"Tram buses"

[SouthEastBuses]

It's nice to have ieTrams in London, really nice trambuses. The only sad thing will be the end of Citaro C2s, my favourite type of bus in London!

 

[Goldfish62]

It's nice to have ieTrams in London, really nice trambuses. The only sad thing will be the end of Citaro C2s, my favourite type of bus in London!

Remember that RATP still have the short ones on route 117.

 

[ctrh136]

Thanks.

The official allocation is 12m Citaro, but three were lost in a garage fire. In the aftermath, three Omnicities were retrieved from disposal, but became time expired. The 11.5m Streetlites were for the 227, but I believe a further three were bought to replace the lost Citaros. The other buses out today were 'rogue'.

WS100-103 etc are actually the buses that replaced the Omnicities which were covering for the Citaros destroyed in the fire. They have come off the 355 which has a few double decker workings as a result.

 

[Trnsprt4Sctlnd]

It’s a Glorified bus…isn’t it?

You can’t fix what isn't broken, a regular bus does the exact same job.

 

[Goldfish62]

It’s a Glorified bus…isn’t it?

It's a bus.

You can’t fix what isn't broken, a regular bus does the exact same job.

What's a regular bus?

 

[Bletchleyite]

What's a regular bus?

A bus that looks like a bus rather than a fake tram a bit like a Wright Streetcar? (Though this doesn't have the odd cab layout of those which prevents drivers doing anything to do with revenue).

The Mercedes Citaro is an example of a single decker bus that looks like a bus but also looks really good.

 

[GusB]

It is a regular bus! It's just styled differently from other buses. Why does it matter that it looks like a "fake tram", as long as it does the job that it's supposed to do? It's no different from the "ftr" concept that First tried, or the Belfast Glider. The very fact that it looks different might well arouse some curiosity and persuade some people to try it out. Some people may even discover that buses aren't so bad to travel on after all and change their habits as a result. Is it a bit of a gimmick? Probably, but sometimes gimmicks work.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Is it a bit of a gimmick? Probably, but sometimes gimmicks work.

Absolutely. The VanHool ExquiCity is an example of how it works and the Wright Streetcar is an example of how it doesn't.

 

[Jordan Adam]

The Mercedes Citaro is an example of a single decker bus that looks like a bus but also looks really good.

Internally at least, the Citaro is looking very dated compared to other products on the market imo.

 

[Goldfish62]

It is a regular bus! It's just styled differently from other buses. Why does it matter that it looks like a "fake tram", as long as it does the job that it's supposed to do? It's no different from the "ftr" concept that First tried, or the Belfast Glider. The very fact that it looks different might well arouse some curiosity and persuade some people to try it out. Some people may even discover that buses aren't so bad to travel on after all and change their habits as a result. Is it a bit of a gimmick? Probably, but sometimes gimmicks work.

Completely with you. This is exactly what it's all about.

And yes, it's very much a "regular" bus. There's nothing revolutionary about the technology, including the very standard electric driveline. Technologically the Volvo BZL and Wrightbus Electroliner are more advanced.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Completely with you. This is exactly what it's all about.

And yes, it's very much a "regular" bus. There's nothing revolutionary about the technology, including the very standard electric driveline. Technologically the Volvo BZL and Wrightbus Electroliner are more advanced.

I personally find the Best Impressions style approach of making a bus look like a good bus better than a bodykit, which will probably look really dated in fairly short order. To be fair I do like the interior of these, though.

This sort of thing is the trend with electric cars too, though.

 

[MotCO]

And yes, it's very much a "regular" bus. There's nothing revolutionary about the technology, including the very standard electric driveline. Technologically the Volvo BZL and Wrightbus Electroliner are more advanced.

That's a good point. The Irizar's I thnk came out in 2018, which in electrical bus development terms is eons ago. Hopefully it is only the body shell which is old, and the gubbins are up to date.

 

[Goldfish62]

That's a good point. The Irizar's I thnk came out in 2018, which in electrical bus development terms is eons ago. Hopefully it is only the body shell which is old, and the gubbins are up to date.

It's technically very competent, just not the most advanced technology. Still more advanced than the BYDs entering service everywhere, which really haven't moved on for years.

Unlike other models on the market the ie-Tram is available for opportunity charging only, rather than conventional nightly plug-in charging. A balancing charge is still required, but only three days or so, meaning that the number of depot chargers required is reduced by two thirds.