Worst bus you have been on?

[rodneytrotter]

What is the worst bus you've been on? Can be a specific batch of buses a company operates or bus types in general

For me, the Volvo Citybuses Arriva had, tired, old, damp, and leaked, it took step entrance to a new level, felt extremely high, uncomfortable ride.

Plaxton Prestige's Arriva had, slow, tired, uncomfortable, noisy, not the best of buses, and had a history of blowing themselves up.

Arriva's Mini e200s, gearbox is awful, extremely rattle, which makes you feel like your riding in a cattle truck

[pricel]

Do you mean overall or specific version? If you allow specific versions of vehicles.

Has to be TLC Travel's and South Pennine's EVMs, crammed legroom (even for short people!) low capacity and pretty annoying when 1 rocks up on the 900.

Any bus that has Urban 90 seating, don't really need to explain.

Any bus that has those seats seen on the KX14 batch of Solo SRs on Team Pennine, don't know what they're called. They are pretty uncomfortale also. 

And finally First Bradfords B9s and the ones we have at Halifax from Bradford, can't climb a hill for shite!

[rodneytrotter]

Apr 25, 2024 17:34:33 GMT 1 pricel said:

Do you mean overall or specific version? If you allow specific versions of vehicles.

Has to be TLC Travel's and South Pennine's EVMs, crammed legroom (even for short people!) low capacity and pretty annoying when 1 rocks up on the 900.

Any bus that has Urban 90 seating, don't really need to explain.

Any bus that has those seats seen on the KX14 batch of Solo SRs on Team Pennine, don't know what they're called. They are pretty uncomfortale also. 

And finally First Bradfords B9s and the ones we have at Halifax from Bradford, can't climb a hill for shite!

Either, I'll edit the original post to be more specific. 

[shelf81]

The old ALX300s that Arriva operated probably take first place for me as the worst vehicles, as they was rattle cans that felt like they could hardly get above 25MPH most of the time, same could be said for alot of Merc powered Optare Solos dating from the early 00s until around 2005 as well what come in at a close 2nd on my list.

Out of the current fleets, Team Pennines Mellors IMO have poor build quality compared to the smaller EVMs other operators use. Fleet No. 84 is probably the worst example, having caught it a couple of days ago with loose interior panels & poles rattling away everytime it stopped, almost felt like being back to the older Tiger days!

The Majority of E200s dating from 2007-2012, the Urban 90 seating fitted to most I can live with but the build quality from these years I find to be shocking with bits rattling or shaking about. I've noticed it on examples from across a number of fleets so must be a ADL build quality issue from those years.

The Ex- Arriva NW Pulsars that Yorkshire now have seem alot more worn out as well compared to batches new to Yorkshire & NE.

[rodneytrotter]

Apr 25, 2024 19:22:35 GMT 1 shelf81 said:

The old ALX300s that Arriva operated probably take first place for me as the worst vehicles, as they was rattle cans that felt like they could hardly get above 25MPH most of the time, same could be said for alot of Merc powered Optare Solos dating from the early 00s until around 2005 as well what come in at a close 2nd on my list.

Out of the current fleets, Team Pennines Mellors IMO have poor build quality compared to the smaller EVMs other operators use. Fleet No. 84 is probably the worst example, having caught it a couple of days ago with loose interior panels & poles rattling away everytime it stopped, almost felt like being back to the older Tiger days!

The Majority of E200s dating from 2007-2012, the Urban 90 seating fitted to most I can live with but the build quality from these years I find to be shocking with bits rattling or shaking about. I've noticed it on examples from across a number of fleets so must be a ADL build quality issue from those years.

The Ex- Arriva NW Pulsars that Yorkshire now have seem alot more worn out as well compared to batches new to Yorkshire & NE.

Forgot about those ALX300's, god they was horrid, I'd much preferred a strider or a Lynx turning up to an ALX300, back in the early-mid 2000s on a Castleford route. Strider might have had hard seating, but the ride was a lot better!

[Burnside]

Yorkshire Traction Dodge or First Bradford (ex-CityLine) Mercedes L608D - Both horrid little rotboxes.

Any First bus from around 2000 onwards that had the concrete coved in fabric seats or any bus with Urban 90's.

[pricel]

As much as I love a Mellor Strata for giggles, most passengers probably won't agree. The suspension is awful, the wheels are too small for the base which is probably what makes the vehicle's ride quality similar to that of a pogo stick.

[rodneytrotter]

Apr 25, 2024 20:55:28 GMT 1 Burnside said:

Yorkshire Traction Dodge or First Bradford (ex-CityLine) Mercedes L608D - Both horrid little rotboxes.

Any First bus from around 2000 onwards that had the concrete coved in fabric seats or any bus with Urban 90's.

Those concrete covered fabric seats reminds me of those seats in those class 142 pacers, you know the ones that got fitted with a flipdot display and had a refurb in about 2000, and in that refurb, those horrible seats got put in with no padding or leg room.

[Father Dougal McGuire]

Volvo B7L Eclipses! HATED these with a flaming passion. Only decent ones I drove were 60896 and 66325.

Scania Solar 62355 also. Should have been scrapped years ago. Stiff accelerator pedal, non existent suspension and spongey floor. Disgusting thing.

