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Post by westyorkshirebus on Dec 20, 2007 18:34:19 GMT 1
They added 4 buses into the loop when the lines merged and extended journey times which is why the lines now interwork at Middleton, because the arrivals and departures no longer matched up
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Post by jimbob90 on Dec 22, 2007 19:33:34 GMT 1
It will be interesting to see the merger of the lines, but knowing First they won't update the destination blinds for months
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Post by jackh on Dec 22, 2007 20:17:55 GMT 1
Well interesting point, I have seen 2/12 buses and the screens don't show Yellow Line or Green Line anymore. However don't show Red Line/Blue Line either yet as far as I'm aware.
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Post by jimbob90 on Dec 22, 2007 21:02:40 GMT 1
cool I imagine they will make the changes over the xmas break.
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Post by rossbailey on Dec 22, 2007 21:44:45 GMT 1
First Leeds (Kirkstall depto) Dennis Dart , Plaxton Pointer B40F. 3271 40640 N271JUM was on noted the 97 this afteroon packed to the rafter's on the A658 Harrogate road towrds Yeadon at 16:30
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Dec 22, 2007 22:03:08 GMT 1
Hopefully Atkinson Street will be built in a way to improve the allocations of branded vehicles, so you don't get vehicles blocked in unable to go on the alotted boards, that you presumably do at Cherry Row. Either that or they just don't care
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6u3zr
Forum Member
Posts: 48
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Post by 6u3zr on Dec 22, 2007 22:15:18 GMT 1
Frankly all of the above enforces my view that route branding is a nonsense.
Joe Public has lived for many many years with a route number in the front box. Occasionally it changes, and Joe Public adapts to that.
Do we hear Joe Public saying "I'll get the Iridescent Pink line home"? No - we hear Joe Public saying "I'll get the xx number home."
If you want a history of colour branding it was first introduced by Barrow Corporation in 1934 on their box blinds. There were, at that time, a lot of foreign workers in the Barrow shipyards and it was suggested that coloured blind backgrounds would help them find their way home.
It did'nt really work, and in 1959 Barrow went back to black and white.
Whilst I accept that West Yorkshire has a fair contingent of Eastern European emigrants at present, 4 means 4 in Krakow or Kirkstall and people intending to catch a bus will read it's frontal display before a jaded stripe on the side.
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Post by jackh on Dec 22, 2007 22:27:31 GMT 1
First Leeds (Kirkstall depto) Dennis Dart , Plaxton Pointer B40F. 3271 40640 N271JUM was on noted the 97 this afteroon packed to the rafter's on the A658 Harrogate road towrds Yeadon at 16:30 Take it that's a misallocation?
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Post by jackh on Dec 22, 2007 22:29:05 GMT 1
Hopefully Atkinson Street will be built in a way to improve the allocations of branded vehicles, so you don't get vehicles blocked in unable to go on the alotted boards, that you presumably do at Cherry Row. Either that or they just don't care From what I hear, Cherry Row was badly designed and suffers problems on an evening when buses are re-fueled. You have them parked up on adjacent roads waiting to go in.
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Post by jimbob90 on Dec 22, 2007 22:30:44 GMT 1
completely agree with you. companies put so much effort into route branding and then make a right mess of it. I can honestly say that the best company for route branding are Brighton and Hove who have the Metro branding. it looks great and is simple.
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Post by jackh on Dec 22, 2007 23:11:09 GMT 1
But branding is also seen as marketing tool for company advertising their product, the bus service. So the branding is not just aimed at passengers, but other people on the roads etc. Obviously the branded bus has to be on the right route for it to work.
First said that the branding used on Overground routes at Yorkshire West could of been responsible for increase patronage. That includes that fact that there were new buses too.
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Post by Craig on Dec 23, 2007 12:26:49 GMT 1
Every 2 or 12 I have seen up to yesterday is still showing Yellow and Green Lines on their displays. The only exceptions are 'short workings' - those that aren't running as a full circular - i.e. a 2 finishing shift at Middleton or Roundhay only shows the destination and not its line colour.
To add to the branding debate, it works if First make it work, i.e. the right buses on the right routes and also plenty of publicity. I wonder if many people wonder why exactly their bus is the Light Apple White Line because they've never seen or taken notice of the Overground map.
