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Post by VPL630 on Sept 12, 2013 16:26:05 GMT
At last I managed to see MBK1 at Brixton when it arrived from Mitcham. Had a lovely smiley lady driver on it who had no issue with photos being taken. Interesting engine note when it pulled away but unfortunately it did not return in its slot to Mitcham. I assume it returned to Camberwell for a rest. There is driver trained at the moment, Her name is Paula, She has the bus for this whole week, she is on earlies so check between around 07:30 and 14:00, She keeps the bus so when she has her lunch the bus will go off for an hour or so
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 16:28:12 GMT
At last I managed to see MBK1 at Brixton when it arrived from Mitcham. Had a lovely smiley lady driver on it who had no issue with photos being taken. Interesting engine note when it pulled away but unfortunately it did not return in its slot to Mitcham. I assume it returned to Camberwell for a rest. I saw it in service on a picture on Flickr. I'm writing a little mini memoir of MBK1 ATM! I'm at 465 words ironically!
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Post by vjaska on Sept 12, 2013 17:27:23 GMT
At last I managed to see MBK1 at Brixton when it arrived from Mitcham. Had a lovely smiley lady driver on it who had no issue with photos being taken. Interesting engine note when it pulled away but unfortunately it did not return in its slot to Mitcham. I assume it returned to Camberwell for a rest. There is driver trained at the moment, Her name is Paula, She has the bus for this whole week, she is on earlies so check between around 07:30 and 14:00, She keeps the bus so when she has her lunch the bus will go off for an hour or so I'm attempting to catch the bus tomorrow or Saturday - I'll attempt a video as well.
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Post by snoggle on Sept 12, 2013 19:06:18 GMT
At last I managed to see MBK1 at Brixton when it arrived from Mitcham. Had a lovely smiley lady driver on it who had no issue with photos being taken. Interesting engine note when it pulled away but unfortunately it did not return in its slot to Mitcham. I assume it returned to Camberwell for a rest. There is driver trained at the moment, Her name is Paula, She has the bus for this whole week, she is on earlies so check between around 07:30 and 14:00, She keeps the bus so when she has her lunch the bus will go off for an hour or so Ah that's helpful - thanks. I saw the bus at 1400 at Brixton so clearly the end of her shift. I did wonder if there was only one trained driver given the bus disappeared the same time yesterday according to LVF. It's a bit of a pain they haven't yet trained someone else so it can keep going for a bit longer!
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Post by ServerKing on Sept 12, 2013 21:50:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 23:49:01 GMT
It looks awesome, I wished all the new buses are taking that requirement of having the LED's
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Post by vjaska on Sept 13, 2013 1:16:46 GMT
Looks horrid & disproportionate IMO - if this is the so called future of blinds, I'll pass thank you very much. As for the bus though, I will try and sample it today or tomorrow and get a few pics too.
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Post by snoggle on Sept 13, 2013 16:43:01 GMT
Well I managed to actually get a ride on MBK1 today but was prevented from getting the front seat by some young whippersnapper. He denied being a member of this group but I'm not so sure! Own up if you were on the 1217 from Brixton and pushed an old git out the way. I sat near the exit doors on the way to Mitcham. The bus is a typical Mercedes - smooth ride and a feel of quality. The door movements are very swish and precise - no clunking or rattling. There was quite a loud engine note and really very different to other Citaros I've ridden on. The seats were reasonably comfortable but legroom wasn't wonderful where I was sitting. Given how busy the 355 is there are not enough seats on the Citaro and certainly not enough for the large numbers of older people with shopping and trolleys. On arrival at Mitcham I had a chat to Paula who was happy to let enthusiasts take a photo of the inside of the bus and the cab. She also fiddled with the blind settings for someone who was waiting at Mitcham to snap the bus. She loves the bus and thinks its far better than the Darts. It drives very well but has to go back to Waterloo in the afternoon so the engineer there can check the bus over before he goes home at 1700. It therefore looks like it'll be on permanent mornings and only around when Paula is driving - she confirmed it is "her" bus while with Go Ahead. On the return journey I sat at the front and it was interesting to note just how many people in the street spotted that it was a different bus. It was almost like being on a NB4L. Clearly the huge destination display and the legend down the side help but two different people who sat beside me during the journey knew it was a new bus straight away and pointed to the Mercedes Benz sign. At one stop a slightly eccentric woman came to the door and asked Paula if the bus was going to Brixton "because you've got a great big sign on the front saying Brixton" And then at Tooting Broadway we got the scooter (as in push along style used by kids) riding pensioner complete with drinks holders taped on to his scooter. He got off at Tooting Bec and then promptly scooted down the pavement. All in all a nice trip to Mitcham which I've not been to for years. Also I was surprised at how busy the 355 was - packed almost all the way and the same on most of the buses going the other way. I dread to think what it's like in the peaks. If Flickr ever comes back to life I'll post my extra photos including the interior shots.
