As 2017 draws to a close, time for our annual review on peoples thoughts of the year gone with regard to the local bus scene.
Questions are the same as the last few years, please feel free to answer as many questions as you like (if you can't think of answers for them all that is okay!) and post your thoughts - I will post my own shortly
1 - Who was the best company of the year?
2 - Who was the worst company of the year?
3 - Which North West depot do you think made the most progress in 2017?
(This can be any depot located in the North West region)
4 - What bus(es) were the best delivery to a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses to a company/depot that may have already been in use!)
5 - What withdrawn bus(es) were the hardest goodbye from a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses that left a company/depot, even if they're still in use elsewhere!)
6 - Which bus(es) looked the smartest during the year?
7 - What was the rarest sighting of the year?
8 - What was the biggest surprise in the industry of the year?
9 - What was the biggest disappointment in the industry of the year?
10 - What bus was the best during the year?
11 - What bus was the worst during the year?
12 - What bus(es) are you most looking forward to in 2018?
13 - What bus(es) would you like to see in the North West in 2018?
1 - Who was the best company of the year?
Link Network - Nice to see some competing on the 329 service
2 - Who was the worst company of the year?
Express Motors for reasons that am sure everyone on here know
3 - Which North West depot do you think made the most progress in 2017?
(This can be any depot located in the North West region)
Stagecoach Chester - More Deckers into the fleet
4 - What bus(es) were the best delivery to a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses to a company/depot that may have already been in use!)
Stagecoach Preston X2 Scanias
5 - What withdrawn bus(es) were the hardest goodbye from a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses that left a company/depot, even if they're still in use elsewhere!)
The Renowns, although there are still 3 left in use they no longer go near my house!
6 - Which bus(es) looked the smartest during the year?
UK Coachways have made a grand effort
7 - What was the rarest sighting of the year?
A Stagecoach Gillmoss Eclipse on the last 10A of the night!
8 - What was the biggest surprise in the industry of the year?
Cumfybus buying a large number of Buses, I think once they are all painted and in use over 50 percent of their fleet will be hybrids!
9 - What was the biggest disappointment in the industry of the year?
The new Arriva Livery, except on the Pulsars i dont like it at all!
10 - What bus was the best during the year?
Cumfybus Wright Gemini 1 LX05 FAK, That thing flys up hills like they are flat land!
11 - What bus was the worst during the year?
HTL Buses DK08 AYV, The rattles from that bus are disgusting
12 - What bus(es) are you most looking forward to in 2018?
Would not mind having a go of one of Cumfybuses Tempo Hybrids
13 - What bus(es) would you like to see in the North West in 2018?
Unsure!
1 - Who was the best company of the year?
I'm biased but Stagecoach Merseyside, Cheshire & South Lancashire due to continued investment in their fleet, lots of new double deckers once again at all four depots.
2 - Who was the worst company of the year?
I don't think any company was 'bad' really!
3 - Which North West depot do you think made the most progress in 2017?
(This can be any depot located in the North West region)
Stagecoach MCSL Gillmoss Depot (again, I'm biased!) lots more new double deckers such that most of the main routes get deckers a lot of the time and on Sundays almost everything gets deckers! Lets hope the investment continues with even more!
4 - What bus(es) were the best delivery to a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses to a company/depot that may have already been in use!)
Stagecoach Chester 80035 DF66AEC Merecedes Sprinter/Mellor Strata....
Well, maybe not but it is unusual! I'd have to say a tie between the Gold Enviro400MMCs at Rock Ferry, the new Scania/Enviro400MMCs at Preston or the BYD/Enviro200MMCs at Green Lane.
5 - What withdrawn bus(es) were the hardest goodbye from a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses that left a company/depot, even if they're still in use elsewhere!)
Perhaps an unusual one but HTL Buses V980XUB, sad to see this one go
6 - Which bus(es) looked the smartest during the year?
I'd have to say the Stagecoach Gold Enviro400MMCs but the Arriva Green Lane BYD/Enviro200MMCs look great too.
7 - What was the rarest sighting of the year?
A few I know of, more so from driving buses but the most random one I know of is of Stagecoach Gillmoss 24134 PO59HXZ MAN 18.240/ADL Enviro300 on route 135 on 14/03/2017 ably driven by one of our forum members! Only time it happened and I still don't know how he got it around the route lol
I swapped it for Optare Solo 47710 MX54YZT when I took over lol
Stagecoach Cumbria open top Volvo B5L/Wright Gemini 3 13802 BV17CTF doing a day on 82/86 on 25/07/2017 and later Preston route 2 must go down as rare though - certainly didn't expect that until a few days before hand
8 - What was the biggest surprise in the industry of the year?
