Uno bus planning to compete with premium buses

[jon0844]

The 601 is usually very busy too, and I guess the 602?

The 601 is often double decked, so maybe these routes will get upgraded too.

The 341 seems to have a weird route so as to ensure a driver isn't sitting around doing nothing. That's why they tried to run the 607 to such a tight schedule instead of going hourly (which may have actually improved the service) and running a more infrequent service in the peak than off-peak. I understood why they did it, but never got the logic of running a worse service at the busiest times!

 

[tombowell]

Uno have ordered 6 new ADL Enviro 400s with City bodywork for route 614. They will have route branding, and be similar to the PassengerPlus specification onboard the 2 tone blue demo bus that was inspected last year. They aren't planning to compete with Sapphire, they are improving the service quality on a route of theirs, that's all. And the rationalisations planned are simply a refocus on the core commercial network and improving things there, with HCC and TfL tendered work being sidelined slightly for now.

 

[jon0844]

Do you know about the other busy routes like the 601 and 602? There are more buses being ordered aren't there? (Maybe not double deckers as I originally said).

Sidelining work for the county council and TfL sounds like a big deal, and suggests the drivers are right to be concerned that the company might be scaling back considerably.

That might solve maintenance issues, but it also means driver redundancies and a potential cut in local services if other operators don't step in. After all, if Uno gets all the student traffic in Hatfield and the surrounds, can other operators make a go of it with regular users - and the concessionary fares?

 

[tombowell]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/70333100@N08/35466336720/in/dateposted/


The first one has now been built.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Interesting that the front display says "University Bus" and not "Uno".

 

[skyhigh]

Interesting that the front display says "University Bus" and not "Uno".

I'm not sure too much can be read into that. A while back we had a bus on our local route refurbished and an LED blind added. The operator had to send it out before it was programmed, so only the default destinations could be displayed - generic things like Town Bus, School Bus, Railway Bus etc...

As the side display says 123 Hannover Displays, it's possible it's just a default option?

 

[spuddie]

Isn't the livery the wrong way round? On all the other newer livery repaints the diagonal between the pink and purple is this way round if looking at the near side / where as on this it's \

Might be on purpose to make if different for route 614 or highlight it's a different spec.

 

[class387]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/70333100@N08/35466336720/in/dateposted/


The first one has now been built.

I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. They only seem to be a bit better than the current double deckers. It seems that the seating is the low-backed Civic Esteban seat, as used on the current 614 Omnidekka's. A perfectly good seat (in fact one of the best low-backed seats), but certainly not premium and well below the standard of the seats on the demonstrator. I would have expected some form of high-backed seat. It also appears to lack the skylight/sunroof and so many opening windows suggest no or inadequate aircon. It is a great bus, best compared to the Arriva London Enviro400City's, but definitely below premium or Sapphire standard.

On a different note, does anyone know what the Uno (non-MMC) Enviro200 is? Is it new and what is it for? Also, the comments suggest that the "First 6 are for 614. Rest are for 602".

 

[class387]

I've found some more pictures here (not mine):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/128789124@N06/

This suggests that at least 2 (and another unidentifiable one) has been built: YX17NPY and YX17NRF. I think they may enter service before September.

 

[sk688]

. Once the bus hits London, they don't accept Oyster, so is it just students they're trying to attract? Is it that students are opting to drive or use the train instead? Otherwise isn't it a captive market that they don't need to try and impress?

For the 614 at least , loads of people from my school , and around Barnet , use it as a quick way of getting to Edgware , far quicker than the 107 , and not as busy . This is because quite a lot of people at our school , live in the Harrow/Hillingdon/Wembley/Edgware area ,so the 614 is quick way to get to Edgware ( from which you go onwards ) rom Barnet , and it is pretty cheap at just 70p , so useful if you miss the school coach

 

[class387]

For the 614 at least , loads of people from my school , and around Barnet , use it as a quick way of getting to Edgware , far quicker than the 107 , and not as busy . This is because quite a lot of people at our school , live in the Harrow/Hillingdon/Wembley/Edgware area ,so the 614 is quick way to get to Edgware ( from which you go onwards ) rom Barnet , and it is pretty cheap at just 70p , so useful if you miss the school coach

That's probably a 'captive' market as well. I don't think the people at school will change what bus they get based on the quality of the vehicle. When a different (usually newer, some similar to the be 614) bus turns up on my school bus, most don't notice the difference and the more observant can be scared to get on because of the change.

 

[sk688]

That's probably a 'captive' market as well. I don't think the people at school will change what bus they get based on the quality of the vehicle. When a different (usually newer, some similar to the be 614) bus turns up on my school bus, most don't notice the difference and the more observant can be scared to get on because of the change.

No , but free WiFi might , given currently only some of the UNO fleet have it , and the buses that do , dont always end up on the 614

 

[class387]

No , but free WiFi might , given currently only some of the UNO fleet have it , and the buses that do , dont always end up on the 614

It has got to be well advertised though. The WiFi on the current buses isn't. The new buses are also no less likely to stay to the 614 than the old ones.

 

[jon0844]

No , but free WiFi might , given currently only some of the UNO fleet have it , and the buses that do , dont always end up on the 614

AFAIK two Uno buses have Wi-Fi and power sockets, and of those only one bus actually advertises it on the outside (or inside come to think of it) and only one bus currently has the Wi-Fi working - the one that advertises it.

To be fair, on the one single bus with Wi-Fi, it works pretty well. I first got to see the bus when it was running on the 602 route, so the bus is certainly never reserved exclusively for the 614/644.

The power sockets are also useful but I don't think the output is very high as I took the bus from Hatfield Business Park to Queensbury and it added about 5%! As such, given the fact that people spend quite short times on the bus I am not sure the real value of offering power.

