12 April 2012

Not Wright

Its ironic that the new Citybus Wright bodied buses have replaced the only other Wright bodied buses in the fleet. As an enthusiast I quite liked them. The Wright body is a nice clean design and makes a pleasant change to the all conquering Pointer body. As a passenger I didn't like them one bit, and I have yet to find a driver who liked them either! Plymouth Citybus R402FFC
©Brian George seen before preparation for service back in July 2010. They were not here long at all!
Plymouth Citybus 214 R401FFC 15 December 2010
December 2010
Plymouth Citybus 215 R402FFC
Plymouth Citybus 216 R408FFC
216 was in use as a Driver Trainer at the end of March. You may recognise the photo from the post on 1st April!

Elsewhere on the net

  • A tip-off in an e-group, plus conversations at the BVBG Running Day saw me turning up on the outskirts of Keynsham the following Tuesday after the Flowers Hill event for a real treat for any Bristol Lodekka fan, a near two hour ride to Wells on an LD6G, in service. Transport Illustrated
  • The Metro Years: 2002 Fylde Bus Blog
  • We are thus left with an age-old an unresolvable debate. Do we congratulate First for an imaginative and somewhat simplified new network with re-instated cross-City links. OR will there be fury and frustration from folk from day one when they can't find "their" bus? Public Transport Experience
  • Yesterday, Go Ahead announced that its new Plymouth City Bus managing director would be none other than the commercial director of Stagecoach South West, Richard Stevens. That’s not just an interesting appointment but a good one. Quite a catch, in fact. Omnibuses
  • In two Sundays time, the Fareham - Gosport Bus Rapid Transit link (BRT) opens up for service. With this in mind, I went out this morning to capture some shots which may have some historical value one day. Southern England Bus Scene

16 comments:

  1. I liked them. Used to be on the 152 a bit!

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  2. i used to drive these darts in oxford and to be blunt they where crap. when you drove b10ble and citaro all day a spear or rest day on 6's meant a spell driving them and a prayer when you booked on that one was off the road and you got a desent bus instead.the greatest day in the garage was when the 13 got citaro's and most of the batch went to brum leaving us with 3 for the 6 which are now in plymouth.cramped cab sluggish to drive and rattled like nowbodies business sum them up best.

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  3. Does anyone know why the 5 and 5A seem to have lost the leather seated Enviros in recent weeks ?

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  4. It's part of the new buses.

    The new Wrights took over the 43.

    The 43 Citaro's went on the 8/9.

    The Darts from the 8/9 went on the 5/5A.

    The Enviro's went on the 43B/29.

    Citybus want the entire "Milehouse" corridor to be modern buses, even the 152 has an Eviro.

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  5. 152 was a B7 this morning

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  6. Thanks for that. I wonder if this could this be an indication of Citybus intending to pull out of Plymstock and thus finally just about putting an end to the 2009 bus war that developed between First and the City Council owned Citybus (as it was then)?

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  7. From what I saw the 03-reg Transbus Darts that were on the 8/9 went on the 42, on Thursday 5th I saw 3 out of 4 42s, being 63,68, and 70, though that was just one day in town, next time I'm in I'll have another look. Having said that everything below is based on one day in town, so some of it could just be 'unusual workings'.

    The 08-reg Enviros do seem to be on the 29/43B now,

    I saw 72 and 74 on the 5/A.

    8 and 9 had a mix of Citaros and T-reg SPDs; just as the 43 did. 417 was on some of the duties on the 9 though.

    16 - seems to have lost it's deckers! I saw 73 (I think),57, and 79 on it.

    Plympton buses remain unchanged.

    27 - Following the withdrawal of 214,215 and 216 the 27 seems to be handled by similar buses to the 28/A; N/R/S-reg darts or 54-reg Alexander Dennis pointers.

    42 - As mentioned this seems to be the 30-reg Transbus darts.

    I can understand why Citybus wants the Milehouse-St Budeaux corridor to all be modern buses though, a bonus if you live along there!

    I personally think the novelty of the 5/A to Plymstock has well and truly worn off, I certainly don't see anywhere near as many people on them as I did a year ago.

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  8. With Plymstock I think First D&C have been very price competitive as well as having more buses that serve the area. If you are a daily commuter from Plymstock, Elburton or Staddiscombe the Firstmonth Plymstock ticket at £32 is excellent value. Whether or not this would continue should Citybus cancel the 5/5A would be another question

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  9. 214/215 and 216 were without doubt the worst buses ive ever driven in my 5 years driving buses! Glad to see the back of them, lost count of the number of times they broke down extremly unreliable. 215 did go very well up the hills though oddly!!

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  10. 214/215 and 216 were without doubt the worst buses ive ever driven in my 5 years driving buses! Glad to see the back of them, lost count of the number of times they broke down extremly unreliable. 215 did go very well up the hills though oddly!!

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  11. yes 215 was a flyer and the cab window never rattled. only thing that did was your takings in the cash tray!
    deckers taken off service 16 to improve reliability, after customer feedback.

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  12. I knew I'd heard somewhere that the double-decks were taken off the 16 to improve reliability! The recent Pennycomequick roadworks also did it no favours!

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  13. Keep your eyes peeled for a Volvo B10BLE Wright Renown 66106 currently in service on a 86

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  14. Thanks Rob - will look out for it!

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  15. 66106 - Did Some 2's. 41291 - 5's Today (14th)

    62949's been 'Troublesome' to Say the Least. 48232's on Restricted Working (3s) due to Suspension Issues.

    Reliability among Marshall SLF's is shady to say the Least

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  16. Forgot to Add, F&DC are Currently 'Chronically' Short of Buses!

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