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Post by SILENCED on Sept 26, 2019 22:39:43 GMT
I really do not know why there is so much of this build quality which seems to stem from car magazine journalists. I would say Wrightbus build quality was excellent imo, even down to new builds, some ADL products were still missing parts even during the MMC range. They did not all leave the factory well. Wrightbus product failure imo was the electrical problems, the bodywork I cannot fault it at all.
Wrightbus are far superior than when we had East Lancs. Omnidekka bodies flexing. staircases creaking and the downstairs rear seats swaying when you went over a bump. They always have Optare now! 😅🤣😂
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Post by vjaska on Sept 27, 2019 0:18:51 GMT
did Sadiq just choose not to buy any more than the 1000 that were ordered by Bozo? That's not cancelling anything. Really cant put this one down to Sadiq Personally, it's the one thing he has got right so far.
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Post by ServerKing on Sept 27, 2019 4:52:03 GMT
The early high profile bumps and crashes before the brakes were modified didn't help, having to order the new windscreens after said accidents plus panelling for a bespoke bus would have been very expensive. The "hybrid" system was exposed as a fraud as it pollutes more than a conventional bus, it was too hot in summer, fare evasion... so not really destroying what the last Mayor did, which is a London tradition. For instance, Sadiq kept the cycle lanes and the bikes. No one else was interested in a London bus, even the SRM was just an HV in a fancy frock. When they suggested making a Daimler straight diesel version (Streetdeck in fancy frock) I knew the desperation had set in Streetlite was crying out for an update, nothing done... I guess the foray into church design was greater than taking the fight to ADL. Sadiq was right to stop any more being made. I worry for all these batteries that have to be got rid of when the LT's finally die... Something the 'greens' seem to ignore. Likewise the carbon footprint their manufacture creates. Ask Ed Davey he hasn't got a clue The range of about 840 yards in electric mode was groundbreaking No wonder BYD couldn't sleep at night and had to link up with ADL. Having the Lord's backing, it was an open goal with this much loved bus for London the highly successful Streetlite was made even better by it's edgy bigger sister the Streetdeck, saving money using the same engine was highly praised by passengers using the 12A out of Brighton
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Post by wirewiper on Sept 27, 2019 8:29:10 GMT
did Sadiq just choose not to buy any more than the 1000 that were ordered by Bozo? That's not cancelling anything. Really cant put this one down to Sadiq That's exactly what he did. He took the pragmatic route, the 1000 NBfLs were ordered and paid for (the last 150 were over-ordered speculatively by Mayor Johnson before he stood down, without any plan as to where they would be allocated - that was to be TfL's headache). Mayor Khan simply decided that those buses would enter service, but he would not sanction the purchase of any more. Was there anyone who seriously thought he would?
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Post by ServerKing on Sept 27, 2019 15:58:08 GMT
The papers were reporting something else this morning I've no idea what to beleive now
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Post by snowman on Sept 28, 2019 6:18:48 GMT
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Post by riverside on Sept 28, 2019 8:20:48 GMT
The former employee says that the demise of Wrightbus will make a good 'Spotlight' programme. 'Spotlight' is the BBC Northern Ireland investigations unit and I would be very surprised if they are not already researching a programme on Wrightbus. If made the programme will probably only be shown on BBC Northern Ireland but any revelations they may come across should hopefully get wider press coverage. The workers and InvestNI need answers.
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Post by SILENCED on Sept 28, 2019 11:29:48 GMT
Having read some Twitter threads it seems there is quite a lot more to the Wrightbus saga with poor build quality and poor products being part of the problem. As with any business that has gone under in recent years, if you don't offer what the market wants the market won't be there. However, if you're also donating more money than you are making profit to a charity run by a family member (and also paying that family member a high amount of money for land) theres only one way that business is going to go I really do not know why there is so much of this build quality which seems to stem from car magazine journalists. I would say Wrightbus build quality was excellent imo, even down to new builds, some ADL products were still missing parts even during the MMC range. They did not all leave the factory well. Wrightbus product failure imo was the electrical problems, the bodywork I cannot fault it at all.
