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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2017 22:35:33 GMT
Ive noticed that new build vehicles used by TfL operators don't carry an alphabetical code to denote the bus type, e.g DM, DML, VWH... The MMCs on the W11 carry just 12xx series numbers and no code, plus the new 257 E400s are either just 10xxx or 12xxx. Even in LVF there is no corresponding code for new build buses when doing a route or vehicle search. Is the 2-or-3 digit code a necessity or just a dieing trend?  --- Chris Date | CMPDTwitter: twitter.com/cmpd_date |
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Post by snoggle on Oct 16, 2017 22:37:42 GMT
Ive noticed that new build vehicles used by TfL opetators don't carry an alphabetical code to denote the bus type, e.g DM, DML, VWH... The MMCs on the W11 carry just 12xx series numbers and no code, plus the new 257 E400s are either just 10xxx or 12xxx. Even in LVF there is no corresponding code for new build buses. Is the 2-or-3 digit code a necessity or just a dieing trend? Each operator does their own thing in line with their own needs. There is no mandatory vehicle coding policy imposed by TfL. Those companies which use codes have most likely been former LBSL subsidiaries or else been part of a group that used codes for their purposes (e.g. First Group some of whose vehicles and garages are now with Tower Transit). |
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Post by twobellstogo on Oct 16, 2017 23:00:46 GMT
Ive noticed that new build vehicles used by TfL operators don't carry an alphabetical code to denote the bus type, e.g DM, DML, VWH... The MMCs on the W11 carry just 12xx series numbers and no code, plus the new 257 E400s are either just 10xxx or 12xxx. Even in LVF there is no corresponding code for new build buses when doing a route or vehicle search. Is the 2-or-3 digit code a necessity or just a dieing trend? Chris Date | CMPDTwitter: twitter.com/cmpd_dateTo add : the nearest to 'traditional' London Transport style fleet numbering is practiced by Arriva and Go-Ahead. RATP and Tower Transit have letter codes but five digit numbers to go with them. Metroline also use letter codes, but their fleet numbers are ever increasing and new vehicles are currently carrying 2xxx numbers. |
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Post by ServerKing on Oct 17, 2017 5:27:43 GMT
I prefer Arriva London's coding system to what Arriva use elsewhere in the UK, which I can never get my head round  I have always wondered why Arriva don't have a national coding system like Stagecoach? I think outside London the fleet number changes from region to region but you could easily have two 1234's in two different areas ie Midlands or Northwest |
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Post by Hassaan on Oct 19, 2017 22:01:46 GMT
Ive noticed that new build vehicles used by TfL operators don't carry an alphabetical code to denote the bus type, e.g DM, DML, VWH... The MMCs on the W11 carry just 12xx series numbers and no code, plus the new 257 E400s are either just 10xxx or 12xxx. Even in LVF there is no corresponding code for new build buses when doing a route or vehicle search. Is the 2-or-3 digit code a necessity or just a dieing trend? Chris Date | CMPDTwitter: twitter.com/cmpd_dateTo add : the nearest to 'traditional' London Transport style fleet numbering is practiced by Arriva and Go-Ahead. RATP and Tower Transit have letter codes but five digit numbers to go with them. Metroline also use letter codes, but their fleet numbers are ever increasing and new vehicles are currently carrying 2xxx numbers. With Metroline, once the ex-Armchair DPs have gone, you can get away with just using the numbers and no vehicle would be duplicated   |
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Post by redexpress on Oct 20, 2017 3:40:35 GMT
To add : the nearest to 'traditional' London Transport style fleet numbering is practiced by Arriva and Go-Ahead. RATP and Tower Transit have letter codes but five digit numbers to go with them. Metroline also use letter codes, but their fleet numbers are ever increasing and new vehicles are currently carrying 2xxx numbers. With Metroline, once the ex-Armchair DPs have gone, you can get away with just using the numbers and no vehicle would be duplicated Excluding the LTs and ST of course! Surprised they never renumbered those ex-Armchair DPs, since those have been the only (non-NBFL) duplicated buses for quite a while now. |
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Post by Green Kitten on Oct 20, 2017 5:28:33 GMT
