Original announcements on the Arriva site state they are for busway circulars, and the original GBF funding was stated to be for 10 MAN EcoCity gas buses for Busway circular routes. If you look in Buses magazine when the funding was announced, that also mentioned theyre for use on the busway :-) of course drivers have known about it for a while so word will have inevitably spread by word of mouth.
This was something I noticed when I had my first look around 5001, the entrance area between the wheelarch and the cab was rather narrow. This is despite the cab being big enough for the driver and a mate to bunk in together with room to spare! As what is stil a very new vehicle type, design flaws are expected, but something like such a narrow entrance area is quite a big oversight in the design IMO. At the end of the day they are really nice buses overall and built to a good spec, and its nice to see alternative fuel sources starting to creep their way into Arrivas fleet.
yeah - but if f the users are finding them a problem already - then they're a problem . The customer is right - eco is b*****s if if it doesn't make the passengers happy.
Correct me if I'm wrong but don't other vehicle types sometimes have problems with getting double buggies on especially if the buggies are the double side by side variety, I been on various buses of other operators vehicles where someone with a double buggy has got on and had problems manovering the buggy with it being too wide so the problem is just confined to these new EcoCities
(03/03/2013 00:35)SNL 824 Wrote: [ -> ]yeah - but if f the users are finding them a problem already - then they're a problem . The customer is right - eco is b*****s if if it doesn't make the passengers happy.
I never said it wasnt a problem, what Im trying to say is its hardly a problem that can be easily solved due to the fact its in the bus' design that it is like that. The biggest concern shouldnt be with regards to double buggies, but wheelchairs and if they have any difficulty boarding.
(03/03/2013 00:18)Wright Eclipse Wrote: [ -> ] (03/03/2013 00:14)CX54 DKD Wrote: [ -> ] (03/03/2013 00:06)K853 MTJ Wrote: [ -> ]Publicity aside, it looks bad if they run an old Cadet on a route that was supposed to receive brand new buses to enter service on the day before, while the new buses are going out on routes they arent supposed to. Clearly after today, theyve paid the price in the form of a new bus with a nice car shaped dent in the back of it!
Have they actually been publicising that they'll be for the Busway routes? I can't find anything on their Facebook page but as a user of the Runcorn fleet, you'll know better than me if they've had notices on the buses etc. If not, I don't see an issue but otherwise, I'd agree with you, it looks shoddy.
Interesting to note on the Facebook page that they're already receiving complaints about the narrow doorways (and buggy areas?) from parents with double prams. Not a great start to their operation with, as you say, one enduring a rear shunt, another facing a brick attack and the public complaining about their design!
but at least on plus side the green peace,tree hugging people that go on & on & on about greener buses will be over moon at these buses 
.....as will the accountants at the much lower fuel costs.
Unbranded 3137 on the 110
(03/03/2013 00:35)K853 MTJ Wrote: [ -> ]Original announcements on the Arriva site state they are for busway circulars, and the original GBF funding was stated to be for 10 MAN EcoCity gas buses for Busway circular routes. If you look in Buses magazine when the funding was announced, that also mentioned theyre for use on the busway :-) of course drivers have known about it for a while so word will have inevitably spread by word of mouth.
This was something I noticed when I had my first look around 5001, the entrance area between the wheelarch and the cab was rather narrow. This is despite the cab being big enough for the driver and a mate to bunk in together with room to spare! As what is stil a very new vehicle type, design flaws are expected, but something like such a narrow entrance area is quite a big oversight in the design IMO. At the end of the day they are really nice buses overall and built to a good spec, and its nice to see alternative fuel sources starting to creep their way into Arrivas fleet.
No design flaw as will be DDA compliant - not aware of many buses that can comfortably cope with unfolded double width child pushchairs.
maybe there's just a lot of twins in runcorn
(03/03/2013 20:26)DVL418 Wrote: [ -> ]No design flaw as will be DDA compliant - not aware of many buses that can comfortably cope with unfolded double width child pushchairs.
Clearly the EcoCitys' predecessors of Pulsars and Cadets were able to carry them, hence the complaints of parents that these cannot. This being the case, I can certainly see their point, with the busway circulars in particular being routes of a particularly local nature and thus crucial for young mums, many of whom will be unable to drive. Similarly, for those who do drive in the town, you're hardly going to encourage them to use the bus if double prams are having to be folded for 'health and safety' reasons. For what it's worth, I'm sure the vast majority of busway passengers are more concerned with the accessibility of the bus than whether it is a swanky gas-powered machine or not, welcome though the investment is.
3137 will probably be cover for gas buses if not it will probably be on the 110