VDL Citea double deck

[snoggle]

This is interesting - www.busandcoach.com/news/articles/vdl-citea-low-floor-double-deck-for-bvg/. VDL developing a new low floor double decker for BVG Berlin with twin staircases. Wonder if Arriva will twist VDL's arm to develop a UK version? That makes two new Berlin double decks - Scania and a VDL.

[snoggle]

The new VDL Citea double decker was revealed yesterday. Starts tests in Berlin soon.





There are also a couple of videos of the Scania demonstrator. Looks very Omnicity like to the rear.





And a news report about 5 Solaris all electric single deckers

[rmz19]

Aug 12, 2015 12:16:22 GMT snoggle said:

The new VDL Citea double decker was revealed yesterday. Starts tests in Berlin soon.





There are also a couple of videos of the Scania demonstrator. Looks very Omnicity like to the rear.





And a news report about 5 Solaris all electric single deckers

The VDL Citea DD looks strikingly similar to the Omnicity when viewed from the side near the rear.

[snoggle]

Aug 13, 2015 11:01:13 GMT rmz19 said:

Aug 12, 2015 12:16:22 GMT snoggle said:

The new VDL Citea double decker was revealed yesterday. Starts tests in Berlin soon.

The VDL Citea DD looks strikingly similar to the Omnicity when viewed from the side near the rear.

I suspect that's just "modern styling" showing through. So many designs look similar.

I just found a video clip of a ride on the Scania test double decker. Several interesting things.

1. Much nicer style of "Countdown" display with far more info provided.

2. They seem to be trialling two different seat designs upstairs.

3. No vertical stanchions on the upper deck but instead a ceiling pointed grab pole. I suspect people would bang their heads on that when getting up from seats on the right hand side of the upper deck.

4. Glazed ceiling skylights upstairs plus glazed staircase design - seems the NB4L design is creeping elsewhere! However there are opening windows on both decks.

5. Very simple but effective spare seats upstairs indicator - just a big number on a screen just past the driver's cab. Much better than London's over clever scrolling system.

6. The Scania seems to be quiet and smooth judging from the video.

It will be very interesting to see which design wins out or whether MAN pull a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute with a new design.

[Deleted]

I love it, I like how they celebrate a new design / bus. We did it here with the NBfL but every other bus falls under the radar.

I like how BVG has comfort and efficency over covering mileage like TfL it seems to be about passenger service in central EU.

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2015 11:42:44 GMT snoggle said:

5. Very simple but effective spare seats upstairs indicator - just a big number on a screen just past the driver's cab. Much better than London's over clever scrolling system.

Anyone know which company designed this system or the one that TfL are currently testing?  Malta really needs something like this hooked up their mobile phone real time arrivals app given that buses tend to run full or near full from most major locations here during much of the day!