|
Post by wirewiper on Apr 20, 2024 8:01:06 GMT
Smart blinds have to be aligned correctly or they will rip themselves to shreds. It is a specialist task (even more with inserts). Sorry i don't buy that the blinds are a complex mechanism, any mechanic or technician should be able to fix it. If the blinds are a specialist system then every other part of the bus must require a specialist; windscreen wipers; doors; seats; bells; windows; flooring; handlebar; another specialist for the staircase handlebar; etc starting to sound ridiculous........there is false economy created on servicing. Great, just what we need - another armchair expert who knows more about how to maintain buses than the people actually doing the job.
|
|
|
Post by greenboy on Apr 20, 2024 8:15:24 GMT
Sorry i don't buy that the blinds are a complex mechanism, any mechanic or technician should be able to fix it. If the blinds are a specialist system then every other part of the bus must require a specialist; windscreen wipers; doors; seats; bells; windows; flooring; handlebar; another specialist for the staircase handlebar; etc starting to sound ridiculous........there is false economy created on servicing. Great, just what we need - another armchair expert who knows more about how to maintain buses than the people actually doing the job. I think he makes a perfectly valid point, surely it's garage staff who should deal with blinds and most garages manage to do that with the notable exception of AL. The overriding question is why operators are still having to cope with this outdated equipment when the rest of the world has long since moved onto electronic displays?
|
|
|
Post by LK65EBO on Apr 20, 2024 11:53:33 GMT
Just spotted DS' LT876 in Hounslow today. Came off the 5 at 7am.
|
|
|
Post by S.152 on Apr 20, 2024 12:00:56 GMT
Ee208 should be entering service today as AL5 on the 57, it transferred from SI recently.
It will be the 13th Ee to enter service at AL with all 13 out on the 57 once AL5 starts it duty.
|
|
|
Post by whiggism on Apr 20, 2024 12:40:57 GMT
Is Ee262 (not including the 2 at BX) the last bus to arrive at AL for 157?
|
|
|
Post by S.152 on Apr 20, 2024 12:55:26 GMT
Is Ee262 (not including the 2 at BX) the last bus to arrive at AL for 157? I believe it is the last bus from the batch to be delivered to GAL, all the others in the batch (bar Ee244/245) have been noted in RR
|
|
|
Post by LK65EBO on Apr 20, 2024 13:16:01 GMT
Just spotted DS' LT876 in Hounslow today. Came off the 5 at 7am. It has been confirmed this is for Twickenham Rugby.
|
|
|
Post by cl54 on Apr 20, 2024 13:49:45 GMT
Great, just what we need - another armchair expert who knows more about how to maintain buses than the people actually doing the job. I think he makes a perfectly valid point, surely it's garage staff who should deal with blinds and most garages manage to do that with the notable exception of AL. The overriding question is why operators are still having to cope with this outdated equipment when the rest of the world has long since moved onto electronic displays? Most operators outside London use cheap and nasty orange dot displays which are not acceptable to TfL for good reason. LED units that meet TfL standards are 3/4 times the cost of smart blinds with the maintenance contract.
|
|
|
Post by BE37054 (quoll662) on Apr 20, 2024 16:38:45 GMT
I think he makes a perfectly valid point, surely it's garage staff who should deal with blinds and most garages manage to do that with the notable exception of AL. The overriding question is why operators are still having to cope with this outdated equipment when the rest of the world has long since moved onto electronic displays? Most operators outside London use cheap and nasty orange dot displays which are not acceptable to TfL for good reason. LED units that meet TfL standards are 3/4 times the cost of smart blinds with the maintenance contract. Is that three quarters of the cost or three to four times the cost of smart blinds?
|
|
|
Post by Eastlondoner62 on Apr 20, 2024 18:27:01 GMT
I think he makes a perfectly valid point, surely it's garage staff who should deal with blinds and most garages manage to do that with the notable exception of AL. The overriding question is why operators are still having to cope with this outdated equipment when the rest of the world has long since moved onto electronic displays? Most operators outside London use cheap and nasty orange dot displays which are not acceptable to TfL for good reason. LED units that meet TfL standards are 3/4 times the cost of smart blinds with the maintenance contract. Assuming it's 3 to 4 times the cost of Smart blinds, then surely widespread use of them is what will drive their costs down. You've already got a benefit with the high-res displays where you have both Mobitec and Hanover competing while it's just Mobitec now in the blinds business.
|
|
|
Post by cl54 on Apr 21, 2024 5:48:45 GMT
Most operators outside London use cheap and nasty orange dot displays which are not acceptable to TfL for good reason. LED units that meet TfL standards are 3/4 times the cost of smart blinds with the maintenance contract. Is that three quarters of the cost or three to four times the cost of smart blinds? They are much more expensive and consequently smart blinds offer better value over the London life of a bus. LEDs give flexibility but there is uncertainty about how long they will last.
|
|
|
Post by M1104 on Apr 21, 2024 7:37:22 GMT
At least one of the 65 reg SEs was yesterday reported at NX, prepping for the take up of the P4 from next Saturday
|
|
|
Post by greenboy on Apr 21, 2024 8:34:36 GMT
I think he makes a perfectly valid point, surely it's garage staff who should deal with blinds and most garages manage to do that with the notable exception of AL. The overriding question is why operators are still having to cope with this outdated equipment when the rest of the world has long since moved onto electronic displays? Most operators outside London use cheap and nasty orange dot displays which are not acceptable to TfL for good reason. LED units that meet TfL standards are 3/4 times the cost of smart blinds with the maintenance contract. They’re neither cheap or nasty, they're perfectly fit for purpose.
|
|
eal1ngvolvo483
Driver
Bus Enthusiast based in Ealing, enjoys many stuff like reality shows, Eastern European and Iranian.
Posts: 243
|
Post by eal1ngvolvo483 on Apr 21, 2024 9:13:01 GMT
At least one of the 65 reg SEs was yesterday reported at NX, prepping for the take up of the P4 from next Saturday I think I saw SE277 possibly training around Lewisham
|
|
|
Post by snowman on Apr 21, 2024 9:18:03 GMT
Is that three quarters of the cost or three to four times the cost of smart blinds? They are much more expensive and consequently smart blinds offer better value over the London life of a bus. LEDs give flexibility but there is uncertainty about how long they will last. There are also doubts over how long smartblinds will last. Clearly some garages are unable to get timely spares, or specialists who know how to fit them. (Doesn't take very long in London to locate a bus where one or more of the three blinds is not displaying correctly). Actually if anyone wants to be pedantic, lifespan and spare parts in general can be troublesome, plenty of the earlier hybrids are no longer usable because lifespan of equipment has exceeded the supply of parts. Last time I looked there were a number of LTs effectively dumped out of use due to lack of parts. If Wrightbus can collapse (and stop supplying spares) which it did, same could potentially happen to smart blind manufacturer. Very high risk option if you want it still working perfectly into mid 2030s
|
|