Indeed, the build quality of the Metroline BDEs is called into question in this article. busandtrainuser.com/2019/09/26/electric-shock-on-rear-seats/
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Post by vjaska on Sept 28, 2019 12:37:14 GMT
I really do not know why there is so much of this build quality which seems to stem from car magazine journalists. I would say Wrightbus build quality was excellent imo, even down to new builds, some ADL products were still missing parts even during the MMC range. They did not all leave the factory well. Wrightbus product failure imo was the electrical problems, the bodywork I cannot fault it at all.
Indeed, the build quality of the Metroline BDEs is called into question in this article. busandtrainuser.com/2019/09/26/electric-shock-on-rear-seats/TBF it’s cosmetic quality that’s been called into question - the only way we’ll know if this is like the build quality issues on Gemini3’s is if Metroline switch to Metrodeckers for future electric orders - if more are ordered, then it’s just a cosmetic issue like the Evoseti. I’m a little surprised Mr French, a well respected person, didn’t mention how whilst at Brighton & Hove, he oversaw Omnilinks purchased which not only had poor legroom at the rear but poor headroom as well. The BDE’s certainly have poor legroom at the rear but I’d argue Cadets & Enviro 200’s legroom is even worse.
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Post by SILENCED on Sept 28, 2019 14:20:36 GMT
TBF it’s cosmetic quality that’s been called into question - the only way we’ll know if this is like the build quality issues on Gemini3’s is if Metroline switch to Metrodeckers for future electric orders - if more are ordered, then it’s just a cosmetic issue like the Evoseti. I’m a little surprised Mr French, a well respected person, didn’t mention how whilst at Brighton & Hove, he oversaw Omnilinks purchased which not only had poor legroom at the rear but poor headroom as well. The BDE’s certainly have poor legroom at the rear but I’d argue Cadets & Enviro 200’s legroom is even worse. The pictures where the roof meets the front pillars ... cosmetic quality?
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Post by snoggle on Sept 28, 2019 14:38:33 GMT
The former employee says that the demise of Wrightbus will make a good 'Spotlight' programme. 'Spotlight' is the BBC Northern Ireland investigations unit and I would be very surprised if they are not already researching a programme on Wrightbus. If made the programme will probably only be shown on BBC Northern Ireland but any revelations they may come across should hopefully get wider press coverage. The workers and InvestNI need answers. I confess I have not followed the detail surrounding all this. However the suggestions, being careful with my words, of some very dubious dealings and financial arrangements do not bode well. I fear we may have a rather horrible collision of religion, local / national politics coupled with poor business decision making that have caused the collapse of this once seemingly invincible bus building business. I doubt the truth, if it ever fully emerges, will make pleasant reading.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2019 20:17:20 GMT
Surprised the Wright website is still live - they usually take the websites down as soon as any company enters administration.
ServerKing makes a very good point about warranty work there is a huge amount of buses in London that potentially could require work at some point. Shouldn't make a joke of the situation but hope a Frog Face G3 is persevered eventually as it's probably one on of the most love it or hate buses to have entered service in recent years.
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Post by ServerKing on Sept 29, 2019 8:24:46 GMT
Surprised the Wright website is still live - they usually take the websites down as soon as any company enters administration.
