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Most inappropriate bus

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Blindtraveler

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following on fromMark_re's thread of train services opperated by inappropriate stock types a cupple of months back, I thought I'd start a similar one to get oppinions on bus routes opperated by inappropriate vehicles iether due to the route, passenger numbers or even the kinds of people using it.



 
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Robinson

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Down here in Southampton, last year I lived in Wessex Lane halls. I always remember the Bluestar 14 buses that were going past there (6 per day each way) were nearly always run using double-deckers, despite there only ever being about half a dozen passengers on at the one time.

Not sure if that route even runs any more...
 

Schnellzug

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I could suggest anything at all operated by Devon General during the Blundered era.

Although to be fair, they may have used 23 seat MB 709s on the Exeter-Plymouth X38, but they could shift.
 

starrymarkb

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Most of the Devon General 709s were to Coach Spec with High Backed coach seats and were fully carpeted. So although they were small they wern't too bad for comfort.
 

umontu

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The 61 from Preston to Blackpool. Mostly operated by high floor busses. Despite the route being mostly used by 60+ bus pass holders with walking sticks.
 

pemma

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The 61 from Preston to Blackpool. Mostly operated by high floor busses. Despite the route being mostly used by 60+ bus pass holders with walking sticks.

Conversely there's a number of low floor ordinary buses on the Blackpool-Preston-Manchester service, which is more appropriate for the Stagecoach Express vehicles given the length of the journey.
 

causton

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Sullivan Buses' 330 route - which is basically drivers working inbetween school runs, so even though there aren't that many passengers on it they have full double deckers - when an Optare Solo would suffice! :P

Also, quite a few London bus routes in zone 1 that are single decker operated and go along the route of a tube line closed for engineering works. No, just no!

Could be worse I guess - but it's all relative ;)
 

Schnellzug

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Most of the Devon General 709s were to Coach Spec with High Backed coach seats and were fully carpeted. So although they were small they wern't too bad for comfort.

Tht's true, although the fact that Stagecoach use doubledeckers now mostly on those routes (on usually the same frequencies) says something for Stagecoach, perhaps. ;
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
.

Conversely there's a number of low floor ordinary buses on the Blackpool-Preston-Manchester service, which is more appropriate for the Stagecoach Express vehicles given the length of the journey.

Agreed; high floor (or at least step entrance, and i really don't think one step really makes high floor) buses are often more suitable for longer routes than a low floor single decker with windows too high to see out of.
 

cainebj

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The 61 from Preston to Blackpool. Mostly operated by high floor busses. Despite the route being mostly used by 60+ bus pass holders with walking sticks.

7 Alexander Dennis Tridents just been transferred to Preston to operate 59 and 61.
My vote goes to First using Wright Solar bodied Scania L94UB's, with low back seating, on the long distance Carlisle - Edinburgh X95 service, taking approx. 3 and half hours each direction.
 

Blindtraveler

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7 Alexander
Dennis Tridents just been transferred to Preston to operate 59 and 61.
My vote goes to First using Wright Solar bodied Scania L94UB's, with low back seating, on the long distance Carlisle - Edinburgh X95 service, taking approx. 3 and half hours each direction.



and its surprising how many use the run end to end too! I suspect that, cumfort issues aside its due to it being cheeper and between 15 and 30 mins faster than nat X coach options which all run via Glasgow. Scottish entitlement cards are valid too.

Worth noting too is recently they are using the newer rite volvos on the run, fitted with DP seating and that on quite a few Saturdays the lunchtime departure from Edinburgh is worked by a volvo Olie! Anyone other than me bashed this run end to end? Its fun! :)
 
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BestWestern

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I could suggest anything at all operated by Devon General during the Blundered era.

Although to be fair, they may have used 23 seat MB 709s on the Exeter-Plymouth X38, but they could shift.

Ah, the 709's; they're bloody good motors when you get a decent one, so long as you don't mind the vibrating sensation in your legs for half hour or so after you've handed it over :D
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The 61 from Preston to Blackpool. Mostly operated by high floor buses. Despite the route being mostly used by 60+ bus pass holders with walking sticks.

