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Trivia: How far can you go in theory without using an ADL product?

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py_megapixel

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Alexander Dennis Limited seem to be very strong in the UK bus market at the moment (relative to their competitors, at least). Stagecoach have bought very little else since the launch of the Enviro MMC, and other operators - even some that previously had majority Wright fleets - are buying Enviros as well.

But this begs the question, what's the furthest you could theoretically travel on bus and/or coach journey in Great Britain without being on an ADL vehicle?

Conditions for this thread are as follows:

- Time doesn't matter, so there's no requirement to take the fastest available route or the soonest available connection - with the caveat that catching a bus back the way you've come, or anything similarly silly (such as staying on the same bus all the way round a circular), doesn't count - in other words, use common sense! Equally, the ability to eat, sleep, use a toilet etc. don't matter, this is purely a theoretical thread

- Vehicles produced before ADL existed - for example the ALX400 - don't count as an ADL product, but Plaxton coaches produced after the ADL acquisiton do count as an ADL product

- You can use routes where the type of vehicle allocated varies only if less than half the services on it are likely to be run with ADL vehicles
 
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RustySpoons

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Quick one off the top of my head, Preston to Scarborough/Whitby.

Preston to Burnley - Wright B9TL
Burnley to Keighley - Optare Versa
Keighley to Leeds - Wright B9TL
Leeds to Scarborough/Whitby - Wright B5TLs, B7TLs or B9TLs.

EDIT: Just as I posted that I remembered that theres an E400MMC helping out at Coastliner, so the Leeds to the East Coast may end up with an ADL product!
 

TheGrandWazoo

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Quick one off the top of my head, Preston to Scarborough/Whitby.

Preston to Burnley - Wright B9TL
Burnley to Keighley - Optare Versa
Keighley to Leeds - Wright B9TL
Leeds to Scarborough/Whitby - Wright B5TLs, B7TLs or B9TLs.

EDIT: Just as I posted that I remembered that theres an E400MMC helping out at Coastliner, so the Leeds to the East Coast may end up with an ADL product!
In which case, you can reach Newcastle via the 4/X4 (Streetlite) or X93 (B9 Geminis) to Middlesbrough and then X12 (Wright Pulsar)

Then the 308 to Blyth (Daf DB/Gemini) then 1 to Amble (Pulsar)
 
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Man of Kent

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In which case, you can reach Newcastle via the 4/X4 (Streetlite) or X93 (B9 Geminis) to Middlesbrough and then X12 (Wright Pulsar)
And then isn't Arriva's part of the 685 normally a Scania OmniCity (although VDL/Wrights at the moment, according to Bus Times), so that gets us to Carlisle.
 

Contains Nuts

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Unless anything major has changed in the last couple of years I reckon you can go from Holyhead to Chester (changing buses along the way) with Arriva (it’s been a while but I’m sure it was all VDL stuff on those routes).

Once in Chester, over to Northwich on the D&G 82 (Versa), D&G 89/88 to Knutsford then Macclesfield (usually Solos), D&G 109/108 to Leek then Ashbourne (also usually Solos), Trent Barton’s Swift to Derby then X38 to Burton (Wright bodied something-or-other), Midland Classic 12/12E to Lichfield (Scania or Metrocity from what I’ve seen), Chaserider 826 or 828 to Stafford (Wright bodied Volvo), Select 877 or 878 to Wolverhampton (Wright Commander), Arriva 9 to Bridgnorth (Versa).

From there I get slightly unfamiliar but there is the 297 to Kidderminster then various options to travel further south - I’m just not sure what the usual allocations will be.
 

cnjb8

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Unless anything major has changed in the last couple of years I reckon you can go from Holyhead to Chester (changing buses along the way) with Arriva (it’s been a while but I’m sure it was all VDL stuff on those routes).