ServerKing makes a very good point about warranty work there is a huge amount of buses in London that potentially could require work at some point. Shouldn't make a joke of the situation but hope a Frog Face G3 is persevered eventually as it's probably one on of the most love it or hate buses to have entered service in recent years. There will be plenty of them to be cannibalised to keep the others going As for the LT's that's the biggest ticking timebomb, as the high profile crashes means a new windscreen, either there's a PSV glass company that is now making such screens or there will be increased lead times for repair. I guess all of Wrightbus has gone (perhaps the web design team was sacked as well, and as it all happened over a weekend, nothing's been done)... jokes aside, they made tons of buses... every bus in Tottenham is a Wrightbus, save for E400s on the 279, 217 and occasional visitors to the 476 from the 191 / 231. I went to Luton yesterday and there's tons there too, from the early KE55*** Volvo's to the last of the ex 321 Streetlites. I see a lot of orders going into ADL now as operators may end leases early or order in before buses pack up. Obviously engineers (except Tottenham Garage ) should be able to maintain any engine regardless of body, but making panels, replacing light clusters etc will be an issue, going forward. Plus others in the supply chain are affected now. There was a planned protest at the Church built with Wrightbus money by the Prodigal Son son of the founder of the company. They had some people finishing off orders, but I can't see anyone buying them from a company that doesn't exist anymore. Deloitte will eventually turn the machine off as there's no buyer as the Wright family said no one was allowed to buy the land near the church (Green Pastures)... It does seem sudden, but this was a slow moving car crash from the start. No action taken to put the bigger engine in the Streetdeck (I guess none of them had a login for this forum ), fugly designs, cheap materials, then the Boris Bus fiasco was the icing on the cake. Since bus travel has dropped, (partly due to TfL's own mess, the base model, no frills, no wifi existence, crap branding, poor destination blinds, low speeds etc) Joe Public won't really care. The E400's and MCVs that some may have hoped for will now be a reality on future orders. The world will keep turning and life goes on. Like the staff at Toys R Us, they stopped caring. We just switched to Smythes Toys where we were greeted with a smile and better lighting. I feel for the dedicated workers, but not for the managers who didn't listen to their customers. Where were the accounts team who saw large amounts of money disappearing? This wasn't due to Sadiq Khan pulling the plug on the LT. They still went on to make hundreds more Streetdeck and G3 buses for the likes of First, Go Ahead and Arriva. Cornerstone Group (the name comes from a bible reference btw) was Jeff Wright's shell company used to strip assets as he said he was expected to take over running the family business, but was more keen to do evangelical work instead. Probably why there were no better ideas or development after their latest intepretation of the Gemini 3 / Streetdeck since 2015. Streetlite never changed since 2012. If this was a car manufacturer, they would have been bust years ago with such a poor lineup. People bought as it was cheap. Buy cheap, buy twice is what I have always thought (I am sat here in my Balenciaga PJ's at my oak desk typing this in the study, lol). I guess we will never see Go North East with a Citaro engine Streetdeck now
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Post by M1104 on Sept 29, 2019 9:40:31 GMT
Nothing new really, but nevertheless.......
"The crisis at Wright’s is ongoing and the future of the factory and the order book must now be in doubt. Relatively little is due for our area, made up of StreetLites and StreetDecks for Arriva Southern Counties, two VHs for London United and twenty StreetDecks with hydrogen fuel cells for Metroline."
online LOTS
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Post by ServerKing on Sept 29, 2019 14:20:08 GMT
Nothing new really, but nevertheless....... "The crisis at Wright’s is ongoing and the future of the factory and the order book must now be in doubt. Relatively little is due for our area, made up of StreetLites and StreetDecks for Arriva Southern Counties, two VHs for London United and twenty StreetDecks with hydrogen fuel cells for Metroline." online LOTS It was reported in one article that a lot of buyers were demanding COD (Cash on Delivery) due to quality issues and lapsed lead times in the run up to the collapse. As the Hydrogen buses were more than likely prototypes Wrightbus was hoping to convince the rest of London with, I assume Metroline have not parted with any money, and if so, Deloitte can refund them somehow. Arriva could either keep the KL52*** DLA's and ex Leicester Lowlanders going until getting some E400 MMC's in. In places renowned for thrash such as Yorkshire and Kent, I was surprised at the choice of a StreetDeck which is the polar opposite of performance for NSL roads (I think most Streetdecks struggle to reach 50)
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