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Post by VWH1414 on Jan 11, 2020 22:54:26 GMT
Ah I prefer 100% red myself, not a fan of non-London buses. Personally find it incredibly dull and it fades very easily making vehicles look worse. Whilst I prefer the TfL network for it's ease of access and the frequency of the network, I'd suggest using non London buses before knocking them because there are elements of non London buses that are not only interesting but could be quite useful for London as well. I have to agree - I loved when Metroline had the blue stripe, as it kept the red identity but also added the element of the companies own identity to it - suited the EW VPLs and TEs very well too. I also loved the old Arriva Cowhorns livery and the First London livery. As for non London buses my experience of them has been very good overall - having used Stagecoach South Easts and Go Ahead Southern Vectis networks - both of which were very smart and a pleasant experience. I especially like the Southern Vectis livery - the only downfall for non London buses for me is that there is no second door - though tbh its minor as buses outside of London don't necessarily have the massive crowds London does.
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Post by VWH1414 on Jan 11, 2020 22:59:21 GMT
Even so, did not like any of the operators skirting etc especially Metroline and GALs, in my view Metrolines skirting made the buses look tacky and the GAL one made the buses look older than they were and tacky, If I was to like any of them, I agree it'd probably be First. Totally agree on the Metroline and GAL ones, especially if the bus has gone a long while without a refurb they looked horrendous, the 60-reg unrefurbished WVLs on the 432 are looking terrible now inside and out. The EW VPLs stayed fresh for most of their lives and didn't look too bad. (For example VPL213 - NOT my photo)*. * In its last few months with Metroline too, would've not had a refurb in about 6-7 years at this point too.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2020 22:59:54 GMT
Surprised these bus got refurbished late into the contract for the W19. Would have thought just a decent paint would have been sufficient.
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Post by VWH1414 on Jan 11, 2020 23:03:32 GMT
Wow! They look incredible, glad to hear that CT+ are going to be refurbishing those 11-reg considering the condition they are in. At I’m glad someone’s actually gone to the effort of a proper refurbishment (like Abellio did when they inherited buses with a different interior) rather than a slapdash refurb just slapping on their maquette with a different interior making the bus look ridiculous and tacky (ahem Arriva and Metroline) Don't forget though HCT only has to do 3 vehicles (1337-1339) whereas Arriva and Metroline (And Go Ahead, Tower Transit and RATP for that matter - who are also culprits of this) had more to do - especially Metroline, TT and GAL who inherited a lot of ex First stock. Tbh I don't think the Metroline or GAL seats look bad in a First interior though - At first I didn't like it but I got used to it.
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Post by rj131 on Jan 11, 2020 23:10:40 GMT
Surprised these bus got refurbished late into the contract for the W19. Would have thought just a decent paint would have been sufficient. I thought that too, it only has another year and a half ish to go which will certainly seem like a waste, although I’d say the seats definitely needed doing as well. It’ll be worth while if they get a 2-year extension though giving them a very considerable time on the route. I don’t know if they fully purchased those E200s or not but if they did and they do leave the W19 late next year, it could give them a higher resale value having been spruced up a bit and being restored to a good condition. But I’m not sure on that bit though.
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Post by rj131 on Jan 11, 2020 23:13:53 GMT
At I’m glad someone’s actually gone to the effort of a proper refurbishment (like Abellio did when they inherited buses with a different interior) rather than a slapdash refurb just slapping on their maquette with a different interior making the bus look ridiculous and tacky (ahem Arriva and Metroline) Don't forget though HCT only has to do 3 vehicles (1337-1339) whereas Arriva and Metroline (And Go Ahead, Tower Transit and RATP for that matter - who are also culprits of this) had more to do - especially Metroline, TT and GAL who inherited a lot of ex First stock. Tbh I don't think the Metroline or GAL seats look bad in a First interior though - At first I didn't like it but I got used to it. The GAL ones look good, that would have been because they recoloured their maquette to fit in with the original interior which was a really smart move if you ask me, it actually fits well and makes it look like it was meant to be there. The Metroline ones look ‘meh’ I’d say. It’s not a design masterpiece but it certainly looks a lot better than the Arriva/Stagecoach mix in the 166 E200s (and soon to be 34/141 G3s) which just look like puke lol (although in fairness I envisaged it to be much worse than it actually turned out)
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Post by wirewiper on Jan 12, 2020 9:18:00 GMT
Surprised these bus got refurbished late into the contract for the W19. Would have thought just a decent paint would have been sufficient. I thought that too, it only has another year and a half ish to go which will certainly seem like a waste, although I’d say the seats definitely needed doing as well. It’ll be worth while if they get a 2-year extension though giving them a very considerable time on the route. I don’t know if they fully purchased those E200s or not but if they did and they do leave the W19 late next year, it could give them a higher resale value having been spruced up a bit and being restored to a good condition. But I’m not sure on that bit though. Also possible redeployment with a HCT Group operation outside London.
