourage getting out of your seat while the bus is moving.

(15 Sep 2016, 10:13 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Yep, lack of bell pushes is problematic for anyone, given that they (naturally) discourage getting out of your seat while the bus is moving.

I remember a particular Darlington driver used to shout at you if you got out of your seat before you stop, remember getting him on a X---GGO Dart one day on the 7 and I sat where the centre door used to be with the nearest bell being several seats in front, so me getting up just to press the bell to get off annoyed him.

(15 Sep 2016, 10:13 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Yep, lack of bell pushes is problematic for anyone, given that they (naturally) discourage getting out of your seat while the bus is moving.

I'm struggling to remember the vehicle type or if there were a number that had similar - but apart from mini buses that had a push button bell embedded in the ceiling, there were some that had a long rubber strip, that ran the length of the vehicle.

Short people never had much joy, but at least it removed the need to have a bell push fitted to every third  grab rail!

(14 Sep 2016, 6:20 pm)JP6004 wrote Surely they are compliant as technically it is an open top bus albeit a covertable one. Do the regulations state that all open toppers now have to have to have handrails just pointing to the sky...? Least the seats have handles to grab onto

Doesn't matter that it is a formerly convertible open topper - if it is operating on a local/scheduled service that falls within the remit of the legislation it would need the relevant modifications to become compliant, by the year end deadline.

(15 Sep 2016, 10:23 pm)Andreos1 wrote I'm struggling to remember the vehicle type or if there were a number that had similar - but apart from mini buses that had a push button bell embedded in the ceiling, there were some that had a long rubber strip, that ran the length of the vehicle.

Short people never had much joy, but at least it removed the need to have a bell push fitted to every third  grab rail!

Think someone said the bellpushes on the ex-open top Omnis are on the seatbacks.

The rubber strips in the gold casing were on most of the Busways deckers - indeed they are still present (and in working order!) on the Sightseeing Olympians.

Seems some people on here have failed to realise one little detail regarding 3995/6....
Would the company have taken them if they failed to comply with the upcoming DDA regulation? I seriously doubt that they would.

(15 Sep 2016, 10:30 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Seems some people on here have failed to realise one little detail regarding 3995/6....
Would the company have taken them if they failed to comply with the upcoming DDA regulation? I seriously doubt that they would.

Ah of course.  They must have those new invisible handrails.

Either 6122 or 6124 doesn't have a bus stopping sign upstairs. It has been boarded over.

(15 Sep 2016, 10:31 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Ah of course.  They must have those new invisible handrails.

He has a point though. Surely if they were required, they would have added them prior to them both entering service?

(15 Sep 2016, 10:28 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Think someone said the bellpushes on the ex-open top Omnis are on the seatbacks.

The rubber strips in the gold casing were on most of the Busways deckers - indeed they are still present (and in working order!) on the Sightseeing Olympians.

Again, copied from DDA thread.

Bell pushes (communication device)
Must be within reach of every priority seat
Adjacent to no less than every third row of seats
No higher than 1200mm from floor for seated passengers
No higher than 1500mm from floor for standing passengers
Contrasting colour
When pressed, activate an audible and visual device (on each deck in case of double decks) that is visible to the majority of passengers

If the two vehicles in question dont meet DDA and it is because of the bell/grab rail situation, but do for everything else (floor heights, gangway widths), then I cant see it costing too much to make them compliant - compared to GNE purchasing a newer vehicle, that has bells in the appropriate places but has a few less clicks on the clock.

The whole DDA requirement fiasco seems like some glorified pen pushing.

Sir Humphrey would be proud

(15 Sep 2016, 10:50 pm)Ambassador wrote The whole DDA requirement fiasco seems like some glorified pen pushing.

Sir Humphrey would be proud

It's almost specifically unspecified. If the lower deck is fine, why does it matter? You can't wheel a wheelchair up the stairs or go up them with crutches. I understand the stop button and display, but the pole specification is a complete debacle and doesn't seem clear in reality.

(15 Sep 2016, 11:17 pm)Jamie M wrote It's almost specifically unspecified. If the lower deck is fine, why does it matter? You can't wheel a wheelchair up the stairs or go up them with crutches. I understand the stop button and display, but the pole specification is a complete debacle and doesn't seem clear in reality.

Disability covers a lot more than being in a wheelchair or on crutches.  I suspect the requirement for vertical handrails is not there for the benefit of passengers in wheelchairs in any case...

(15 Sep 2016, 11:22 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Disability covers a lot more than being in a wheelchair or on crutches.  I suspect the requirement for vertical handrails is not there for the benefit of passengers in wheelchairs in any case...

