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Stagecoach Minibuses now launched in Ashford

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Bletchleyite

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That sounds very much like the Dutch Buurtbus other than not using volunteer drivers. Are they also 8 seaters?

Interesting to see two doors on such a small vehicle - very much like Germany where I believe dual door is a legal requirement.
 
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TheGrandWazoo

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That sounds very much like the Dutch Buurtbus other than not using volunteer drivers. Are they also 8 seaters?

Interesting to see two doors on such a small vehicle - very much like Germany where I believe dual door is a legal requirement.

Oddly, I never travelled on them despite them being the local bus so can't comment on number of seats! We tended to walk to the main avenue and get the full size bus or the Metro.

However, seems the Sprinter has some pedigree and knowing Stagecoach, they'll be up to speed on mpg and R&M costs
 

robertclark125

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Remember too, Stagecoach UK Bus had one of these Sprinters on demonstration, and it was used by a variety of subsidiaries, in a variety of working conditions. Stagecoach East Scotland tried it on the 64 (Glenrothes- Ladybank - Cupar - Strathkinnes - St. Andrews) and the 94 (St. Andrews - Balmullo - Cupar - ladybank - Newburgh), so they'll have had experience of this type of vehicle, in different conditions.
 

AaronR

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As someone who has worked in the parcel industry there is no doubt that the Sprinter is pretty much bomb proof and cannot really be compared to the old minibuses. They are thrashed day in day out on Multidrop deliveries by the likes of Parcelforce and DPD with no issues whatsoever, the drivers are generally car drivers who have had no training, and have impossible timed deadlines to meet, I think the world of bus operation won't cause a problem. As for the R&M, this is pretty much standard in the world of haulage, the likes of Merc, DAF and Scania having a large dealer network across the country, and it works!
 

Teflon Lettuce

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As someone who has worked in the parcel industry there is no doubt that the Sprinter is pretty much bomb proof and cannot really be compared to the old minibuses. They are thrashed day in day out on Multidrop deliveries by the likes of Parcelforce and DPD with no issues whatsoever, the drivers are generally car drivers who have had no training, and have impossible timed deadlines to meet, I think the world of bus operation won't cause a problem. As for the R&M, this is pretty much standard in the world of haulage, the likes of Merc, DAF and Scania having a large dealer network across the country, and it works!

er... the sherpa, transits, mercs et all of the 80's minibus revolution were all based on vehicles used for multidrop and they were found sadly lacking.. the fact is that intensive urban bus routes are much more punishing an environment than multidrop... quite apart from the fact that multidrop usually means the vehicle is only in use for 12hrs a day.. whereas bus service use can mean that the vehicle is used for 18hrs a day...
 

the101

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The Italian thing is a Technobus and there were six of them that were battery powered and with First in Birkenhead for a few years. Very unusually/uniquely for a local bus service in the UK they were left-hand drive. A second batch that looked different went to St Helens; these may have been tri-axles, I can't remember.
 

westcoaster

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AaronR

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er... the sherpa, transits, mercs et all of the 80's minibus revolution were all based on vehicles used for multidrop and they were found sadly lacking.. the fact is that intensive urban bus routes are much more punishing an environment than multidrop... quite apart from the fact that multidrop usually means the vehicle is only in use for 12hrs a day.. whereas bus service use can mean that the vehicle is used for 18hrs a day...

That's not strictly true is it, e-commerce wasn't really a "thing" back in them days, so although Vans may have been used for home deliveries, by it's very nature it was no way as intense as it is nowadays. I speak from experience when I say that most parcel drivers are doing well in excess of 100 drops a day plus collections. You cannot compare the mechanics of the modern day Sprinter to a Transit or Freight Rover much as you cannot compare a 1984 ford Sierra with a new Mondeo.

I know that a lot of parcel companies (such as DPD and UK Mail) have contracts which mean they can only deliver in the evenings so the vans are used for 18 plus hours a day
 
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AaronR

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Also, bare in mind that most ambulances these days are based on exactly the same van, a sprinter 316/416, and they most definitely are used 24/7. There is no question of their reliability.
 

Teflon Lettuce

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Also, bare in mind that most ambulances these days are based on exactly the same van, a sprinter 316/416, and they most definitely are used 24/7. There is no question of their reliability.

I'm not questioning their reliability in uses for which they were designed... but lets take your 100 drops/ shift over a 12 hour shift on multidrop that equates to a stop rate of 8.33 stops/hr over and about stops in traffic... a minibus (or full size bus) will average a higher stop/hr than that...maybe even double...

My contention isn't that Sprinters aren't robust... earlier mercs were just as robust in their designed uses as were transits... the problem is that intensive bus operation is like nothing else on earth for punishing a vehicle (especially the transmission) and all I am doing is querying whether the lessons have been learned from last time.... something tells me they won't have been...
 

83G/84D

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I'm sure I saw a picture of a First Bus that looked similar to that!
Sam

What about this? Picture credit of British bus publishing 1999 First Group bus handbook.
 

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6Gman

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The Italian thing is a Technobus and there were six of them that were battery powered and with First in Birkenhead for a few years. Very unusually/uniquely for a local bus service in the UK they were left-hand drive. A second batch that looked different went to St Helens; these may have been tri-axles, I can't remember.

Travelled on one in Birkenhead. God, they were slow! :D
 

83G/84D

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And here is another, from the British bus publishing 2005 South west bus handbook:-
 

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