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+--- Thread: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions (/showthread.php?tid=4050)
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - DeltaMan - 03 Apr 2024
Was on 6199 today. My goodness. The interior reminded me of a double decker you see at a small independent that wins really cheap contract work. It's pretty off-putting actually. The condensation added to the "atmosphere "
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Unber43 - 03 Apr 2024
All the ex-london vehicles are absolutely awful, Plaxton Presidents when they left were in better condition.
The SC ALX400 that Dan bought is an 04 and looks 100x better than any of the ex-london crap
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - stagecoachbusdepot - 03 Apr 2024
(03 Apr 2024, 8:15 pm)Storx I'm unsure mind, for all the faults of the B5's. Old Enviro 400's generally are rattly as hell and also very noisy. They always seem to be either -10 degrees or 40 degrees aswell and pretty unpleasant vehicles.
It'll be interesting to see how they handle rural routes day in, day out which have been rattled in London all their life.
Not to mention the delightful blue interior lighting assuming they are similar to the current batch.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Retro Nero - 04 Apr 2024
(03 Apr 2024, 6:24 pm)nova347 6232 has appeared on Bustimes as a Durham Diamond Enviro 400
Any pics,? Anyone!
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - WestDurhamSwift - 04 Apr 2024
(04 Apr 2024, 5:28 am)Retro Nero Any pics,? Anyone!
I seen one coming through Newcastle earlier! Interior just looks like the original seats have been reupholstered in the red, thought they main have gained high back seats but doesn’t look like it.
I was driving so could be wrong.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Michael - 07 Apr 2024
(23 Mar 2024, 10:08 pm)busmanT Being refurbished/repainted before arriving in the north east. 5528-5537. New to First Bus of course.
Anyone know when we'll see 5528-5537 start to arrive?
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Iamtheone8483748 - 08 Apr 2024
https://twitter.com/garyhunter91/status/1777337707980579112
Looks like the seats have been retrimmed, but nothing else
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Ambassador - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 2:49 pm)Iamtheone8483748 https://twitter.com/garyhunter91/status/1777337707980579112
Looks like the seats have been retrimmed, but nothing else
Liberal use of the word #betterbuses
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Andreos1 - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 2:49 pm)Iamtheone8483748 https://twitter.com/garyhunter91/status/1777337707980579112
Looks like the seats have been retrimmed, but nothing else
That middle seat isn't going to be very accessible for the bigger bummed amongst us.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Storx - 08 Apr 2024
Haven't even bothered to taking down the no smoking sign which I haven't seen on a bus for years now. Just looks tacky retrimming some seats but leaving everything else blue, it looks worse than doing nothing at all imo as it's so obvious.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - mb134 - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 4:13 pm)Ambassador Liberal use of the word #betterbuses
Indeed, they seem to be taking the Conservative approach of just straight up lying and hoping that the public are too thick to notice.
I don't see a single way in which, to the public, these can be better than the B5LHs? They're older for a start, and the most a refurb is going to do is take them to the same level as the Volvo's they replaced. Even if they do get better seats installed, they're still ADL so the suspension is non-existant compared to a Volvo.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - V514DFT - 08 Apr 2024
Last 10 years GNE have gone to the dogs, quality out the window, services axed/chopped beyond recognition, and an addiction to using second hand tat
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Blockybus - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 5:39 pm)mb134 Indeed, they seem to be taking the Conservative approach of just straight up lying and hoping that the public are too thick to notice.I'm sure customers will see these as an upgrade. As the B5LHs became so unreliable over the last year or two and with those taken off, the service has been getting whatever has been spare which most of the time has been older vehicles, without the fancy adons such as Wi-Fi or USBs or even NSA. So I'm sure customers will be delighted to have these "better" vehicles that will turn up and have the extra features back onboard
I don't see a single way in which, to the public, these can be better than the B5LHs? They're older for a start, and the most a refurb is going to do is take them to the same level as the Volvo's they replaced. Even if they do get better seats installed, they're still ADL so the suspension is non-existant compared to a Volvo.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Storx - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 6:18 pm)Blockybus I'm sure customers will see these as an upgrade. As the B5LHs became so unreliable over the last year or two and with those taken off, the service has been getting whatever has been spare which most of the time has been older vehicles, without the fancy adons such as Wi-Fi or USBs or even NSA. So I'm sure customers will be delighted to have these "better" vehicles that will turn up and have the extra features back onboard
Personally I'd rather have a 18 year old B9TL over a 13 year old Enviro 400.
