Why are some of the VDL Pulsars so poor at climbing and why allocate them such? Came of 1440 which was working an X4 - always being one of the better ones - onto either 1445 or 46 which was working an 81 trip to Guisborough. 

Now seriously Yearby Bank is a long old climb with a particularly nasty, narrow section at its summit - I know as I've ridden it. But here we at the foot of it and this VDL has lost it straight away, are we gonna get to the top; only just and as I remember, when i cycled it, I was faster!

1445/6 aren't on there own. There are plenty similar inevitably deployed on the 5 with all it's hills. Drivers must find them a nightmare.

(20 Aug 2025, 10:07 pm)Robisdave54 wrote Why are some of the VDL Pulsars so poor at climbing and why allocate them such? Came of 1440 which was working an X4 - always being one of the better ones - onto either 1445 or 46 which was working an 81 trip to Guisborough. 

Now seriously Yearby Bank is a long old climb with a particularly nasty, narrow section at its summit - I know as I've ridden it. But here we at the foot of it and this VDL has lost it straight away, are we gonna get to the top; only just and as I remember, when i cycled it, I was faster!

1445/6 aren't on there own. There are plenty similar inevitably deployed on the 5 with all it's hills. Drivers must find them a nightmare.

Allocations at Redcar are limited based on how the buses are parked in the depot which limits rotation possibilities on a morning.

Pulsars are poor climbing when the emission light is on, usually caused by clogged up injectors, these became very expensive post brexit they are replaced annually at MOT.

When a bus is reported as being slow it won’t be repaired if it’s close to MOT.

As for the 81 it only has 1 hill every 2 hours which really isn’t the worst!