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Post by Green Kitten on Jan 12, 2020 10:09:55 GMT
I don’t mind the 100% all red but it’s an apt metaphor for what London buses are these days... BORING!
Liked Metroline, Arriva and Stagecoach’s liveries. First’s was vile though, bright red and bright yellow do not go. Whoever was in charge of design at First obviously wasn’t gay.
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Post by wirewiper on Jan 12, 2020 11:15:20 GMT
>>> I hate non London buses and have done for a very long time <<<
I'm not letting that little gem slip by without a comment.
Whilst there are large areas of the UK where buses are in the doldrums, there are also dynamic operations that are exciting and different and a contrast to the staid, boring and decidedly past-its-best operating scene in London.
You say you dislike single doors. In the London context with people both boarding and alighting at almost every stop double doors make sense; but in most towns and rural areas, people are predominantly boarding on journeys into town and alighting on journeys away from town. In that context a second door is largely unnecessary, and it is easier for the driver to supervise the safety of passengers boarding and alighting with a single entrance/exit.
Before you write off everything outside London, take yourself to Cambridge and have a ride on one of those stupendous three-axle ADL Enviro400XLBs on the Cambridgeshire Busway. Go to Grays or Crawley and see EnsignBus and MetroBus making a stunning success of running routes after Arriva threw in the towel. Or buy a day return to Reading with a Reading PlusBus and let them show you how buses should be done.
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HCT Group
Jan 12, 2020 12:35:38 GMT
via mobile
Post by SILENCED on Jan 12, 2020 12:35:38 GMT
>>> I hate non London buses and have done for a very long time <<< I'm not letting that little gem slip by without a comment. Whilst there are large areas of the UK where buses are in the doldrums, there are also dynamic operations that are exciting and different and a contrast to the staid, boring and decidedly past-its-best operating scene in London. You say you dislike single doors. In the London context with people both boarding and alighting at almost every stop double doors make sense; but in most towns and rural areas, people are predominantly boarding on journeys into town and alighting on journeys away from town. In that context a second door is largely unnecessary, and it is easier for the driver to supervise the safety of passengers boarding and alighting with a single entrance/exit. Before you write off everything outside London, take yourself to Cambridge and have a ride on one of those stupendous three-axle ADL Enviro400XLBs on the Cambridgeshire Busway. Go to Grays or Crawley and see EnsignBus and MetroBus making a stunning success of running routes after Arriva threw in the towel. Or buy a day return to Reading with a Reading PlusBus and let them show you how buses should be done. Probably Reading Bus not the greatest example to use given their last published accounts.
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Post by george on Jan 12, 2020 12:57:30 GMT
>>> I hate non London buses and have done for a very long time <<< I'm not letting that little gem slip by without a comment. Whilst there are large areas of the UK where buses are in the doldrums, there are also dynamic operations that are exciting and different and a contrast to the staid, boring and decidedly past-its-best operating scene in London. You say you dislike single doors. In the London context with people both boarding and alighting at almost every stop double doors make sense; but in most towns and rural areas, people are predominantly boarding on journeys into town and alighting on journeys away from town. In that context a second door is largely unnecessary, and it is easier for the driver to supervise the safety of passengers boarding and alighting with a single entrance/exit. Before you write off everything outside London, take yourself to Cambridge and have a ride on one of those stupendous three-axle ADL Enviro400XLBs on the Cambridgeshire Busway. Go to Grays or Crawley and see EnsignBus and MetroBus making a stunning success of running routes after Arriva threw in the towel. Or buy a day return to Reading with a Reading PlusBus and let them show you how buses should be done. Also with single door buses it means more areas can be served by buses if an operator only had two door buses in their fleet then it would leave many villages without a bus meaning people would chose cars over the bus service. Also as you have pointed out there probably isn't demand to have two door buses in many areas.