Probably been doing that on purpose to keep the 'twirlies off :D ;)

My personal favourite would have to be the ex-London Darts that First's Hilsea outift liked to use on the packed-solid college specials up the steep Portsdown Hill in Portsmouth, 15mph all the way up!
 
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bb21

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Most of the Devon General 709s were to Coach Spec with High Backed coach seats and were fully carpeted. So although they were small they wern't too bad for comfort.

Blimey that is some contrast to the artic coaches Stagecoach put on in the early days. :shock:
 

Pumbaa

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The 95 in Fife (St Andrews - Leven via Crail) has an Optare Solo on 3 or 4 jobs, the rest are double deckers. Can't cope at all - underpowered, under capacity. Not enough seats for all the pass-holders to sit down, let alone the more mobile of us.

And it takes a long time too, 30 mins to Anstruther, standing all the way. Not pleasant.
 

Ivo

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A few I know of...

The X14 from Bristol to Newport often uses older Volvo B10L, which have very poor seating quality. Compare this to the coaches SC put on the route on their runs! How are they possibly the same route?

Also around Bristol is the 112 (I think) between Highbridge and Weston. It uses deckers, which is all very well, but on a route that has some awkward country sections! (I think it may have been rerouted recently, which would have hopefully solved this.)

As for capacity, I'd like to vote the 179 from Bath to Midsomer Norton. Firstly, it has the dubious honour of being more frequent on Sundays than every other day, for no good reason at all (except I suppose giving Farmborough a better service, but it's not as though it doesn't have a Sunday service). But otherwise, it is perfectly normal for First to put anything on the route that is somewhere between a Solo and a decker!

And then, as much as I don't like to admit it, there is the matter of sending artics up here. If two of them attempt to pass on a certain corner halfway up the Uni drive, one of them has to reverse! It's bad enough in normal buses, but on an artic you sometimes feel that you might slide of the ledge down the slope on to the field below...

Back to capacity, one more I'd like to promote is the 318 from Keynsham to Cribbs Causeway. Courtesy of an awkward interworking arrangement, it regularly makes the journey from Keynsham to Kingswood, which is so poorly utilised it is subsidised, with a decker. It really is a waste; in fact, the entire 318/319/337 operation only needs even a single-deck Volvo around the peaks, and then only for UWE...

Last one now; I'd like to have a dig at one back home, specifically the 7. Arriva destroyed the route, sending it tumbling from Tridents to Darts in just five years. they don't seem to realise that, even now, it tends to run with standing space only for much of the route; instead, they just want a quick buck on a cheap vehicle...
 

Blindtraveler

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The 95 in Fife (St Andrews - Leven via Crail) has an Optare Solo on 3 or 4 jobs, the rest are double deckers. Can't cope at all - underpowered, under capacity. Not enough seats for all the pass-holders to sit down, let alone the more mobile of us.

And it takes a long time too, 30 mins to Anstruther, standing all the way. Not pleasant.



been there and done this one mate and although I'm guilty as charged of beeing a pass-holder its just the eyes that dont work so can and do regularly stand allowing older or frailer persons to have a cumfortable journey, accept, hang on, you mention Solos and there shortcoming7? Well glad somebody did - what were opta thinking of with these? Gutless, rattly and the only ones worth having at all are the cumins engined exaamples which can at least shift. Same with some of the new SRs but in general if I turn up to travel and find a solo on the route then I groan outwardly!

Only acception to this this being the McEwans Edinburgh - Dumfries runs which in general uses a specacular collection of aging junk on the only direct service between the Southwest Scotlands maint town and Scotlands capital. A solo on this is luxury!
 

tbtc

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The 95 in Fife (St Andrews - Leven via Crail) has an Optare Solo on 3 or 4 jobs, the rest are double deckers. Can't cope at all - underpowered, under capacity. Not enough seats for all the pass-holders to sit down, let alone the more mobile of us.

And it takes a long time too, 30 mins to Anstruther, standing all the way. Not pleasant.

To be fair to Stagecoach there's the X60 running St Andrews - Anstruther - Leven (and on to Edinburgh) and the X24 running St Andrews - Leven (and on to Glasgow), both of which are significantly faster for longer distance trips.

