More new buses for Leeds

[riclam]

Staright from the horses mouth:

www.firstgroup.com/newsdetail.php?id=000079

I wonder what crap Leeds will be lumbered with now, something with an english body would be too much to ask for these days

[hfx]

Leeds has good double deck fleet, but I think it's time the single deckers started arriving! - I hope they get some 100+ single Deck B7RLEs for Leeds, Like First in Manchester and Glasgow have recieved in the past. Might look obvious with all them darts to leave the fleet(?).

[riclam]

theres no point buying single deckers if more people are to use buses! them darts are dreadful, hope they dont replace the dual door olympians though

[hfx]

Yes but doubles aren't a sucess for every route!

Well, could do with a mix of doubles and singles..

[riclam]

probably will be a mix especially to replace darts, i remember when the only full size single deckers in Leeds were Nationals, only last 15 years they have been large numbers in leeds fleet.

[rossbailey]

Hi

Anyone know what routes the 28 new single deck Volvo Eclipses for which First Leeds are about to receive? And for which Garage's

[deano]

some more!!!
there never stop with these new buses
soon all the buses are goin to be the same shape and size
and will be a gemini or eclipse

[kendall17]

deano said:

some more!!!
there never stop with these new buses
soon all the buses are goin to be the same shape and size
and will be a gemini or eclipse

well to make most buses up to scratch with disabled access etc it has to be done. the wrights have done a good job but i see your point and our fleet wont have much character

[Craig]

At some point years ago people probably said similar things about the Roe-bodied AN68s. And now most of us would probably like the idea of them still being here. Its all swings and roundabouts really.

Fast forward 20 years or so and if this forum is still in place I dare say there will be several threads mourning the loss of the Geminis and Eclipses, and people trying to get a couple into preservation!

[jackh]

I don't think they will last 20 years really! Look at the 2004 batch, I hate to say it but they are not in a pleasant state!

[jackh]

rossbailey said:

Hi

Anyone know what routes the 28 new single deck Volvo Eclipses for which First Leeds are about to receive? And for which Garage's

Ross, I think it's Cherry Row who are recieving these for Scott Halls and the 37! But I think they're displacing the L113CRLs and some L94s to another First company.

[Craig]

Ok, maybe I was being a little optimistic about the Wright buses' expected life spans! But my point still stands!

About time the Scott Halls got some new buses; when the busway was first developed wasn't the idea for them to be updated every few years?

[jackh]

Good point especially the 35, 45 and 47 which serve highly affluential areas of Leeds on the northern ends of the routes. You would of thought First would want to maintain a clean image up there.

[jabbott1987]

The 07 reg ones are supposed to be taking over the Biege Line soon.

[pub146g]

jackh said:

I don't think they will last 20 years really! Look at the 2004 batch, I hate to say it but they are not in a pleasant state!

The problem nowadays is that the materials used by coachbuilders are just not durable. I remember some comments made at the Motor Show in 2001 when the Gemini first appeared and some visitors thought the interior looked "very plasticy".

It's not just Wright's though, most manufacturers are having to use plastics in the quest to make buses lighter and more fuel efficient but the fact is it's not up to the job.

Passengers attitudes also need to change and not insist on putting their feet anywhere but the floor. Even professional looking people will march upstairs, sit at the front and promptly plonk their feet on the front bulkhead panelling. I've already noticed a couple of Cherry Row's new B9TL's with this panelling scuffed by shoes and this is after a couple of week's service so what they'll look like in 2028 I dread to think.

[pub146g]

leeds23 said:

About time the Scott Halls got some new buses; when the busway was first developed wasn't the idea for them to be updated every few years?

Correct! When 8449-8464 were new in '98 the opinion was that they would be replaced on those routes within 5 years.

Shame to see the back of the L113CRL's though, good buses with power when you need it. Not so with the L94UB's though which are more sluggish.

[Craig]

Are single deckers most appropriate for the Scott Halls or should deckers be used? I'm not as sure about the 35/45/47, but when I use the 71 it is often a full standing load (not bad for a service which for years used to only run half-hourly).

I know at the moment its a mixture of single and double deck buses, but its a bit worrying if *all* the duties are to be run by Eclipses (with less than 40 seats?).

[pub146g]

leeds23 said:

Are single deckers most appropriate for the Scott Halls or should deckers be used? I'm not as sure about the 35/45/47, but when I use the 71 it is often a full standing load (not bad for a service which for years used to only run half-hourly).

I know at the moment its a mixture of single and double deck buses, but its a bit worrying if *all* the duties are to be run by Eclipses (with less than 40 seats?).

I would probably say yes as the combined 35/45/47/71 provide a 5 minute headway between 07.30 & 18.20 over the common section of route from the City Centre to Potternewton Lane.

However there are times when a decker would be preferable, an example being some of the early morning 45's from Shadwell which can have a standing load before they've got to the end of Shadwell Lane! At the other end of the day, the 23.30 to Alwoodley can sometimes have a standing load by the time it's left Sheepscar WMC although a lot of these are only going a couple of stops and it's usually only on a Fri & Sat.

Incidentally, First Leeds recently conducted an online opinion poll of passengers preferred type of bus and one question was ' Is it better to have more seats available even if the majority are upstairs?' The result was Yes 163 ; No 172. The results of other questions also suggested that passengers would rather stand on a single decker than travel upstairs on a double. This was over the Leeds area and not just the routes on this topic.

Anyway I would say that even when the new buses are in service you will probably find B7TL's still appearing.

[leedslad01]

Why get new buses for the Scot Halls what about the current single deck buses such as the 91/46/ that currently use the Scania singels which arent very good and reliable.

[Craig]

The City to Potternewton Lane section is busy and deserves its 5-minute frequency, however the routes extend a lot further north. Even the 71 on its 10-min frequency is still busy certainly as far as Carr Manor/King Lane, and the others are half-hourly which I guess is adequate for off peak times.

On a similar note, for a long time I've been thinking the 35 and 45 should each be made every 20 mins in the daytime, and then the 71 extending alternate trips to Wigton Moor. This would give the outer termini a better frequency (remember in Alwoodley it was every 15 mins when the 34/34M/35 ran), also Wigton Moor would then have one consistent all day bus service. Just a thought!