|
|
Post by SCH117X on Jun 25, 2015 17:40:38 GMT 1
|
|
|
|
Post by timelesstable on Jun 25, 2015 21:55:25 GMT 1
|
|
|
|
Post by SCH117X on Jun 25, 2015 22:08:20 GMT 1
Unfortunately with all the accuracy / consistency we can expect from local rags these days " A spokesman for First Transport has told The Press the remaining 11 electric vehicles will remain in operation." and " .It is not yet clear whether the remaining vehicles will continue to operate following this incident." Thats clear then! |
|
|
|
Post by gooderson1 on Jun 25, 2015 22:32:23 GMT 1
I wonder if some of the people quoted on the link will be off to consult that well known firm of solicitors " Sue Grabbit and Run" to try and seek compensation for distress etc caused by this bus fire. They should remember that this is a minor incident involving one bus compared with the thousands of miles operated by bus company's on a daily basis without any incidents.
|
|
|
|
Post by stevieinselby on Jun 26, 2015 6:55:18 GMT 1
Unfortunately with all the accuracy / consistency we can expect from local rags these days " A spokesman for First Transport has told The Press the remaining 11 electric vehicles will remain in operation." and " .It is not yet clear whether the remaining vehicles will continue to operate following this incident." Thats clear then! Yes, they updated the article several times over the course of the afternoon. Initially, it wasn't clear whether the remaining vehicles would continue in service, but when First did clarify the situation, that was added at the top but the line further down was left in. So a bit stupid, but not as completely stupid as it first appears. |
|
|
|
Post by stevieinselby on Jun 26, 2015 17:40:19 GMT 1
And then after all that, the leccies WERE taken out of service today, pending further investigation.
I was amused to read the press article that referred to them as "electronic" buses...
|
|
|
|
Post by gooderson1 on Jun 29, 2015 9:07:23 GMT 1
Yorkshire Bus Spotters page on Facebook has a report from a member that the entire batch have been returned to Optare and that person has stated that he has heard that First do not want them back
|
|
|
|
Post by mark51953 on Jul 1, 2015 5:47:28 GMT 1
Well 49912 was back in service yesterday on the 59's alone with 66781 from Halifax
|
|
|
|
Post by biroguy on Jul 8, 2015 8:19:37 GMT 1
If you consider First Leeds tried to offload all it`s Hybrids onto Manchester and stated it won`t be buying anymore, then these electric buses could definately be a one off batch
|
|
|
|
Post by westyorkshirebus on Jul 8, 2015 20:43:15 GMT 1
They were funded by green bus funding. If there was another funding round I'm sure they would apply, nobody turns down the chance of free money.
|
|
|
|
Post by dwarfer1979 on Jul 9, 2015 8:19:46 GMT 1
They were funded by green bus funding. If there was another funding round I'm sure they would apply, nobody turns down the chance of free money. Well apparently lots of bus operators did since very few ever bid for Green Bus Fund money for reasons such as lack of suitable work for the vehicles, lack of suitable facilities to look after them, the requirements over information provision for winning bidders, suspicion of the technology & basic cost (it doesn't pay the full cost but a proportion of the extra cost which would still leave a higher upfront cost than buying a normal bus). Hybrid & electric vehicles aren't some great panacea for bus operation, there are specific types of routes & areas that these vehicles suit (largely urban with large amounts of idling or low speed stop-start driving) and they would require full buy-in from drivers, engineers & managers to get the best out of them (Stagecoach, Lothian & Reading Buses all seem happy with theirs buying repeated batches & bidding for multiple rounds of funding) but as with any bus type there will be bus types and/or operators that just don't quite gel to the concept and so come out less successful. If First Leeds aren't seeing the expected running cost savings that some are reporting and/or are finding the vehicles harder to integrate the buses into the company they may well see them as less successful and look to swap with types they are more comfortable with. It is looking increasingly unlikely that hybrids will even get the upfront cost differential low enough to become a realistic straight commercial proposition but they have provided a stepping stone to full electric vehicles that are coming on stream that due to their very low running costs may do so for urban operators in the future. |
|
|
|
Post by Dom on Jul 12, 2015 1:30:43 GMT 1
They were funded by green bus funding. If there was another funding round I'm sure they would apply, nobody turns down the chance of free money. Well apparently lots of bus operators did since very few ever bid for Green Bus Fund money for reasons such as lack of suitable work for the vehicles, lack of suitable facilities to look after them, the requirements over information provision for winning bidders, suspicion of the technology & basic cost (it doesn't pay the full cost but a proportion of the extra cost which would still leave a higher upfront cost than buying a normal bus). Hybrid & electric vehicles aren't some great panacea for bus operation, there are specific types of routes & areas that these vehicles suit (largely urban with large amounts of idling or low speed stop-start driving) and they would require full buy-in from drivers, engineers & managers to get the best out of them (Stagecoach, Lothian & Reading Buses all seem happy with theirs buying repeated batches & bidding for multiple rounds of funding) but as with any bus type there will be bus types and/or operators that just don't quite gel to the concept and so come out less successful. If First Leeds aren't seeing the expected running cost savings that some are reporting and/or are finding the vehicles harder to integrate the buses into the company they may well see them as less successful and look to swap with types they are more comfortable with. It is looking increasingly unlikely that hybrids will even get the upfront cost differential low enough to become a realistic straight commercial proposition but they have provided a stepping stone to full electric vehicles that are coming on stream that due to their very low running costs may do so for urban operators in the future. I assume First Leeds and First Manchester weren't impressed with their batch, as most operator's would of ordered more, neither have so far, rumour Manchester will use B5LH Hybrids on the Leigh guided bus way, but will these be brand new or Manchesters current, or even Leeds' s? |
|
|
|
Post by MetrolineGA1511 on Jul 12, 2015 21:31:58 GMT 1
The Volvo B5LHs for the Leigh busway will be new. These will be the 20 among the corporate order announced last month.
|
|
|
|
Post by js12345678910 on Jul 12, 2015 22:40:09 GMT 1
Will the versas be coming back?
|
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jul 13, 2015 6:55:24 GMT 1
Will the versas be coming back? I was at the races on Friday and at least 49906 & 49908 were on the 59. |
|
|
|
Post by js12345678910 on Jul 13, 2015 7:35:34 GMT 1
Will the versas be coming back? I was at the races on Friday and at least 49906 & 49908 were on the 59. Right well maybe some are back. |
|
|
|
Post by dwarfer1979 on Jul 13, 2015 8:38:52 GMT 1
I assume First Leeds and First Manchester weren't impressed with their batch, as most operator's would of ordered more, neither have so far, rumour Manchester will use B5LH Hybrids on the Leigh guided bus way, but will these be brand new or Manchesters current, or even Leeds' s? There is a difference between liking or not liking a bus type and being able to justify buying them from a business perspective, just because they haven't ordered any more hybrids doesn't mean that they have issues with them as vehicles it could just mean the financials don't stack up. Hybrids are still very expensive from an up-front cost perspective which makes choosing them from a basic financial perspective difficult (extra quality like part of a partnership deal or launch of new facilities like a Busway can offer additional justification to tip the scales) and future costs like battery life are still a little uncertain which makes the running costs a little unclear. If money were no object I'm sure many operators would be buying hybrids or heavyweight designs from the likes of Volvo, Scania or Mercedes but the much cheaper (both up-front purchase costs & on-going running costs) lighter-weight models from Wright, ADL & Optare dominate the UK market as they can do the job to the necessary level and offer much bigger savings over these heavier European models. |
|
