Don't know whether any refurbishment has ever been done. If it hasn't I can't see it happening in these lean times for what's going to be another 4-5 years life at the most.
There are 58 and 09 reg ones at Oldham. They've got 4 ex York ones as well. Some of them sound tired these days and all are Euro 6 spec.
The old ones are the open toppers. Of the closed tops, there's two that are short wheelbase that are needed for a tight turn at Malpas (?) and they're 20 years old. The others are marginally newer - the oldest of those were new in Nov 2004 whilst some are 2007 vintage.Don't know whether any refurbishment has ever been done. If it hasn't I can't see it happening in these lean times for what's going to be another 4-5 years life at the most.
Some of the B7TLs in Cornwall are now 20 years old and a couple 21 years old. As a driver remarked on Facebook they've had it and most smell like mushroom farms internally.
Even in NBC days, to get rid of crew operated FLFs, they got some very pre-enjoyed Atlanteans.They’ll probably be the 58 plates as there are 30 of them and around a dozen or so 09 plates plus the ex-York ones you mentioned.
In total there are 22 09-plate ones.
Could be a mix especially as some other OpCos may well be in the market e.g. Essex
Indeed, although there may be more currently in the fleet than would normally required for PVR + spares to cover for an increasingly unreliable fleet of B7s.
Also there may be B9's displaced by new Electroliners at Leeds and Norwich
Ideally if any B7TLs have been retrimmed, couldn’t they swap the seats with those worn out ones in the B9TLs? The seats are identical are they not?
First Eastern Counties have their own B7TLs to get shot of including some very mature examples!
The person who first posted it on Facebook will be in the know, and can be taken as factual.
They’ve surrendered approx 10 school services from February half term, reducing requirement
Given that Mk2 production started mid 2004 only a couple are older than that.
Only 2 are mk1 the rest mk2
More than I thought, thanks for that!
The other rumour is that given that the Southsea Coaster B9TL has just turned up at Camborne that'll be the new allocated vehicle.
So I wonder if that means First have given up the Southsea Coaster then? Shame if so.
It was financially supported by the council. Clearly not at all commercially viable.
The adventures by bus website says both will return in spring 2024. To be honest I am not sure when that page was put up however things do change and I guess we will have to wait and see what happens to the network for this year.
The Adventures by Bus website is notoriously inaccurate and out of date most of the time.
A week in the bus world is as long as one in politics....
I wonder if we will still see the enthusiasm from within the company towards the Adventures By Bus branding and projects. All of the management behind ABB have left the business, and the current incumbents don’t seem to have the passion of the predecessors and it looks like an accountants business right now. Everything is about the pound. Marc m-Huws had passion and enthusiasm for the industry as well as experience, and performed the marketing side very well. That element seems to have been lost now.
Well indeed. Marc Huw's replacement has no prior public transport experience and all we've seen from him to date is cuts. Whether it's because he thinks that's the way to go or he's being told from above to cut I don't know. Certainly as far as Cornwall is concerned it feels like we're back in the Lockhead era.
I think you've answered your own question.