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HCT Group
Jan 12, 2020 13:03:41 GMT
via mobile
Post by vjaska on Jan 12, 2020 13:03:41 GMT
>>> I hate non London buses and have done for a very long time <<< I'm not letting that little gem slip by without a comment. Whilst there are large areas of the UK where buses are in the doldrums, there are also dynamic operations that are exciting and different and a contrast to the staid, boring and decidedly past-its-best operating scene in London. You say you dislike single doors. In the London context with people both boarding and alighting at almost every stop double doors make sense; but in most towns and rural areas, people are predominantly boarding on journeys into town and alighting on journeys away from town. In that context a second door is largely unnecessary, and it is easier for the driver to supervise the safety of passengers boarding and alighting with a single entrance/exit. Before you write off everything outside London, take yourself to Cambridge and have a ride on one of those stupendous three-axle ADL Enviro400XLBs on the Cambridgeshire Busway. Go to Grays or Crawley and see EnsignBus and MetroBus making a stunning success of running routes after Arriva threw in the towel. Or buy a day return to Reading with a Reading PlusBus and let them show you how buses should be done. Probably Reading Bus not the greatest example to use given their last published accounts. Regardless, still a good operator in the grand scheme of things performance wise.
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Post by E279 on Jan 12, 2020 14:23:26 GMT
>>> I hate non London buses and have done for a very long time <<< I'm not letting that little gem slip by without a comment. Whilst there are large areas of the UK where buses are in the doldrums, there are also dynamic operations that are exciting and different and a contrast to the staid, boring and decidedly past-its-best operating scene in London. You say you dislike single doors. In the London context with people both boarding and alighting at almost every stop double doors make sense; but in most towns and rural areas, people are predominantly boarding on journeys into town and alighting on journeys away from town. In that context a second door is largely unnecessary, and it is easier for the driver to supervise the safety of passengers boarding and alighting with a single entrance/exit. Before you write off everything outside London, take yourself to Cambridge and have a ride on one of those stupendous three-axle ADL Enviro400XLBs on the Cambridgeshire Busway. Go to Grays or Crawley and see EnsignBus and MetroBus making a stunning success of running routes after Arriva threw in the towel. Or buy a day return to Reading with a Reading PlusBus and let them show you how buses should be done. My opinion still stands. I don’t like non London buses and that’s my opinion. It’s not wrong, it’s my opinion.
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HCT Group
Jan 12, 2020 15:17:41 GMT
via mobile
Post by SILENCED on Jan 12, 2020 15:17:41 GMT
Probably Reading Bus not the greatest example to use given their last published accounts. Regardless, still a good operator in the grand scheme of things performance wise. Will only continue to be a good operator if it does not go belly up
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Post by wirewiper on Jan 12, 2020 15:27:26 GMT
>>> I hate non London buses and have done for a very long time <<< I'm not letting that little gem slip by without a comment. Whilst there are large areas of the UK where buses are in the doldrums, there are also dynamic operations that are exciting and different and a contrast to the staid, boring and decidedly past-its-best operating scene in London. You say you dislike single doors. In the London context with people both boarding and alighting at almost every stop double doors make sense; but in most towns and rural areas, people are predominantly boarding on journeys into town and alighting on journeys away from town. In that context a second door is largely unnecessary, and it is easier for the driver to supervise the safety of passengers boarding and alighting with a single entrance/exit. Before you write off everything outside London, take yourself to Cambridge and have a ride on one of those stupendous three-axle ADL Enviro400XLBs on the Cambridgeshire Busway. Go to Grays or Crawley and see EnsignBus and MetroBus making a stunning success of running routes after Arriva threw in the towel. Or buy a day return to Reading with a Reading PlusBus and let them show you how buses should be done. My opinion still stands. I don’t like non London buses and that’s my opinion. It’s not wrong, it’s my opinion. I agree it is your opinion, it just seems to me to be a narrow-minded one. It's disappointing that you discount what is good about the bus industry elsewhere.
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