Schnellzug
Established Member
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for Stagecoach, (the step entrance Darts with Stagecoach Devon, for instance, were still in decent shape when they were withdrawn), but until first Bus addresses the question of maintenance group-wide, perhaps the heavier duty policy is a better way to ensure that they're at least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.