The Solo is the only option for shorter journeys (and the Crail section), I appreciate, but I've been on some very empty 95s too in my time.

The problem that the 95 has, like a number of routes, is that its tied to some school duties (Waid, in Anstruther), so you end up with double deckers on routes all day for the sake of a couple of busy school trips.
 

Blindtraveler

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wish the 49 route in Edinburgh had DD's carrying round fresh air. its a long run from0Asda the jewl to Rosewell in Midlothian via Portobello, Leith, City Centre,0royal infirmary, Dalkeith, Sherifal park and ride etc and although it may wel carry lots of air at the Midlothian end its very wel loaded too and through town and onto ASDA AND A DECKER WOULD BE WELCOME.
 

Yew

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When there where rr busses on the robin hood line, we had a service ran by megabus coaches, old double deckers, and even a driver training bus.
 

Schnellzug

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Quite a few companies have driver trainers that are still fully seated and PSV licenced; Stagecoach Devon do, or did that quite recently, with some of their interurburban coaches.
 

robertclark125

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The other thing with the 95 is that in summer, there are many people who appreciate that top deck view of the eask Neuk (pronounced nook) of Fife.

Staying with Stagecoach, I've sometimes seen a Scania Omnilink Tri axle doing a Dunfermline city working.
 

Mojo

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I always wondered why the 73 in Bristol used to operate with single deckers given it was probably the busiest route (and often standing) in a city where barely anyone travels by bus and you can pretty much guarantee two seats to yourself most of the day. Fortunately now whenever I see it it has double deckers.
 

BestWestern

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Quite a few companies have driver trainers that are still fully seated and PSV licenced; Stagecoach Devon do, or did that quite recently, with some of their interurburban coaches.

First have one or two like that down in Hampshire, they're useful on weekend rail replacement jobbies and then earn their keep training during the week. First have fitted hinged panels which swing up and cover the L-plates on theirs.
 

Ivo

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I always wondered why the 73 in Bristol used to operate with single deckers given it was probably the busiest route (and often standing) in a city where barely anyone travels by bus and you can pretty much guarantee two seats to yourself most of the day. Fortunately now whenever I see it it has double deckers.

Is the 73 really that busy though? I've never been even close to standing on it when using a single-deck vehicle. I would be more worried about the 70 being single-deck than the 73. And I would suggest that the 1, 54 and 75 are all busier than both of these.

I do agree though, the provision in Bristol is probably moe than necessary, which is a pity given the city's otherwise limited local transport infrastructure. Something needs to be done to improve this, but the BRT idea is not it.
 

anthony263

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First Cymru using short length darts on service X1 Bridgend - Swansea and volvo single deckers on service X2 Porthcawl - Cardiff both of which should be operated by double deckers during the daytime. I have seen people left behind during the summer months on the X2 route.
 

nctx

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Its got to be Trent Bartons Transpeak Optare Excels on a run from Nottingham to Mancester via Matlock etc etc

And some nutters go the whole way on it must be back breaking !:lol:

Premieres Red 8 is interworked with the Notts bus 2 service , so I see alot of ex Brighton Tridents running into Sherwood business park with one passenger.

They get the last laugh though as its funded by Notts County Council and the European Union !
 

Schnellzug

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oh, Excels aren't bad, and I suppose the Trent ones would be reasonably high spec. They now use doubeldeckers, but First H&D have been known in the past to use B6BLE/Wright Crusaders on the Weymouth-Axminster 31; in that case it's not so much the length (> 2 hrs end to end), but that fact that it's notable for the numbers of significant hills it includes, and those who know B6s might know that hills are not something that they are most fond of.
 

Mojo

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Is the 73 really that busy though? I've never been even close to standing on it when using a single-deck vehicle.
Yes, it was pretty much always full and standing most of the day when it was single decker. Given that pretty much never happens except in exceptional circumstances on other First routes (and maybe the 8/9), and given the 73 is now a showcase route with a raft of improvements in the Northern Fringe then double deck vehicles were definitely needed.
 
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