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Pulsar 2 MX09 LYC (2942) was unusually on the 311 this morning.

All over advert Enviro400 was on the 62/A today as well as a DLA on the 311

DAF 4074 broke down yesterday on Knowsley Road presumably whilst working the 59, I seen it at about 5pm about to get towed away by RNW.

Bootle have pulsar 3107 it is working 53a right now

Too add to MPTE's post 3108 was on the 53.

So, it appears the unaccounted for Pulsars are for Bootle and the 53 then. Not altogether surprising, as the only Arriva QBP without a full allocation of compliant buses.

It would appear the days of a fair few of Bootle's Darts are numbered. Surely the remaining T-PNBs are gone, but the question is what else? I'd fancy the X-OBNs are gone too, which would be a shame as they're much, much better than the Marshalls and, by and large, the X-ANCs.

I think it might be some marshalls to go next as a lot of Bootles are utter sheds, not sure about the X-OBNs, they are better than the marshalls with the only real thing letting them down being the legroom on the seats particularly further back.

(12/09/2012 18:11)507009 Wrote: [ -> ]So, it appears the unaccounted for Pulsars are for Bootle and the 53 then. Not altogether surprising, as the only Arriva QBP without a full allocation of compliant buses.

It would appear the days of a fair few of Bootle's Darts are numbered. Surely the remaining T-PNBs are gone, but the question is what else? I'd fancy the X-OBNs are gone too, which would be a shame as they're much, much better than the Marshalls and, by and large, the X-ANCs.

I had T322 PNB (2322) on my 53A this morning, so, surprisingly, it must have been fixed after its breakdown on Thursday. With the T-PNBs being the oldest single-deckers in the depot (I can't believe that I've just typed that!), they'll probably go - very sad, really, because the other four are quite nice.

To be honest, the Marshalls are generally the worst buses in the depot's fleet at the moment. I say this with completer honesty - Urban-90s have made my 311 journeys bearable! The Marshalls that I've had recently have been very uncomfortable - V638 DVU (7638) and V660 DVU (7660) to be specific - but X228 ANC (2228), which I had twice today, was better-suited on the service, as was the few that I had last week. I really do hope that some of those Marshalls go, though. It'll be sad to see the remaining ALX200s leave Bootle because they're not bad and they've been here for most of their lives. We'll soon see!

Anyway... DAF/ALX400 T302 FGN (4062) started its day on the 59/61, despite being on the 58 this evening! Also, Liverpool Hope University-branded Enviro400 MX09 LXR (4432) was on the 311 this evening!

If you sit in the right place on an X-OBN, you should have a comfortable journey. I'm not a great lover of the Pratico seats, but at least on these they've worn in well unlike the Stagecoach Enviros where they are as stiff as a board. Their interiors are nice, but with P&P they would look superb.

The Marshalls are undoubtedly Bootle's worst buses, but their age will probably see them stick around a bit longer. I know Bootle want rid as soon as possible, but surely it's T-PNBs and X-OBNs first. The T-plates should be gone throughout Arriva North West by the end of the year.

I cant help thinking that the marshalls may go first, they are really showing their age now and ride quality is becoming pretty bad. If it is not them well it certainly won't be long anyway as in probably less than a year with the worst ones.