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BU13 ZVE
Sept 13, 2013 16:55:16 GMT
via mobile
Post by vjaska on Sept 13, 2013 16:55:16 GMT
Well I managed to actually get a ride on MBK1 today but was prevented from getting the front seat by some young whippersnapper. He denied being a member of this group but I'm not so sure! Own up if you were on the 1217 from Brixton and pushed an old git out the way. I sat near the exit doors on the way to Mitcham. The bus is a typical Mercedes - smooth ride and a feel of quality. The door movements are very swish and precise - no clunking or rattling. There was quite a loud engine note and really very different to other Citaros I've ridden on. The seats were reasonably comfortable but legroom wasn't wonderful where I was sitting. Given how busy the 355 is there are not enough seats on the Citaro and certainly not enough for the large numbers of older people with shopping and trolleys. On arrival at Mitcham I had a chat to Paula who was happy to let enthusiasts take a photo of the inside of the bus and the cab. She also fiddled with the blind settings for someone who was waiting at Mitcham to snap the bus. She loves the bus and thinks its far better than the Darts. It drives very well but has to go back to Waterloo in the afternoon so the engineer there can check the bus over before he goes home at 1700. It therefore looks like it'll be on permanent mornings and only around when Paula is driving - she confirmed it is "her" bus while with Go Ahead. On the return journey I sat the front and it was interesting to note just how many people in the street spotted that it was a different bus. It was almost like being on a NB4L. Clearly the huge destination display and the legend down the side help but two different people who sat beside me during the journey knew it was a new bus straight away and pointed to the Mercedes Benz sign. At one stop a slightly eccentric woman came to the door and asked Paula if the bus was going to Brixton "because you've got a great big sign on the front saying Brixton" And then at Tooting Broadway we got the scooter (as in push along style used by kids) riding pensioner complete with drinks holders taped on to his scooter. He got off at Tooting Bec and then promptly scooted down the pavement. All in all a nice trip to Mitcham which I've not been to for years. Also I was surprised at how busy the 355 was - packed almost all the way and the same on most of the buses going the other way. I dread to think what it's like in the peaks. If Flickr ever comes back to life I'll post my extra photos including the interior shots. Was you the person sitting at the front of the bus towards Brixton - the same person who then was speaking to the driver as she waited outside Morleys department store? As for the 355, being a resident & worker of Brixton, I can tell you it's very packed during the peaks - I've had to squeeze onto a LDP at Balham and stand all the way to Brixton many times in the past.
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Post by snoggle on Sept 13, 2013 17:43:54 GMT
Was you the person sitting at the front of the bus towards Brixton - the same person who then was speaking to the driver as she waited outside Morleys department store? As for the 355, being a resident & worker of Brixton, I can tell you it's very packed during the peaks - I've had to squeeze onto a LDP at Balham and stand all the way to Brixton many times in the past. I was on the front seat when the bus got back to Brixton about 1415. I only had a very short exchange of words with Paula before getting off. As the bus was at the stop for a fair while I suspect someone else was talking to her. If you provide a "potted description" of the person I'll confirm if you've described me or someone else. Another enthusiast got on at Mitcham but I don't know if he stayed on all the way to Brixton.
