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Post by busdryver on Sept 2, 2018 15:33:16 GMT
According to LOTS news, the Optare Tempos are said to be the 293's 'proper' allocation. Does this mean the DXEs won't be arriving or are being diverted (possibly to the H37)? As londonbusroutes.net is run by a member of staff who works for RATP, I think that this site can be treated as the correct one - Unusually it appears that LOTS are not right on this occasion (very unusually)
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Post by busdryver on Aug 29, 2018 20:41:44 GMT
H18/19 paper displays have been printed ready for Saturday. Not what i’ve heard... all buses will be fully blinded, only Arriva can get away with paper blinds!
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Post by busdryver on Aug 19, 2018 13:16:42 GMT
If the ADHs are supposedly late, does this mean the SPs can’t yet be taken off the H91 in time for the H14 double decking? I believe so. H14 will continue to use DEs for the start of the new contract (with the decreased frequency) until ADHs arrive which will head straight to the H91 which should then release the SPs That is not what I have heard - There will be double decks on the H14 from day one. Various SPs are heading to BT to allow full conversion on day one, the DEs being replaced will for the time being cover the late running DLE vehicles for the rest of the Harrow/Edgware fleet.
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Post by busdryver on Jun 2, 2018 20:06:21 GMT
Go Ahead are just as bad quote author=" busdryver" source="/post/434800/thread" timestamp="1527955405"]Arriva in Dartford as bad as i’ve ever seen: T294 on the 99 with 160 on the back; ENL111 and 112 on the 428 with very badly made paper blinds that my 5 year old could do better with! Let’s give them some more work, they’re cheap!! [/quote] Don’t disagree - most side blinds are on permanent black blank
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Post by busdryver on Jun 2, 2018 16:03:25 GMT
Arriva in Dartford as bad as i’ve ever seen:
T294 on the 99 with 160 on the back; ENL111 and 112 on the 428 with very badly made paper blinds that my 5 year old could do better with!
Let’s give them some more work, they’re cheap!!
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Post by busdryver on Mar 30, 2016 19:49:34 GMT
Makes sense to leave the VNWs at Westbourne Park where they have been all their lives, and send over the newer vehicles to Lee Interchange, so that they don't have to train up the drivers on another type.
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Post by busdryver on Feb 12, 2016 15:56:25 GMT
I think it was DN33620 I saw with white blinds a few days ago; I'd imagine several other 11-reg DNs should have them too now because of the 69. I liked First's decision to install yellow inserts for the 425/N550/N551 in 2013 instead of just replacing blinds that weren't even 2 years old at the time (as many operators would do) I wonder if the ones that had WOB already will get 69 inserts so we go full circle The ones that I have seen of the new blinds at Lea Interchange used to have yellow blinds, so I presume that they are completely new blinds. Those allocated to Route 30 did not have 308/425/N550/N551/212/69 on them, so I presume that they have decided to put complete new sets in them.
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Post by busdryver on Feb 12, 2016 15:54:06 GMT
I think it was DN33620 I saw with white blinds a few days ago; I'd imagine several other 11-reg DNs should have them too now because of the 69. I liked First's decision to install yellow inserts for the 425/N550/N551 in 2013 instead of just replacing blinds that weren't even 2 years old at the time (as many operators would do) DN33620 is not fitted with white blinds, it still has yellow ones as seen today...
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Post by busdryver on Mar 29, 2013 14:30:50 GMT
Unfortunately, this change can only be seen as a negative for bus drivers. I'll explain why.
At the moment, (and I will use generic examples which do not reflect reality, but they are used to demonstrate things), the 185 route is run by London Central, and they pay drivers £15.00 an hour, when the route is tendered, Abellio need to bear in mind that they are likely to receive the majority of drivers for the route at the £15.00 an hour rate, and have to tender with that in mind.
If the fact that they can refuse to accept TUPE drivers, they no longer have to assume that they will have to take the expensive London General drivers, and can tender assuming that they can recruit new drivers at £8.00 an hour.
The expensive London General drivers will be made redundant at minimum cost to the outgoing operator (Government minimum) and they will have no choice (if they want to stay driving) but to work at Abellio at the new £8.00 an hour.
Abellio win loads of work, as they are willing to pay rock-bottom rates, London General lose work, therefore introduce new lower starter rates, and so the race to the bottom occurs.
Who wins out of this?
Abellio - Short term yes, but then everyone comes and joins them at the bottom
London General - Short term no, but they then take on people at new low low rates
TfL - laugh all the way to the bank, as the operators fight each other to cut tender costs in the knowledge that they don't have to take expensive drivers on
Drivers - lose, lose and lose again[/color]
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Post by busdryver on Mar 28, 2013 13:05:58 GMT
36301 seen at Catford all refurbished complete with roundel on the side. This is presumably the first of the delayed refurbishment of the 273 buses.
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Post by busdryver on Jan 1, 2013 16:09:31 GMT
That reliability stuff sounds like utter bull. If the buses can do the workings during the day, why all of a sudden come night time would they be unreliable doesn't make sense. Especially as day working hours are much longer than night working hours. On top of that if the buses are unreliable then something needs to be done to make them more reliable then. Newer buses (once they have got through their initial few months) tend to be more reliable than their older counterparts - It is requested by the engineers I know, that these newer buses are used at night as much as possible, as there is less engineering cover at night, and the routes go much further than their day counterparts - Therefore, if a bus has less chance of breaking down, then all the better... Examples are: Stockwell buses in Ealing (N11); Catford buses at Oxford Circus (N136); Hounslow buses in Chalk Farm (27) etc.
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Post by busdryver on Jun 16, 2012 14:24:20 GMT
Since when did a headlight bulb out entail breaking the law??? Headlights are not a requirement - sidelights, however, are...
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Post by busdryver on Jan 2, 2012 16:07:49 GMT
You're correct, it was 17319 that left last week, not 17321
A couple of the 18xxx are back, 18490 at least.
PVR of the schools was (I think) 5, plus I presume 1 spare. No sign of the new buses entering service - I don't think they've got ticket machines yet.
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Post by busdryver on Jan 2, 2012 11:33:43 GMT
17232 X232NNO has transferred from Bow (BW) to West Ham (WH) 17323 has done the same, coming from Catford (TL). However with the situation at WH it may not be permanent at this stage. 17319, 17317, 17321 & 17323 all disappeared from TL last week, so presume all are now at WH, along with 17141 which has already been reported. With the loss of the school routes 624 and 658, I presume that these were made spare from this, and look to be the oldest of the fleet at TL (although a couple of 172xx seems to have been retained)
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Post by busdryver on Dec 20, 2011 7:04:21 GMT
Schools are back on 4th January - so they'd better be sorted by then!
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