TheICTardis
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Dennis dart SPD ZF gearbox, specifically V210 ERG. It is bulky slow and has the most standby vibrations ever
Take a look
Take a look
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Most Hated Bus
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DanNCL
Established Member
Surprised it's still around, it was in pretty poor shape when Go North East had it and that was at least a few years ago now!
Jordan Adam
Established Member
That's just a standard Alisons unit. The ZF Ecomat doesn't fit on the Dart chassis.
Eyersey468
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- 14 Sep 2018
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My most hated buses I have driven are the Optare Excel which falls apart when you look at it, Plaxton Primo and the MCV EvoSeti. To be fair mechanically the EvoSeti's are fine but the build quality of the bodywork is terrible. I drove one when it was about a fortnight old and I thought it was going to fall apart.
Edit, I'd forgotten the ALX300/MAN 18.220, lousy steering locks on them and won't build air pressure without revving like mad, no good first thing in a morning with a cold engine.
Edit, I'd forgotten the ALX300/MAN 18.220, lousy steering locks on them and won't build air pressure without revving like mad, no good first thing in a morning with a cold engine.
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Teflon Lettuce
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That surprises me, I only ever drove 3 excels and I found them superb vehicles to drive... except for the World series gearbox which had a habit of sticking in a low gear and then going off like a startled fawn... looking at the other vehicles you mention are you sure you don't mean the Tempo? They certainly were renowned for rattling themselves to pieces
Robertj21a
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For an operator that's usually very critical of Optare products, it's amazing that Trent managed to hang on to a large fleet of Excels until quite recently.
Eyersey468
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No we've never owned any Tempos, they bought a load of Excels in the 90s because they were cheap, then found out why. The first ones were traded in after only about 4-5 years in part exchange against MANs. Were they Excel 2s that you drove? I understand the build quality on those was better but a lot of operators who bought the original ones were put off from the experience with them.
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bussnapperwm
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Crusader bodied B6LEs
Darklord8899
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- 6 Jul 2018
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I've never driven a bus....I don't drive anything!!
From a passengers point of view I didn't like the Scania Onmicity Deckers Lothian had (bought for the Original incarnation of the 35 to the Airport) they weren't comfortable, seating was very cramped and generally never felt like a good journey in one.
Also, having spoken to drivers and overheard comments at driver change overs, none had a good word to say about driving them either.
From a passengers point of view I didn't like the Scania Onmicity Deckers Lothian had (bought for the Original incarnation of the 35 to the Airport) they weren't comfortable, seating was very cramped and generally never felt like a good journey in one.
Also, having spoken to drivers and overheard comments at driver change overs, none had a good word to say about driving them either.
Teflon Lettuce
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and yet Scania/ Irizar coaches are out and out a driver's coach... go figure how a single company can have a fabulous product that gets everything right... and then go on to design a product that is an out and out cr*p heap even when new!
Buggleskelly
Member
For me, the buses I loathe/try to avoid as a passenger are the Dennis Trident ALX400 which are an extremely uncomfortable ride and they are definitely showing their age of 15 years now. ( I thought TfL was supposed to keep an eye on the age of their buses). Next comes the Optare Solo. Luckily First Essex has withdrawn those now as I thought they were a rather uncomfortable ride and hideous looking, not to mention getting old as well.
90sWereBetter
Member
Oi, those Tridents are bloody brilliant machines. East London will be a strange place when the last of them go next year (almost certainly the loss of the 104, 158, 262 and 473 will kill off the last stragglers).
Buggleskelly
Member
Oi, those Tridents are bloody brilliant machines. East London will be a strange place when the last of them go next year (almost certainly the loss of the 104, 158, 262 and 473 will kill off the last stragglers).
They are almost exclusively used on route 247 with the route branding, sometimes they are subbed for something a little more modern like a Enviro400 or a MMC. Their use on the 86 use slightly newer models and feel a bit more comfortable.
The Omnicity is a full Scania product.Irizar is just an independent body maker .It is also available on Daf chassis .Its not a full Scania product
Teflon Lettuce
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oh? so it's the bodymaker that sets the gear change pattern, the position of the controls, the ride quality of the suspension, the roadholding of the chassis is it?
Gingerbus1991
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Not exactly, its a kind of met in the middle type affair
Mikey C
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The EvoSeti is certainly popular in London at the moment, as a passenger they seem ok to me (nice than the horrible Gemini 3 anyway)
Bluebirdscot66
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- 19 Jun 2018
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Streetlites !! Where do I start , brakes ,on the Cummins engine the initial touch on retarder can be harsh ,a wee bit better with the merc/ Daimler ? engine but then with those the amount of faults that come on in dash warning lights drive me nuts . Rattling panels and cab windows and that emergency door handle . Then there's the issue with whether or not your gonna get a response from the accelerator when you trying to pull out at roundabouts . Panels that come loose in high wind. I can go on ....
Tackleberry
Member
Disagree there, I normally drive a Century 1 and it’s not that well thought out and very occasionally drive an i6, and once again definitely not a drivers coach...
Eyersey468
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Our passengers hate the seats in the ones we have
On some buses and coaches yes the bodymaker sets some of the settings .Let me give you examples.There is the National Express Caetano Levante Volvo B11R ,the Megabus Plaxton Elite I Volvo B11R and The Chalfont Volvo B11R Van Hools same chassis ,engine .The controls are all different and ride quality.They all handle differently .
90019
Established Member
Given that different bodies will be different weights and have different centres of gravity, its unlikely they'll handle or ride exactly the same.
It is up to the body maker where lots of the controls go, for example they can have buttons, switches, handbrake, and gear shifter wherever they see fit, along with the positioning of the driver's seat, the pedals and to an extent the steering column (within certain boundaries).
Gearbox setup will be more down to the operator, as certain setups work well in some places but will be hopeless in others (see: Lothian's ex London buses)
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
It depends with Tridents on the various drive trains etc - some are absolutely flying machines. My worst....
- Daf SB220LF with Plaxton Prestige bodywork
- Leyland Leopard with Willowbrook 003 body
- Dodge S56 (with any body though East Lancs was the worst styling)
- Iveco Turbo Daily
- Borismaster (more to do with the philandering tool behind it though the bus does little for me)
- Short e200 (8.8m) - remarkably choppy
- Merc Vario with ALX100 body
- Optare Vecta - just because it's well built and heavy doesn't mean it's good
If we're into types that are unlikely ever to reappear, those horrid short-wheelbase B6s that Cambus (and noone else) bought with Marshall bodywork. Apart from being far too small for their job, they had a very disconcerting fore-and-aft bounce. Cambus seemed to like to inflict pain on users of the town-station shuttle, with Transits, Sherpas and then CityPacers before them; while Millers of Foxton came up with a few examples of the bizarre Quest 80 (branded as "Noddy Bus") as the alternative. Still, at least no Dodge S56s.
When I'm on my bike or in the car I hate all the ancient old crates running around S Cheshire belching out black smoke, especially the even more ancient things running on "school services." I don't remember RTs emitting filth like it in my youth, but maybe we just weren't aware of it then.
When I'm waiting at a bus stop I'm just grateful that something turns up!
When I'm waiting at a bus stop I'm just grateful that something turns up!
Gingerbus1991
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- 30 Jul 2018
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- 992
Lothians ZF B9TL’s could have there software reconfigured, I’ve never rode on one, are they really that bad?
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