Once in Chester, over to Northwich on the D&G 82 (Versa), D&G 89/88 to Knutsford then Macclesfield (usually Solos), D&G 109/108 to Leek then Ashbourne (also usually Solos), Trent Barton’s Swift to Derby then X38 to Burton (Wright bodied something-or-other), Midland Classic 12/12E to Lichfield (Scania or Metrocity from what I’ve seen), Chaserider 826 or 828 to Stafford (Wright bodied Volvo), Select 877 or 878 to Wolverhampton (Wright Commander), Arriva 9 to Bridgnorth (Versa).

From there I get slightly unfamiliar but there is the 297 to Kidderminster then various options to travel further south - I’m just not sure what the usual allocations will be.
Swift will use a Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse Urban. The Trent side of X38 will use the same, the Arriva side is usually a VDL
 

Statto

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Unless anything major has changed in the last couple of years I reckon you can go from Holyhead to Chester (changing buses along the way) with Arriva (it’s been a while but I’m sure it was all VDL stuff on those routes).

Once in Chester, over to Northwich on the D&G 82 (Versa), D&G 89/88 to Knutsford then Macclesfield (usually Solos), D&G 109/108 to Leek then Ashbourne (also usually Solos), Trent Barton’s Swift to Derby then X38 to Burton (Wright bodied something-or-other), Midland Classic 12/12E to Lichfield (Scania or Metrocity from what I’ve seen), Chaserider 826 or 828 to Stafford (Wright bodied Volvo), Select 877 or 878 to Wolverhampton (Wright Commander), Arriva 9 to Bridgnorth (Versa).

From there I get slightly unfamiliar but there is the 297 to Kidderminster then various options to travel further south - I’m just not sure what the usual allocations will be.

Even at Chester, you could catch Arriva through to Chorley without using any ADL buses, X30 Warrington [MAN EcoCity], then 360 Warrington-Wigan which tends to be mostly Pulsars, 362 Wigan-Chorley [Pulsars], then Transdev from Chorley all the way to the Yorkshire coast changing at Blackburn, Burnley, Skipton, Keighley, Leeds then Coastliner without using any ADL buses, think you can go further than that from the Yorkshire coast too.
 

507021

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You can travel across the entire length and breadth of the Isle of Man without encountering a single ADL product, with Mercedes-Benz and Wrightbus being the only possibilities.
 
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In terms of allocation you could potentially get from Dunbar to East Kilbride by avoiding ADL buses:

East Coast Buses's service X5 from Dunbar to Princes Street, Edinburgh which are almost 100% ran by Wright Eclipse 3 B8RLE's

Then

First Midland Bluebird's service X38 from Edinburgh to Stirling bus station which are predominantly ran by Wright Streetlites and Wright Eclipse 2's

Then

First Midland Bluebird's service X10 from Stirling bus station to Glasgow City Centre (bus station) which are predominantly ran by Scania Omnidekka's

Then (walk to St Vincent street from Buchanan bus station)

First Glasgow's service 6 from Glasgow city centre to East Kilbride bus station which are predominantly ran by Wright Eclipse Urban's.
 

route101

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In terms of allocation you could potentially get from Dunbar to East Kilbride by avoiding ADL buses:

East Coast Buses's service X5 from Dunbar to Princes Street, Edinburgh which are almost 100% ran by Wright Eclipse 3 B8RLE's

Then

First Midland Bluebird's service X38 from Edinburgh to Stirling bus station which are predominantly ran by Wright Streetlites and Wright Eclipse 2's

Then

First Midland Bluebird's service X10 from Stirling bus station to Glasgow City Centre (bus station) which are predominantly ran by Scania Omnidekka's

Then (walk to St Vincent street from Buchanan bus station)

First Glasgow's service 6 from Glasgow city centre to East Kilbride bus station which are predominantly ran by Wright Eclipse Urban's.

I would swap the 6 for the 4 or 9 as they have B7TLS/B9TLs and B7RLE.

The 6 is mostly ADL.
 

LancasterRed

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Quick one off the top of my head, Preston to Scarborough/Whitby.

Preston to Burnley - Wright B9TL
Burnley to Keighley - Optare Versa
Keighley to Leeds - Wright B9TL
Leeds to Scarborough/Whitby - Wright B5TLs, B7TLs or B9TLs.