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BU13 ZVE
Sept 13, 2013 17:48:31 GMT
via mobile
Post by vjaska on Sept 13, 2013 17:48:31 GMT
Was you the person sitting at the front of the bus towards Brixton - the same person who then was speaking to the driver as she waited outside Morleys department store? As for the 355, being a resident & worker of Brixton, I can tell you it's very packed during the peaks - I've had to squeeze onto a LDP at Balham and stand all the way to Brixton many times in the past. I was on the front seat when the bus got back to Brixton about 1415. I only had a very short exchange of words with Paula before getting off. As the bus was at the stop for a fair while I suspect someone else was talking to her. If you provide a "potted description" of the person I'll confirm if you've described me or someone else. Another enthusiast got on at Mitcham but I don't know if he stayed on all the way to Brixton. The person I saw had a black coat on and was white when he was talking to Paula in Brixton, can't remember much else TBH - if it was you, thanks for delaying her as I managed to get a pic of the bus because of that lol.
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Post by M1104 on Sept 13, 2013 21:26:31 GMT
The destination and route number appear a bit too close together. Would be interesting to see how it would display 'Elephant and Castle' on the P5.
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Post by vjaska on Sept 14, 2013 12:41:20 GMT
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPfc4iYcxzwHere's the video of MBK1 I promised: My summary of the bus: From a passenger point of the view, inside, it's just like other Citaros - excellent. The seats are very comfortable and the ride is extremely smooth - so smooth that at times you don't even feel the bumps in the road - Scania are listening to this! The smooth gearbox helps with the excellent ride and even the braking was quite soft. Only downside which 'snoogle' mentioned was the lack of seats, no doubt not helped by the shower cubicle engine & the gigantic wheelchair bay (does it really need to be that big). From a enthusiast point of view, inside, it's a little disappointing. The seat moquette is quite nice & the seats looked fine as well. The sounds of the bus are quite boring though & sound identical to a B9TL - MBK1 has a 6 spd ZF gearbox. It also has the same silly short gear ratios like a B9TL. However, the acceleration is quite nippy - I noticed the bus surging forwards at times when accelerating. From a passenger point of view, outside, the LED blind is quite clear from a distance but then, so was the PVL on the 155 that was alongside it - maybe I've good eyesight From a enthusiast point of view, outside, the bus looks as nice as other Citaros, even with the shower cubicle arrangement giving the rear a strange look for a Citaro. Overall, a thumbs up from me despite the disappointment of the short gear ratios.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2013 13:03:45 GMT
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPfc4iYcxzwHere's the video of MBK1 I promised: My summary of the bus: From a passenger point of the view, inside, it's just like other Citaros - excellent. The seats are very comfortable and the ride is extremely smooth - so smooth that at times you don't even feel the bumps in the road - Scania are listening to this! The smooth gearbox helps with the excellent ride and even the braking was quite soft. Only downside which 'snoogle' mentioned was the lack of seats, no doubt not helped by the shower cubicle engine & the gigantic wheelchair bay (does it really need to be that big). From a enthusiast point of view, inside, it's a little disappointing. The seat moquette is quite nice & the seats looked fine as well. The sounds of the bus are quite boring though & sound identical to a B9TL - MBK1 has a 6 spd ZF gearbox. It also has the same silly short gear ratios like a B9TL. However, the acceleration is quite nippy - I noticed the bus surging forwards at times when accelerating. From a passenger point of view, outside, the LED blind is quite clear from a distance but then, so was the PVL on the 155 that was alongside it - maybe I've good eyesight From a enthusiast point of view, outside, the bus looks as nice as other Citaros, even with the shower cubicle arrangement giving the rear a strange look for a Citaro. Overall, a thumbs up from me despite the disappointment of the short gear ratios. Good video. I hope they trial the bus on the 108 where they go under the Blackwall tunnel.
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Post by snoggle on Sept 14, 2013 13:17:53 GMT
Oh oh - you were on the bus when I was as I instantly recognised the man with hi-vi and the Mormons. Still no obvious view of me. Where did you get on?
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