Merc / Mellor v Solo

[77syk7]

Only just started going out and about again, so thought it was time to try out one of these rather garishly painted midibuses of the 84-89 batch which are running around in Calderdale.
I just had a shortish ride from Halifax to Sowerby Bridge on the 561, returning on a 577 to Halifax - but long enough to form an opinion and get an impression.
I found the Mercedes / Mellors on the plus side to have:-
* a bright welcoming interior with attractive seats
* the constantly displayed next stop list with announcements would be useful for those unfamiliar with the route
* the bus had plenty of power climbing the hills - helped by the favourable power / weight ratio (160 bhp for an UW of less than 4 tons)
However on the minus side, I found:-
* only 7 seats out of 27 on the low entry level - you had to climb up 2 steps to reach most of the seats
* the main criticism was the ride - jerky, bouncy and rattles already developing. None of this will be helped by the short wheelbase resulting in a long overhang at the rear and the body just looks too big for the chassis at all angles plus the bus has small wheels.
* obviously designed for our narrow roads, the bus just seemed too flimsy and not the feeling and security of a 'proper bus'
* the driver seemed to have limited visibility out of the front sharply sloped windscreen
* I personally do not think the exterior styling of this bus looks like it was built in 2021 - particularly the uninspiring rear view.

A ride back on the 534 to Northowram was on one of the usual Solos (No 184) and I am well aware there are difference between the various Solos owned by Team Pennine - but this bus felt lighter and airy with a more accessible interior than the Mercs. Most importantly, I felt to be riding in a stronger bus with a far superior ride.
Comments please and I would be particularly interested to hear comments from the driver's perspective. Maybe I am being a little harsh on these new 'pink machines'!

[stevieinselby]

Feb 1, 2022 17:20:08 GMT 1 77syk7 said:

Only just started going out and about again, so thought it was time to try out one of these rather garishly painted midibuses of the 84-89 batch which are running around in Calderdale.
I just had a shortish ride from Halifax to Sowerby Bridge on the 561, returning on a 577 to Halifax - but long enough to form an opinion and get an impression.
I found the Mercedes / Mellors on the plus side to have:-
* a bright welcoming interior with attractive seats
* the constantly displayed next stop list with announcements would be useful for those unfamiliar with the route
* the bus had plenty of power climbing the hills - helped by the favourable power / weight ratio (160 bhp for an UW of less than 4 tons)
However on the minus side, I found:-
* only 7 seats out of 27 on the low entry level - you had to climb up 2 steps to reach most of the seats
* the main criticism was the ride - jerky, bouncy and rattles already developing. None of this will be helped by the short wheelbase resulting in a long overhang at the rear and the body just looks too big for the chassis at all angles plus the bus has small wheels.
* obviously designed for our narrow roads, the bus just seemed too flimsy and not the feeling and security of a 'proper bus'
* the driver seemed to have limited visibility out of the front sharply sloped windscreen
* I personally do not think the exterior styling of this bus looks like it was built in 2021 - particularly the uninspiring rear view.

A ride back on the 534 to Northowram was on one of the usual Solos (No 184) and I am well aware there are difference between the various Solos owned by Team Pennine - but this bus felt lighter and airy with a more accessible interior than the Mercs. Most importantly, I felt to be riding in a stronger bus with a far superior ride.
Comments please and I would be particularly interested to hear comments from the driver's perspective. Maybe I am being a little harsh on these new 'pink machines'!

I've only ridden one Strata, and that was for a fairly short distance around Keighley. Agreed about the oomph for climbing hills, it felt like a proper little pocket rocket! Also agreed about the dismal back end, although I'm not sure there are many buses that look particularly appealing from the rear view ... the phrase "looks like the back end of a bus" is never meant as a compliment 😁

On an urban route, the worst thing about the ride was that the very narrow track (and double rear wheels?) meant that it really bounced over speed cushions, there was no straddling at all, it might as well have been a full width hump, and I'm sure the longer rear overhang on the Ribble and Pennine models will make that even worse. In my view, the shorter models used in Keighley look better proportioned, although still a bit like someone has built a bus on a car chassis.

I wonder how they will fare over time. Transdev have shown a lot of faith buying 34 of them across the various divisions, time will tell what the longevity of the buses is like, if they hold together better than minibuses have traditionally done or if they are dead and ready for scrap in half the time of a regular bus.

[westyorkshirebus]

Only one I’ve travelled on was one of the Ribble Country ones, and I agree that the ride was certainly lively, whether that was over the speed humps in Nelson or the potholed roles out in the country, you really bounced up and down over every one.

Whereas Transdev have done well to make them look decent, at the end of the day they are barely any better than the sort of minibus TJ Walsh used to use, and I imagine they’ll be a case of 10 years and then mostly scrapped.

[SCH117X]

Have they actually bought them or are they leased?

[Username]

Feb 1, 2022 22:20:31 GMT 1 SCH117X said:

Have they actually bought them or are they leased?

They were Tailor made for Calderdale. However, I think they could have gone for bigger wheels as the huge overhang and the weels cause the buses to jiggle around, especially considering a lot of Calderdale Roads have not been resurfaced for 10 years. For example, Willowfield Estate that the 577 Halifax-Boulderclough-Hubberton service runs through. As well as this, Hopwood Lane isn't the best for 546 with all the speed bumps and the pot holes.

[SCH117X]

Doesn't mean they are not leased though, the 06 reg Gemini to the then full 36 spec was leased and consequenty went off lease rather than being rebuilt as per the owned 53 reg ones.

[westyorkshirebus]

And when they say they were ‘tailor made’, that’s just Transdev speak for meaning they’ve given them a decent spec so they look less bread van like.