The Arriva strike I would say - didn't think it would go on as long as it did.
9 - What was the biggest disappointment in the industry of the year?
Reduction of some contract services which maybe are required even if they aren't "viable" economically
Lack of development also in more bus priorities, bus lanes, traffic light priorities, red routes etc
10 - What bus was the best during the year?
Volvo B5L/Wright Gemini 3 13802 BV17CTF was a very nice bus but I like all Enviro400MMCs of all types so all of those too!
11 - What bus was the worst during the year?
Can't think of one really
12 - What bus(es) are you most looking forward to in 2018?
More Enviro400MMCs!
13 - What bus(es) would you like to see in the North West in 2018?
Electric Enviro400MMCs - if they can be made to work as well as normal diesel ones
You beat me to it this year Steve - lol. Anyway here's my answers before I go off to celebrate the New Year
1 - Who was the best company of the year?
This year I'm going with Stagecoach Merseyside. They've invested in a lot of much needed double deckers this year as well as bringing up four from South West for the X8
2 - Who was the worst company of the year?
I can't think of one
3 - Which North West depot do you think made the most progress in 2017?
Arriva Green Lane. More much needed double deckers on busy routes and the allocation of Green Lane's decker fleet has generally been very good on the whole
4 - What bus(es) were the best delivery to a company of the year?
Arriva's Volvo B5LHs. These are extremely nice buses and I personally think they're the best deckers Arriva have bought for the area
5 - What withdrawn bus(es) were the hardest goodbye from a company of the year?
The Myllenniums from Green Lane. Far from perfect but they were something different at a depot which has become increasingly standardised in the past few years
6 - Which bus(es) looked the smartest during the year?
Arriva's new hybrids. I initially really didn't like the body design but I've really grown to like it
7 - What was the rarest sighting of the year?
A Volvo B5LH on the 7
8 - What was the biggest surprise in the industry of the year?
I'd have to go for Network Warrington placing a larger order than was initially expected
9 - What was the biggest disappointment in the industry of the year?
I really feel Arriva's rebrand has been a big disappointment. The new livery family looks alright but it isn't exactly an improvement on the smart livery family it has replaced
10 - What bus was the best during the year?
Green Lane's 2590. In my view the best low floor single decker the depot has ever had
11 - What bus was the worst during the year?
Can't really pick one out this year
12 - What bus(es) are you most looking forward to in 2018?
Network Warrington's new Enviro200s
13 - What bus(es) would you like to see in the North West in 2018?
More Enviro400s for Arriva's 53 and 68 and Stagecoach's 82/86 to fully convert both routes instead of the mixed allocation it has at the moment due to interworking. Out of the three routes I personally think the latter is the most likely. I'd also like to see more BYD D9URs too. Green Lane's batch are really good buses even if they're a bit small at busy times. I think they'd be ideal for the St Helens or Southport local services - but other than those I can't really think of anything else they'd be suited to
1 - Who was the best company of the year?
Vision maybe for their investment in buses. Secondhand but it's investment in the company.
Cumfybus for their hybrid purchases.
Stagecoach is definitely a contender for their continued investment in double deckers in the north west. Not forgetting how well they reacted to Arriva's strikes.
2 - Who was the worst company of the year?
Arriva? Investing in too few Merc Mellor Stratas, the strikes, the livery, etc, etc.
Express Motors isn't a company I'm familiar with but one to look into when I get time.
3 - Which North West depot do you think made the most progress in 2017?
(This can be any depot located in the North West region)
Vision is like to say but are we including independents?
Blackpool isn't a place I've been but a place to go when I've learnt more about Blackpool Transport.
Transdev Burnley for their Cityzap and investment in Optare Versas.
4 - What bus(es) were the best delivery to a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses to a company/depot that may have already been in use!)
LK66GPF I thoroughly enjoyed my ride on this Wright Streetair even if I had to be out at the crack of dawn for it.
5 - What withdrawn bus(es) were the hardest goodbye from a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses that left a company/depot, even if they're still in use elsewhere!)
The B10's! I've posted before regarding 2711's originality. I was surprised to see the the St. Helens depot contact number on its rear end while I was in Chester and again in Birkenhead.
I was extremely surprised to read 2712 had been involved in an RTC with a field close to Moss Bank Hotel in St. Helens. I caught this just 24 hours earlier and manage a picture at Leigh.
6 - Which bus(es) looked the smartest during the year?