My point is.. if there is a whole lower deck of compliancy, why is it so strict for the upper deck?

(15 Sep 2016, 11:26 pm)Jamie M wrote My point is.. if there is a whole lower deck of compliancy, why is it so strict for the upper deck?

Possibly because you can't always get a seat downstairs and you're only options are to venture upstairs or wait until you can get another bus where you can sit downstairs. Also, I've seen people with walking sticks and crutches go upstairs on double deckers before. So really, it needs to be the same upstairs in my opinion as it could also be for other disabilities such as being blind or partially sighted in regards to stuff like the contrasting poles.

(15 Sep 2016, 11:26 pm)Jamie M wrote My point is.. if there is a whole lower deck of compliancy, why is it so strict for the upper deck?

I imagine the number of people who fall under DDA remit would far exceed the capacity of the lower deck.
The aim of adding grab rails, visual aids et al, was to make the vehicle accessible to all, with 'reasonable adjustment'.
Whether this all falls under reasonable adjustment is open to debate.

However, a partially sighted person has every right to sit upstairs.

It's fair to say, after seeing 6135 every day this week, it looks factory fresh but it would look epic in a Go-Ahead Northern red and white heritage livery


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(16 Sep 2016, 8:07 pm)MrPottski wrote It's fair to say, after seeing 6135 every day this week, it looks factory fresh but it would look epic in a Go-Ahead Northern red and white heritage livery


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I prefer the plain red on those to be honest, the northern branding as current reflects the stock - patches up the blank space and provides a working solution, but is rushed and the first thing they could find. I don't know what the heritage livery looked like, not able to view images right now but certainly hope it's better than the current northern branding like.

https://flic.kr/p/gj6VCZ

Is this the livery what you mentioned Mr Pottski ?


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I really like stanley's new flip dot design which changes the bottom row of text from 'eldon square' to 'via metrocentre' on the 6. Not sure how useful it is, but it's pretty cool. 6012, 6014, 6122 and 6124 all have it on their flip dots.

Forgot to report this yesterday, but one of those worn out durham diamonds has become even more worn - the driver was turning and smashed a window on a post. Think this happened on thursday? As for the spares/odds kicking around on 16s.

(17 Sep 2016, 10:44 am)Jamie M wrote Forgot to report this yesterday, but one of those worn out durham diamonds has become even more worn - the driver was turning and smashed a window on a post. Think this happened on thursday? As for the spares/odds kicking around on 16s.

Wasn't one of the Durham Diamond's in an incident or something? Think 5240 replaced a corporate Citaro on Thursday.

(17 Sep 2016, 10:30 am)Jamie M wrote I really like stanley's new flip dot design which changes the bottom row of text from 'eldon square' to 'via metrocentre' on the 6. Not sure how useful it is, but it's pretty cool. 6012, 6014, 6122 and 6124 all have it on their flip dots.

I think it's been like that since October 2015. Chester-le-Street's displays do the same on the 21 to Chester-le-Street Red Lion/Black Horse.

Ambassador won't be using the Angel again, as the new-style announcements voiced by Emma Hignett have now been rolled out on this service.

(17 Sep 2016, 10:48 am)Jimmi wrote Wasn't one of the Durham Diamond's in an incident or something? Think 5240 replaced a corporate Citaro on Thursday.

I've seen both corps on the 45/46 this week like. They've become much like floats now, but I do not know personally know which vehicle was involved. I was talking to an engineer who said it was a merc. I thought for a bit he might have been referring to one of those solos as there was one inside the depot earlier that day, but as I went past at night I saw a citaro parked up in the engineering area. The orange floodlights/reflecting/dirty solo windows meant I couldn't see the colour properly.

(17 Sep 2016, 10:53 am)Dan wrote I think it's been like that since October 2015. Chester-le-Street's displays do the same on the 21 to Chester-le-Street Red Lion/Black Horse.

Ambassador won't be using the Angel again, as the new-style announcements voiced by Emma Hignett have now been rolled out on this service.

I've not ever seen it at Stanley before because I've hardly ever taken the 6 towards newcastle, and never on a vehicle with a flip dot. I noticed the CLS displays do it before, oh well.

(17 Sep 2016, 10:53 am)Dan wrote I think it's been like that since October 2015. Chester-le-Street's displays do the same on the 21 to Chester-le-Street Red Lion/Black Horse.

Ambassador won't be using the Angel again, as the new-style announcements voiced by Emma Hignett have now been rolled out on this service.

Haha, I saw some negative feedback on Facebook, as long as the volume isn't intrusive and the announcements aren't overly long, I'll be fine....not holding out

Since when did 5201 have wifi fitted..?