Enviro 400's are great city buses but anything longer they're grim. Rattles, poor suspension as already mentioned and generally an unpleasant travelling experience. Not to mention these are in London spec bar the seats reupholstered and we don't even know if they're replaced as the GoAhead London seats are also superior to Esteban Civic's.
The DB300's at Blyth are superior to the Enviro 400's in every way imaginable even known some are 5 years older than the newest Enviro 400's.
The vast majority of people couldn't give a toss about WiFi, USB or NSA's.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Shrek - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 6:38 pm)Storx Personally I'd rather have a 18 year old B9TL over a 13 year old Enviro 400.I agree with you about the WiFi, USB etc. It was interesting the other night on one of the 57 plate Arriva Sapphire buses where a group of people were talking about how nice they were because they were so spacious and lots of seats. Personally I think the old Enviro 400s win with the public over the DB300 for that reason.
Enviro 400's are great city buses but anything longer they're grim. Rattles, poor suspension as already mentioned and generally an unpleasant travelling experience. Not to mention these are in London spec bar the seats reupholstered and we don't even know if they're replaced as the GoAhead London seats are also superior to Esteban Civic's.
The DB300's at Blyth are superior to the Enviro 400's in every way imaginable even known some are 5 years older than the newest Enviro 400's.
The vast majority of people couldn't give a toss about WiFi, USB or NSA's.
In other words, the main thing passengers want apart from the bus actually turning up is to not have to sit next to somebody, and if they do the seats be big enough so you're not on their knee.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - mb134 - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 6:18 pm)Blockybus I'm sure customers will see these as an upgrade. As the B5LHs became so unreliable over the last year or two and with those taken off, the service has been getting whatever has been spare which most of the time has been older vehicles, without the fancy adons such as Wi-Fi or USBs or even NSA. So I'm sure customers will be delighted to have these "better" vehicles that will turn up and have the extra features back onboard
The seating is confirmed to not have been upgraded to match the B5LHs, so it's literally some USB chargers and some new seat coverings onto 13 year old ex-London E400 rattle boxes? I take it all back, I'm sure customers will be thrilled.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Unber43 - 08 Apr 2024
All the ex-london buses ive been on are absolutely shocking.
https://x.com/liamhall24/status/1777410323437265331 confirms tthey will have USBs, I hope the Drifters get them when they get repainted later this year (hopefully in the same livery)
It will be intresting if the Durham Diamond Livery has changed
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Storx - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 6:52 pm)Shrek I agree with you about the WiFi, USB etc. It was interesting the other night on one of the 57 plate Arriva Sapphire buses where a group of people were talking about how nice they were because they were so spacious and lots of seats. Personally I think the old Enviro 400s win with the public over the DB300 for that reason.
In other words, the main thing passengers want apart from the bus actually turning up is to not have to sit next to somebody, and if they do the seats be big enough so you're not on their knee.
Surprised at that. Isn't the seating about the same on both of them (without counting). Generally whenever I come across discussions people generally like the Gemini 2 over an Enviro 400 like but obviously some will have different opinions. I've always found the legroom on Enviro 400's, upstairs at least, to be pretty poor, especially the ones with Stagecoach.
Mind shame things went off a cliff with the Streetdeck which is awful.
Talking about refurbishments, Arriva get a lot of stick, but the refurbs of the ex London buses are generally fantastic, not like the crap above. The B7TL's Gemini 1's you could barely tell the difference between one of those and the much newer DB300's. It's a shame we don't see it more often.
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - WestDurhamSwift - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 2:49 pm)Iamtheone8483748 https://twitter.com/garyhunter91/status/1777337707980579112Shame they couldn’t of sourced some high back seats at least, not like all the new driver training streetlites have lovely new seats (appreciate they may not be compatible)
Looks like the seats have been retrimmed, but nothing else
RE: Go North East - Second-hand vehicle acquisitions - Andreos1 - 08 Apr 2024
(08 Apr 2024, 6:12 pm)V514DFT Last 10 years GNE have gone to the dogs, quality out the window, services axed/chopped beyond recognition, and an addiction to using second hand tat10 years?!
Happened well before then.
It's been all fur coat and no knickers. Pulled the wool over most fanboys eyes for years.
2006 was the tipping point for many.
Now the fur coat has gone (probably asset stripped and sent to another division), people are really seeing what it's like.