EDIT: Just as I posted that I remembered that theres an E400MMC helping out at Coastliner, so the Leeds to the East Coast may end up with an ADL product!
Like in the furthest route without the big 4 thread, the 830 makes a large difference here. Operated by Optare Solos, it covers a large distance without using ADL buses.

The 856 takes this further, with Optare buses running this route. However again like the furthest route thread, this would require an overnight wait.

In which case, you can reach Newcastle via the 4/X4 (Streetlite) or X93 (B9 Geminis) to Middlesbrough and then X12 (Wright Pulsar)

Then the 308 to Blyth (Daf DB/Gemini) then 1 to Amble (Pulsar)
Combined with this, you have a monster of a (potentially even circular) journey.
 

317 forever

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Quick one off the top of my head, Preston to Scarborough/Whitby.

Preston to Burnley - Wright B9TL
Burnley to Keighley - Optare Versa
Keighley to Leeds - Wright B9TL
Leeds to Scarborough/Whitby - Wright B5TLs, B7TLs or B9TLs.

EDIT: Just as I posted that I remembered that theres an E400MMC helping out at Coastliner, so the Leeds to the East Coast may end up with an ADL product!
Even at Chester, you could catch Arriva through to Chorley without using any ADL buses, X30 Warrington [MAN EcoCity], then 360 Warrington-Wigan which tends to be mostly Pulsars, 362 Wigan-Chorley [Pulsars], then Transdev from Chorley all the way to the Yorkshire coast changing at Blackburn, Burnley, Skipton, Keighley, Leeds then Coastliner without using any ADL buses, think you can go further than that from the Yorkshire coast too.
It seems likely that you can travel from Holyhead to Bathgate on non-ADL buses including some of the above

Arriva via Bangor, Llandudno, Prestatyn, Chester, Warrington and Wigan to Bolton, then Diamond to Manchester.

Transdev from Manchester via Accrington, Burnley, Keighley, Leeds, Maldon to Whitby.

Arriva to Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Carlisle.

Borders Buses to Galashiels and Edinburgh, then Lothian Country to Bathgate.

The fact that none of these are Stagecoach or First is a bonus!
 
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Not quite lengthy distances but you can travel the whole Lothian Country network all day without encountering a single ADL bus or coach.
 

317 forever

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I'd sooner have Stagecoach (and even some First operations) rather than Arriva
I can understand that, as Stagecoach and selected First operations are quite good for customer care. I was living out the idea of avoiding them for being the largest national operators.
 

cnjb8

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You could go from Manchester Airport to East Midlands Airport. Take a Citaro on the 199 to Buxton, Scania on the TransPeak to Derby, X38 Volvo or VDL to Burton, then a Midland Classic Optare to East Mids
Apologies if mentioned
 

Cesarcollie

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You could go from Manchester Airport to East Midlands Airport. Take a Citaro on the 199 to Buxton, Scania on the TransPeak to Derby, X38 Volvo or VDL to Burton, then a Midland Classic Optare to East Mids
Apologies if mentioned

Except Transpeak uses E200s as well as Scania......
 

MCR247

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You could go from Manchester Airport to East Midlands Airport. Take a Citaro on the 199 to Buxton, Scania on the TransPeak to Derby, X38 Volvo or VDL to Burton, then a Midland Classic Optare to East Mids
Apologies if
Except Transpeak uses E200s as well as Scania......
You could get a TM Travel 66 from Buxton to Chesterfield, then a Trent Barton Wright Volvo on the comet to Derby to avoid the Transpeak
 

Essan

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Assuming small rural services count, then, for a single journey without changes, route 805 Inverness to Durness is well over 100 miles

(service provided by Durness Buses uses Mercedes Benz mini-buses)
 

nw1

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I'm not really an expert on modern-day bus vehicles (I recognise a few 'types' but could not name them) but I guess this is the contemporary equivalent to asking in the 1980s "how far could you get without using a single National or VR" ;) (possible if you used independents certainly, plus some National operators seemed to have some other types of vehicle)
 
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