Blackpool Transport's Enviro 400 Citys
7 - What was the rarest sighting of the year?
Pass
8 - What was the biggest surprise in the industry of the year?
D Jones suddenly cease trading, Arriva North West's Strata investments and strikes, Diamond's expansion.
I can't pick one.
9 - What was the biggest disappointment in the industry of the year?
Arriva, their livery and branding. Very much like Marmite.
10 - What bus was the best during the year?
LK66GPF very nice ride.
11 - What bus was the worst during the year?
My first ride on Stagecoach's Gold Enviro400 MMC branded for 471/472 was from Birkenhead - Heswall. I can't remember the fleetneber but it rattled all the way to Heswall. Luckily the Gold bus back was a much better ride.
12 - What bus(es) are you most looking forward to in 2018?
Enviro's are everywhere. 200's, 300's and 400's. MMC's and City's currently in manufacture and I'm not a lover of them because of how common they are. The only thing however for this is Network Warrington's new fleet of Enviro200's. I can't think of anything else.
13 - What bus(es) would you like to see in the North West in 2018?
Streetairs in St. Helens. More ecofreindly buses in the wider Liverpool City Region (NOT OPERATING IN LIVERPOOL). Too much thought goes on the mass and elsewhere is a dumping ground.
1. Blackpool Transport for their massive investment and rapid fleet overhaul.
2. Hard one this but I'm going for Merseytravel, I know it's not strictly a bus company, but their failure to act on the problems Avon had earlier in the year leaving many stranded on the Wirral especially.
3. Blackpool again with new new deliveries and orders in it's bus and tram fleet.
4. Award shared between Wrexham's Enviro 400 Cities and Preston's X2 Scanias.
5. The 2700s from Arriva hands down. The last proper heavyweight single decks.
6. The 4800 Volvo B5LHs from Arriva. If the Preston Scanias had have Gold they would have won this one.
7. I'm biased but 4101 making an appearance on the 49 in Southport on Christmas Eve the only time a B7/Alex made it onto that route.
8. Rossendale Transport selling out to Transdev or First closing Bury.
9. Arriva's new image. What a missed opportunity.
10. The Enviro 400City demonstrator used on Slabtrack earlier in the year.
11. Some of Cumfy's Solos. Their condition and presentation was appalling. Most withdrawn or soon to be.
12. Blackpool's next deliveries.
13. New high spec deckers for the 47 akin to the Wrexham Cities and Preston X2. The Pulsars on it are 8 years old March and this should be a flagship route being 25 miles long.
(31/12/2017 21:43)buses7675 Wrote: [ -> ]As 2017 draws to a close, time for our annual review on peoples thoughts of the year gone with regard to the local bus scene.
Questions are the same as the last few years, please feel free to answer as many questions as you like (if you can't think of answers for them all that is okay!) and post your thoughts - I will post my own shortly
1 - Who was the best company of the year?
Howards / Springfield - Continue to just get on with it - reliably
2 - Who was the worst company of the year?
Arriva North West - a runaway winner
3 - Which North West depot do you think made the most progress in 2017?
(This can be any depot located in the North West region)
No one overall
4 - What bus(es) were the best delivery to a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses to a company/depot that may have already been in use!) - Blackpool Enviro400 Citys
5 - What withdrawn bus(es) were the hardest goodbye from a company of the year?
(This includes new and old buses that left a company/depot, even if they're still in use elsewhere!) - None really, now everything is low floor
6 - Which bus(es) looked the smartest during the year? - The Cambridge Park & Ride E400MMCs, but they weren't staying.
7 - What was the rarest sighting of the year?
The first time I saw a Strata Van on the 130. Graphically demonstrating the death throes of a so called Sapphire service. Now of course common on Sundays.
8 - What was the biggest surprise in the industry of the year?
Lancashire CC putting money back into supported services
9 - What was the biggest disappointment in the industry of the year?
Poor quality councils still failing to support services, who can only see the 'numbers' and not the impact
10 - What bus was the best during the year?
E400City
11 - What bus was the worst during the year?
Strata Van
12 - What bus(es) are you most looking forward to in 2018?
One's that actually run, considering all the cuts Cheshire East (and others) are about to make
13 - What bus(es) would you like to see in the North West in 2018?
More E400Citys, probably the best of all of the current modern designs from a passenger point of views (driver opinion might differ)
(02/01/2018 08:40)dca529x Wrote: [ -> ]More E400Citys, probably the best of all of the current modern designs from a passenger point of views (driver opinion might differ)
I've never driven a City but the cabs/driving conditions appear the same as any other MMC so I certainly approve, very nice buses!