61041 horrible Floline stiff accelerator and cab seat was not inline with steering wheel.

[WYBS]

I remember having a Ladies Only Travel Plaxton Primo on the 781 when they ran it. Worst bus I've ever been on by a country mile. I have no idea of the identity of said-bus.

[rodneytrotter]

Apr 26, 2024 1:00:35 GMT 1 WYBS said:

I remember having a Ladies Only Travel Plaxton Primo on the 781 when they ran it. Worst bus I've ever been on by a country mile. I have no idea of the identity of said-bus.

I think that sums up Plaxton Primo's in general, cheap, nasty, horrid, little things, really only independents got them because they was cheap. Big companies wouldn't touch them

[mattb7tl]

Streetlites, but with a cummins engine.
They aggressively vibrated brand new and it has somehow managed to get worse. I love the daimlers on the other hand, although with bad maintenance they can suffer with the same issues, but not as bad. The cummins ones seem fundamentally flawed. It's no wonder they got discontinued. 

[joseph]

Nothing could ever beat the slowness of one of those Iveco minibuses that Yorkshire Rider had in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield. Quickstep Travel I think gained a few as well for Wharfedale routes so god knows how they managed round Ilkley!

[Father Dougal McGuire]

Apr 26, 2024 21:46:23 GMT 1 mattb7tl said:

Streetlites, but with a cummins engine.
They aggressively vibrated brand new and it has somehow managed to get worse. I love the daimlers on the other hand, although with bad maintenance they can suffer with the same issues, but not as bad. The cummins ones seem fundamentally flawed. It's no wonder they got discontinued. 

Not bad mantainence it was the fact the engine mounts were inferior straight from factory.

[tinrocket]

Apr 25, 2024 21:29:18 GMT 1 pricel said:

As much as I love a Mellor Strata for giggles, most passengers probably won't agree. The suspension is awful, the wheels are too small for the base which is probably what makes the vehicle's ride quality similar to that of a pogo stick.

Pretty sure I travelled on one of these on the 66 from Nelson to Clitheroe the other day, was rather lively over the hills!

[westyorkshirebus]

Apr 27, 2024 19:29:23 GMT 1 tinrocket said:

Apr 25, 2024 21:29:18 GMT 1 pricel said:

As much as I love a Mellor Strata for giggles, most passengers probably won't agree. The suspension is awful, the wheels are too small for the base which is probably what makes the vehicle's ride quality similar to that of a pogo stick.

Pretty sure I travelled on one of these on the 66 from Nelson to Clitheroe the other day, was rather lively over the hills!

I’ve done the same, back when it was a Transdev service, and like you say it was pretty bouncy. I was also the only one on which can’t have helped.

[pricel]

Apr 26, 2024 21:46:23 GMT 1 mattb7tl said:

Streetlites, but with a cummins engine.
They aggressively vibrated brand new and it has somehow managed to get worse. I love the daimlers on the other hand, although with bad maintenance they can suffer with the same issues, but not as bad. The cummins ones seem fundamentally flawed. It's no wonder they got discontinued. 

Thank goodness, thought it were just me who preferred the Daimler ones. The cummins ones are really annoying, they are sluggish, and have an annoying engine noise compared to the Daimler counterparts.

[rodneytrotter]

When a single decker appears on Stagecoach's 59, it truly is a painful journey for me especially on the e200s and e300s, I always have to sit sidewards with my feet, and hardly any leg room, when I get off at Wakefield from Barnsley, getting on a Arriva Commander or Pulsar, is basically like a luxury, as I have no leg room issues on any of these buses and the seats are good.

[joseph]

Talking of Stagecoach E200s, out of the area I know but there was some specifically used on the 65 Sheffield to Buxton service that were far too noisy, especially at speed.

[37057]

There was a batch of scania single deckers drafted in from Scotland at leeds bramley 52reg with red seats I didn't like felt like they was falling to bits you could see the floor moving.

[arriva1606]

Previously it was probably the B7TL President's arriva had with urban 90 seats, but now it probably is the B5LH's or mini E200s, those gearboxes are horrible

[joseph]

Another one for me is the B5LH because the seat layout isn't right and there are far too few seats downstairs, the Transdev B5s however have the right number of seats downstairs whilst allowing for prams/wheelchairs.

[rodneytrotter]

Am i the only one who likes the B5LH's Arriva have, I love them, much prefer them to the ADL Deckers they've got. I've always enjoyed the hybrds and found them comfortable.

Transdev's B5's aren't hybrids, their B5TL's.

[pricel]

Apr 28, 2024 14:59:58 GMT 1 rodneytrotter said:

Am i the only one who likes the B5LH's Arriva have, I love them, much prefer them to the ADL Deckers they've got. I've always enjoyed the hybrds and found them comfortable.

Transdev's B5's aren't hybrids, their B5TL's.

The ex Max 444 Hybrids are the better versions, and for me the chargers always seem to work really quickly compared to MMCs. Would much prefer these to any MMCs any day.

[Father Dougal McGuire]

Apr 27, 2024 23:01:23 GMT 1 37057 said:

There was a batch of scania single deckers drafted in from Scotland at leeds bramley 52reg with red seats I didn't like felt like they was falling to bits you could see the floor moving.

Did 65+ though in Mexico