Ive noticed that new build vehicles used by TfL operators don't carry an alphabetical code to denote the bus type, e.g DM, DML, VWH... The MMCs on the W11 carry just 12xx series numbers and no code, plus the new 257 E400s are either just 10xxx or 12xxx. Even in LVF there is no corresponding code for new build buses when doing a route or vehicle search. Is the 2-or-3 digit code a necessity or just a dieing trend? Chris Date | CMPDTwitter: twitter.com/cmpd_dateYou can type in ‘list new’ on LVF to see all the buses that have very recently entered service. Every operator has its different ways of assigning fleet numbers. Stagecoach’s double deck fleet is quite easy once you know the numbers: 10xxx and 19xxx for E400s, 12xxx for E400Hs, 13xxx for B5LHs, 15xxx for Scanias. The single decks are a bit more confusing, all the E200s start with a 36xxx but you can’t tell which length from the fleetcode. I think it's 23xxx for Citaros, 25xxx for Versas and 34xxx for Pointer Darts. Abellio’s DDs are alright - 90xx for Volvos, 94xx and 95xx for E400s, 24xx, 25xx and 26xx for E400Hs (MMCs start at 2487 or so). As for the single deckers, they had a logical system until they ruined it (if it started with an 80, 81 or 82 it was a 9m bus, 83 was a 9.3/9.6m bus, 84 or 85 was a 10.2m bus, 87 or 88 was a 10.8 bus). Then they decided to order millions of 10.8m E200 MMCs and they ran out of numbers in the correct range! When the new R68 buses came in I thought Abellio had ordered 9m buses for the route at first  CT Plus’ new numbering system was recent when the new bus for W5 came in. It’s a bit annoying, you can’t tell which length it is from the numbers. Metrobus I’m still trying to figure out - if it’s a low number it’s probably a small 9m Dart or E200 bus, if it begins with a 5 it’s a small Scania bus, if it begins with a 7 it’s a 10.8m bus, if it begins with an 8 or 9 it’s a DD Scania. Happy to be corrected. RATP and Tower Transit have 5 digit codes + the letters - I think the 5 digits have something to do with asset management or something to do with Excel spreadsheets which make things easier in that respect. TT obviously inherited this from First days and saw it simpler to continue the style of fleetcodes for the new TT-purebred buses; most of the management was ex-First after all. (Established operator Metroline's part of the First deal had all the ex-First stock renumbered to Metroline's style which worked for them.) These fleetnumbers can be a bit cumbersome to most but a couple of years working for TT makes you quite used to it. Mind you in fleet planning meetings, nobody, for example, said 'MV38209', that was uncool. You just said 'MV209' or 'B5 209'. I do agree that Arriva London have the best numbering system - the type, the length for single decks and the number. |
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Post by redexpress on Oct 20, 2017 13:27:13 GMT
Metrobus I’m still trying to figure out - if it’s a low number it’s probably a small 9m Dart or E200 bus, if it begins with a 5 it’s a small Scania bus, if it begins with a 7 it’s a 10.8m bus, if it begins with an 8 or 9 it’s a DD Scania. Happy to be corrected. I do agree that Arriva London have the best numbering system - the type, the length for single decks and the number. Metrobus' numbering was a bit of a mess at times - it made sense at first, but then they expanded too much for a 3-digit system. I think it's roughly as follows: 100s are short Darts or E200s (except 101-2 which were little Solos). 200s and 300s are Darts of various lengths - could be anything from 8.9m to 10.8m, and there's no way of telling the length from the number. At this stage I think they were just numbering buses wherever they could find a gap in the series. 400s was the original series for low-floor DDs, starting with Tridents and continuing with Scanias. 500s were at first used for 10.7m Excels, but 513 onwards are 12m SDs (mostly Scania). 600s are shorter Scania SDs (around 10.7m). 700s, as you say, are 10.8m SDs (including MANs and E200s). This series was also previously used for step-entrance Darts. 800s were mostly Olympians, but later 870-899 were used for Scania DDs as the 400s and 900s were full. 900s are Scania DDs, following on from the 400s once that series was used up. Arriva don't always distinguish between different lengths of SDs - Pointer Darts are all coded PDL irrespective of length (DDL and DPP codes were also used for some early batches). Cadets and E200s do have different codes for different lengths. Personally I quite like Metroline's approach - the numerical part of the fleetnumber is unique (with the exception of a handful of ex-Armchair Darts as mentioned above), so you can refer to an individual bus just by the numerical part, but you also have a class code so you know what sort of bus you're talking about. TT and RATP have a similar approach but they use 5 digits for the numerical part, which makes the fleetnumber too long for my liking. |
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Post by Hassaan on Oct 20, 2017 13:29:11 GMT
With Metroline, once the ex-Armchair DPs have gone, you can get away with just using the numbers and no vehicle would be duplicated Excluding the LTs and ST of course! Surprised they never renumbered those ex-Armchair DPs, since those have been the only (non-NBFL) duplicated buses for quite a while now. Fail, completely forgot about those  . Arriva also didn't separate the DLAs and VLAs by length. |
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I have always wondered why Arriva don't have a national coding system like Stagecoach? I think outside London the fleet number changes from region to region but you could easily have two 1234's in two different areas ie Midlands or Northwest 
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