Perhaps the new buses will support faster charging?

 

[radamfi]

How much more expensive is this than a typical E400 and how much compared to a Citaro?

 

[BestWestern]

How much more expensive is this than a typical E400 and how much compared to a Citaro?

They're hybrid only, aren't they? In which case I presume they're pricey. Although clearly here they aren't particularly high spec.

To return to the aircon and double glazing argument, the glazing is pointless, heavy and expensive and time consuming to replace, hence operators have moved away from it by and large. The ADL MMC range includes a rather clever design of single glazing intended to be easily released and replaced in the event of breakage. As for AC however, as our summers get ever warmer it is surely becoming unavoidably clear that sitting in unbearably hot saloons in this day and age is just not good enough any more. Most new cars have AC fitted, I see no reason why bus passengers shouldn't feel entitled to expect similar. TFL's 'air cooling' spec may point to a reasonable compromise perhaps?

 

[radamfi]

To return to the aircon and double glazing argument, the glazing is pointless, heavy and expensive and time consuming to replace, hence operators have moved away from it by and large. The ADL MMC range includes a rather clever design of single glazing intended to be easily released and replaced in the event of breakage. As for AC however, as our summers get ever warmer it is surely becoming unavoidably clear that sitting in unbearably hot saloons in this day and age is just not good enough any more. Most new cars have AC fitted, I see no reason why bus passengers shouldn't feel entitled to expect similar. TFL's 'air cooling' spec may point to a reasonable compromise perhaps?

Air conditioning is obviously important to improve comfort, not just on hot summer days, but also throughout the year on sunny days when the bus is like a greenhouse, avoiding the need for draughty opening windows. But the steaming up of windows on wet or cold days is also very unpleasant, which is why double glazing is provided in other countries as standard.

 

[BestWestern]

Air conditioning is obviously important to improve comfort, not just on hot summer days, but also throughout the year on sunny days when the bus is like a greenhouse, avoiding the need for draughty opening windows. But the steaming up of windows on wet or cold days is also very unpleasant, which is why double glazing is provided in other countries as standard.

The problem with double glazing though is the weight. The current focus is on reducing the kerb weight of vehicles, as successive 'Euro' emissions limits strangle fuel economy. Aircon is heavy and thirsty, and couple that with tons of extra glass and you've got a guzzler! I'd suggest that aircon is the greater priority.

 

[sk688]

AFAIK two Uno buses have Wi-Fi and power sockets, and of those only one bus actually advertises it on the outside (or inside come to think of it) and only one bus currently has the Wi-Fi working - the one that advertises it.

To be fair, on the one single bus with Wi-Fi, it works pretty well. I first got to see the bus when it was running on the 602 route, so the bus is certainly never reserved exclusively for the 614/644.

The power sockets are also useful but I don't think the output is very high as I took the bus from Hatfield Business Park to Queensbury and it added about 5%! As such, given the fact that people spend quite short times on the bus I am not sure the real value of offering power.

Perhaps the new buses will support faster charging?

That's strange . For me I managed to get my 5S up from 37% to about 62-64 from Barnet Church to Edgware recently . Although my phone does have a small battery ( and doesn't charge to it's full capacity ) , so that might have been why

 

[jon0844]

That's strange . For me I managed to get my 5S up from 37% to about 62-64 from Barnet Church to Edgware recently . Although my phone does have a small battery ( and doesn't charge to it's full capacity ) , so that might have been why

It may have been a problem with the charging socket or my cable. I guess for all I knew, it wasn't charging all the time.

 

[class387]

According to LOTS, the 6 Enviro400City's will be numbered 250-255 and delivered very soon.

 

[class387]

From Uno's Twitter feed (link):

 

[F Great Eastern]

That branding is awful, it looks like something you'd see on a computer in the 80s

 

[spuddie]

I like the idea with the retro name and image....but looking at that picture the execution is not good....hopefully it will look better on the actual buses when they arrive.

Explains why the diagional between the 2 colours is the different way round on these new deckers.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The colours are a bit ZX Spectrum, but it said "art deco" to me, which I suspect is the intent.

 

[class387]

I don't really like it either. It doesn't seem 'premium' enough, something which also is true about the buses themselves. I guess the brand is ment to pay tribute to the DeHavilland Comet, but might that confuse with the stop of the same name?

I expected and would have liked something Spanish. That would fit well with the Uno brand.

 

[class387]

I spoke to an Uno driver on the 602 today, who had some information about the new buses. He told me that the buses will enter service next Tuesday, ahead of a formal launch on the 18th September as said on the Twitter feed. I did not ask where this launch will take place.

Meanwhile, I have found some pictures of the buses fully branded and of the interiors on Flickr (not mine):

Exterior and 'Comet' branding
Interior

Looks good, though my comments about them not being 'premium' enough still reside.

 

[gazthomas]

I spoke to an Uno driver on the 602 today, who had some information about the new buses. He told me that the buses will enter service next Tuesday, ahead of a formal launch on the 18th September as said on the Twitter feed. I did not ask where this launch will take place.

Meanwhile, I have found some pictures of the buses fully branded and of the interiors on Flickr (not mine):

Exterior and 'Comet' branding
Interior

Looks good, though my comments about them not being 'premium' enough still reside.

I agree, they look great!

 

[class387]

I agree, they look great!

Compared to an Arriva Sapphire E400City however...

 

[jon0844]

I agree, they look great!

I'm not sure it looks as premium as first told. A lot of branding (and I await the new uniform staff will wear) but not a massive improvement given what drivers were saying.

I wonder if someone cut back on the specs nearer build time to save money?