'Bus Bandits' to be banned from Birmingham City Centre

[Schnellzug]

This is a good question. It shouldn't be, but it does seem to be a fact that certain branches of First Bus don't maintain buses any more than the bare minimum to get them through the MOT, so is it better to order well specified vehicles in the first place, whose build quality and inherent reliability should ensure that even if they are poorly maintained, they should at least hold together and keep running? Or order less expensive ones that may have lower purchase costs and lower fuel consumption, but after seven or eight years would be, under maintenance regimes of certain parts of First Bus, frankly knackered? Lower cost and lighter weight would probably work for Stagecoach, (the step entrance Darts with Stagecoach Devon, for instance, were still in decent shape when they were withdrawn), but until first Bus addresses the question of maintenance group-wide, perhaps the heavier duty policy is a better way to ensure that they're at least acceptable to the User.

 

[BestWestern]

That is a good question! I would think it a very bizarre policy to have, but then it just might be the case! It does make you wonder when you see some of the patchwork paint jobs that certain First depots like to do, whereby they'll paint the bottom half of the bus, or just the front or back... very odd, really takes 'cost cutting' to the extreme! Paintwork in particular seems to be an area that lets down quite a few of their vehicles, some of them look horrendous. An off-white livery doesn't help, neither does the apparent policy of not repairing minor damage.

Perhaps a contributory factor is the First policy of generally retaining vehicles until the end of their working lives. It's very rare for First to sell anything for further use. Stagecoach on the other hand will tend to withdraw still serviceable vehicles and sell them on, which obviously requires them to be maintained to a certain degree. It does make me chuckle when you see the occasional ex-First motor coming up for sale on ebay via a dealer or whoever, and the description assuredly informs potential buyers that the bus has been maintained to a high standard by a national bus operator....hmm

 

[Schnellzug]

Perhaps a contributory factor is the First policy of generally retaining vehicles until the end of their working lives. It's very rare for First to sell anything for further use. Stagecoach on the other hand will tend to withdraw still serviceable vehicles and sell them on, which obviously requires them to be maintained to a certain degree. It does make me chuckle when you see the occasional ex-First motor coming up for sale on ebay via a dealer or whoever, and the description assuredly informs potential buyers that the bus has been maintained to a high standard by a national bus operator....hmm

and ironically, round here First have a couple of ex Stagecoach Olympians ...

 

[tbtc]

and ironically, round here First have a couple of ex Stagecoach Olympians ...

They also have a couple of ex-Go-Ahead double deckers round here (on loan from Volvo due to repairs to Geminis)

 

[dvboy]

As for clean buses with no smells, that is impossible!

Many operators seem to manage particularly well in this regard.

I wouldn't say National Express West Midlands was one of them!

I've never used their services so can't comment on reliability, but Wessex Connect have some very tatty looking motors in their fleet.

I regularly see Wessex Connect branded buses being used by Central Connect in Birmingham.

 

[Ivo]

I regularly see Wessex Connect branded buses being used by Central Connect in Birmingham.

Believe me, the opposite is true here. They just don't bother changing the branding and never have in most cases.

 

[BestWestern]

They also have a couple of ex-Go-Ahead double deckers round here (on loan from Volvo due to repairs to Geminis)

Bristol? Or are they doing that elsewhere also? The bus which lost it's roof in Brizzle recently was a loan vehicle I believe, lucky it was only a tatty old ALX400 and not the swanky Gemini it was standing in for!

 

[Schnellzug]

I think they're kind of moving them around as required, they had one of those here (it may have been the same one as in Bristol, thinking about it) over the Summer as well.

 

[tbtc]

Bristol? Or are they doing that elsewhere also? The bus which lost it's roof in Brizzle recently was a loan vehicle I believe, lucky it was only a tatty old ALX400 and not the swanky Gemini it was standing in for!

Sheffield (and Rotherham) - its one of the same batch of V-LGC ALX400s that lost its roof in Bristol (again, replacing a Gemini that needed attention)

 

[Statto]

I took a second look at this... a bus? http://www.flickr.com/photos/eybusman/5745459445/in/photostream/lightbox/

First do that with there buses in Wirral quite regally, when the blinds don't work.

I do wonder what will happen if an operator wants to run a service that's part of the QBP, but doesn't want anything to do with QBP, the operator could appeal & say it's a restraint of trade?

 

[Badger]

As for clean buses with no smells, that is impossible!

Leicester's UHL Hospital Hopper - best bus I've ever been on and I catch them whenever I can, they're so nice, and clean, and friendly. They don't have the bulletproofglass surround on the driver's seat, they have a nice interior, and all around it's a friendly place to be. I am SURE the condition of the bus and how it is maintained affects how passengers themselves treat it.

 

[bb21]

Leicester's UHL Hospital Hopper - best bus I've ever been on and I catch them whenever I can, they're so nice, and clean, and friendly. They don't have the bulletproofglass surround on the driver's seat, they have a nice interior, and all around it's a friendly place to be. I am SURE the condition of the bus and how it is maintained affects how passengers themselves treat it.

Do you mean the Centrebus ones or the First ones previously?

 

[Ivo]

As a little thought, what would happen if a similar scheme was introduced to the Wilmslow Road corridor in Manchester? The service there, though incredibly frequent, is chaotic at the best of times, and many buses would fail to meet the conditions of Birmingham's proposed SQP...