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The Presidents are also staying according to that Facebook page. Surely this means the VLWs, or at least some of them, are going? There are 33 buses to see off here and I don't see what else Birkenhead would be letting go.

How many VLWs are there vs. the requirement for Southport schools? Could these be the mooted stock despite having tachos I wonder...

Theres 3 vlw's i think,same amount as the presidents.

(20/04/2013 06:33)motormayhem Wrote: [ -> ]Theres 3 vlw's i think,same amount as the presidents.

There are six of them. Southport need five buses for school services, as far as I know.

Is it that Southport looked at the reliability of those 3 presidents and thought we dont want them , does Birkenhead manage to get all 3 of them out together on a regular basis these days ?

No apparently they are fitted with tachographs so are still needed by LS

I'm sure only 4002 is fitted with a tachograph, and this has never been in use on the Mersey Ferries, however it has been used on other Private Hire duties. I would think that all the VLWs would need to stay as the MF contract does require around 4-5 buses at some points in the year. I don't think the Hybrids would be a good idea going up and down the M62, not sure on what the top speed is for these but I don't think it's as fast as the VLW's or the long gone Palatine's.

Personally i think they should just get rid of the VLW's and Presidents and keep some more of the Enviro's and just fit in Tachographs. It'll probably just save time as the VLW's and Presidents will have to be replaced in 2 - 3 years and LS will have to find buses with Tachographs to replace them.

I think in three years time when those Presidents and VLW's come up for replacing it will be easier to replace them at Birkenhead where there used on a mixture of routes when not needed for the Rail Rreplacement and Mersey Ferry Contracts .

Nobody in there right mind would send a hybrid up the M62 now would they ?

(20/04/2013 10:31)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]Is it that Southport looked at the reliability of those 3 presidents and thought we dont want them , does Birkenhead manage to get all 3 of them out together on a regular basis these days ?

4002 is on the back wall with the front panels missing and no wayfarer, 4001 was over the pits last night, and 4000 parked up by the steam clean with no wayfarer, so as of yesterday all 3 off road.