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Post by guyarab on Dec 21, 2021 16:57:31 GMT 1
One bus that I loved in the AY fleet that has now gone was the Olympuses, they was fantastic buses. They were comfortable, the ride was excellent, they could go fast when needed. Superb buses, I loved them, really great buses. I still miss them to this day. I want the Olympuses back. Always had a soft spot for the Darwens. They were nice and comfy apart from the cramped cab. The brakes were also keen and grabby when new but were later sorted so they werent quite as harsh and were much better. They were fairly nippy until EcoNoSpeed was fitted. Sadly though they were plauged with minor electrical problems and leaking cabs. Still miss them. Penfold I don’t miss them one bit. Now even Leicester are moving them on; Oswestry has a couple.
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Post by mcbus123 on Dec 21, 2021 18:06:01 GMT 1
All of team Pennine Elland depot Orange Solos and Arriva painted Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointers 721 & 722
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Post by stephen01 on Dec 21, 2021 19:19:23 GMT 1
Gunna be bold but the ex Tiger Solo SRs are crap.
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Post by mutty on Dec 21, 2021 20:08:26 GMT 1
Gunna be bold but the ex Tiger Solo SRs are crap. They sure are and now we’re stumped with them 🤢
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joseph
Forum Member
Posts: 1,142
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Post by joseph on Dec 21, 2021 22:45:40 GMT 1
I personally like the commanders as they are steady away if driven nice and steady, however dislike the Pulsars as they seem too jerky and can't quite get the smooth uplift in power when changing down, depending on gear change they sometimes sound like they've ran over a cat. Worst bus of all has to be the B5 Hybrids (especially those operated by First I might dare to add) as they are too rattly for a start, never mind the not so good vibrations from the engine, noise of the engine, lack of downstairs seating and layout downstairs, sluggishness on hills and so on, total disaster zones on wheels.
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Post by stephen01 on Dec 21, 2021 23:58:26 GMT 1
I personally like the commanders as they are steady away if driven nice and steady, however dislike the Pulsars as they seem too jerky and can't quite get the smooth uplift in power when changing down, depending on gear change they sometimes sound like they've ran over a cat. Worst bus of all has to be the B5 Hybrids (especially those operated by First I might dare to add) as they are too rattly for a start, never mind the not so good vibrations from the engine, noise of the engine, lack of downstairs seating and layout downstairs, sluggishness on hills and so on, total disaster zones on wheels. Hybrids are better for routes that aren't always stopping and starting and with Arriva Yorkshire and First West Yorks (at least) that's not the case so are useless for effectiveness.
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Post by dwarfer1979 on Dec 22, 2021 10:27:08 GMT 1
I personally like the commanders as they are steady away if driven nice and steady, however dislike the Pulsars as they seem too jerky and can't quite get the smooth uplift in power when changing down, depending on gear change they sometimes sound like they've ran over a cat. Worst bus of all has to be the B5 Hybrids (especially those operated by First I might dare to add) as they are too rattly for a start, never mind the not so good vibrations from the engine, noise of the engine, lack of downstairs seating and layout downstairs, sluggishness on hills and so on, total disaster zones on wheels. Hybrids are better for routes that aren't always stopping and starting and with Arriva Yorkshire and First West Yorks (at least) that's not the case so are useless for effectiveness. Hybrids are entirely designed for stop-start routes, that is where they are most cost-effective, between regenerative braking topping up the batteries when they stop to running on electric when pulling away and/or at slow speeds. The parallel system on the Volvos is more flexible whilst the series system used by ADL is very much an urban stop-start system but both are most effective on more urban networks. That said there is a question about battery life which, particularly on the Volvos due to the parallel system being a diesel engine supplemented by an electric motor rather than an electric motor topped up by a diesel engine in the series system, may undermine that effectiveness as they become more reliant on the diesel motor as the batteries last less time before needing to be topped up where the less refined nature of the 5-litre engine used in the Volvo hybrids becomes more noticeable (but unlike the ADL system the Volvo system can still work fine with old batteries as it just means the diesel engine does a higher proportion of the work) so possibly as the batteries are getting towards the end of their peak usefulness of life the buses may need to be redeployed to routes more suited to one more suitable for a small diesel engined working. The problem with this broader question is that it is entirely subjective and will vary from person to person based on their experience with the vehicles (engineers will have a different view from a driver who will be different to a manager who will be different from a general passenger to an enthusiast which will vary from any other enthusiast) and it will also vary bus to bus, depot to depot and company to company due to differences in experience, specification and how they are cared for. It also depends on what you mean by "boring", for me the most boring bus is an Optare Versa as they are the main allocation through the housing estate I live on so I always get a ride on one (it is the most travelled on type over the last decade) but as a passenger I still quite like travelling on them as even older ones are quite good whereas Enviro 200's leave me quite cold (and I find early ones quite poor as a passenger).
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Post by cwtransportphotos on Dec 23, 2021 11:37:23 GMT 1
I personally like the commanders as they are steady away if driven nice and steady, however dislike the Pulsars as they seem too jerky and can't quite get the smooth uplift in power when changing down, depending on gear change they sometimes sound like they've ran over a cat. Worst bus of all has to be the B5 Hybrids (especially those operated by First I might dare to add) as they are too rattly for a start, never mind the not so good vibrations from the engine, noise of the engine, lack of downstairs seating and layout downstairs, sluggishness on hills and so on, total disaster zones on wheels. Hybrids are better for routes that aren't always stopping and starting and with Arriva Yorkshire and First West Yorks (at least) that's not the case so are useless for effectiveness. You got that the wrong way round.... Thats what they are designed for.
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