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Post by jimbob90 on Feb 10, 2008 15:48:53 GMT 1
At the moment the 2 is still Yellow Line and the 12 is still Green Line, anybody know when they are changing? I thought it would have been when the new B9's entered service or part of the January service changes. Although the 51/51A has only just started displaying Magenta Line nearly 2 years after the Black Prince takeover.
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Post by jackh on Feb 10, 2008 16:36:01 GMT 1
I suppose whenever the engineers of who ever is responsible for programming the equipment.
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Post by Craig on Feb 11, 2008 11:18:11 GMT 1
To say First are trying to persuade everyone that they are now the all-encompassing Red and Blue lines, you would think they would be trying to update the blinds as soon as possible, also where are the promised two ALX400s in overall advert! Even the Overground map on the website still shows them as Yellow and Green (as well as the 16 still terminating at Farsley), and also they have recently updated the network map - it has the new Red/Blue line colours but doesn't take into account the recent service changes...
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Post by jimbob90 on Mar 4, 2008 21:44:47 GMT 1
Got a first look at one of the B9 Gemini's carrying Red/Blue Line branding on the sides. Spotted it in Hunslet this evening.
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Post by Craig on Mar 8, 2008 0:37:29 GMT 1
I briefly saw this new branding today. Looks quite smart and tidy to say the routes it advertises are a bit complicated. None of the large smiling faces and patronising 'something to shout about' messages. It had the main destinations listed along the side upper deck windows and then the usual service number and saver ticket information panels in red and blue on the bodywork.
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Post by jack97 on Mar 8, 2008 8:46:07 GMT 1
has anyone got photos of these not managed to see one yet?
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Post by jackh on Mar 8, 2008 19:05:04 GMT 1
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Mar 8, 2008 21:43:32 GMT 1
I briefly saw this new branding today. Looks quite smart and tidy to say the routes it advertises are a bit complicated. None of the large smiling faces and patronising 'something to shout about' messages. It had the main destinations listed along the side upper deck windows and then the usual service number and saver ticket information panels in red and blue on the bodywork. I thought the complete opposite, look at the way the lettering has been applied, it is allover the place
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Post by Craig on Mar 8, 2008 22:24:06 GMT 1
Ok, on closer inspection I now accept its the usual half-hearted attempt at route branding that First use! It did look better when it zoomed past me in the street and I only noticed it at the last second!
The large centre circle of 2/3/3A, 12/13/13A does look messy (for a long time I've wondered if they can't tidy the routes up a little and drop the A suffixes), the upper deck text does look wonky especially on the first picture, and the lower panel route descriptions ignore Gledhow and instead show a fictional route (Roundhay-White Rose).
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Post by hfx on Mar 9, 2008 12:02:08 GMT 1
Where is the little coloured strip the goes along the bottom of lower deck screen? On the upper deck screen - The 'the red line' and 'the blue line' branding is good but looks a bit blank without the strip along the bottom.
Branding is OK but I have to admit it's not that good as I thought. For the sake of adverts, branding always seems to be compromised. I was actually thinking it would be like the 503/576, with a 50/50 red and blue colouring.
Also the destinations on every window just doesn't look right. It should have been down an offside window - like 508/363 are.
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Post by leedslad01 on Mar 9, 2008 19:33:33 GMT 1
It looks really good be better once all the branding is complete also they could do with Changing the destination screens at the same time they do the branding looks silly seeing 2 Roundhay Yellow Lane when it is saying on the bus 2 Roundhay Red Line.
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Post by westyorkshirebus on Mar 9, 2008 21:23:43 GMT 1
I don't like the destinations along the top windows, on the nearside they've skipped a window but on the offside they've overlapped across 2 windows, inconsistant
Plus you just know the destinations won't be replaced when the windows are broken and changed. It will look a right mess
Roundhay Leeds Ci Rose Centre
etc
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Post by Craig on Mar 20, 2008 20:05:22 GMT 1
First have already managed to sneak one of these newly branded buses on to the 37 today. May have been a colour blind member of staff who thought the red and blue vinyls were actually beige?
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