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there dreadful the Birkenhead ones....those ones on Rails currently are much better plus better refurbishment and the engine's seem more powerful.

(14/02/2014 06:15)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]If 4200 and 4202 didnt arrive in that state from London how did they manage to get to a point that a snail could beat them off a roundabout .

Over time buses just become worn out and don't perform how they used to, components may need replacing, the engine may not be performing as it should- a number of the old palatines suffered cracked head gaskets thus resulting in loss of power, 3305 being one. It's very common in this industry for buses to become extremely down on power over time, they're used and abused often doing hundreds of miles per day for sometimes 20 hours per day so its hardly surprising after a few years they need a good tune up!

(14/02/2014 09:11)E208 WBG Wrote: [ -> ]there dreadful the Birkenhead ones....those ones on Rails currently are much better plus better refurbishment and the engine's seem more powerful.

I agree with that, them ones at Southport are obviously in better condition as they've all been seen to whilst undergoing refurbishment. The VLW's are actually my favorite bus type at Birkenhead, but as R879 HRF says it really doesn't do any vehicle any favours being continually on the road all of the time, that combined with perhaps a little lack of maintenance results in things wearing out before it really becomes noticeable or in fact breaks.

Anyone know what Saphire Enviro400 is on the pits at Laird Street is it 4421 or 4422?

(14/02/2014 16:27)E208 WBG Wrote: [ -> ]Anyone know what Saphire Enviro400 is on the pits at Laird Street is it 4421 or 4422?

It is 4408.

and in response to 4200, both R879 HRF & R557 ABA are correct. When they first came here they were great. Put it this way, the 4000 series are far worse! I am told 4200 is on the pits being looked at. There is also a notice in the traffic office.

(13/02/2014 20:27)R879 HRF Wrote: [ -> ]Not at all, if a vehicle is complained about or 'signed off' by drivers constantly for issues such as no/poor heating, so slow it becomes dangerous etc, it will be 'blacklisted' by the union meaning they will not use the vehicle until the outstanding issue(s) are solved.

If a bus is so slow it would make pulling out at roundabouts or in heavy traffic very difficult and infact dangerous, then understandably it can be blacklisted.

This is extremely common at any depot at any company with union representatives.

Believe me, it's not.

Drivers do what they are told. If they don't without good reason, they find themselves in trouble, and big operators who pay more and have a waiting list aren't afraid to hammer them with full force of the disciplinary process as and when necessary.

No heating is one thing and a legitimate reason for not driving something, it being slower than you might like isn't. It's only 'dangerously' slow if the driver is so incompetent that he or she is unable to adjust to a vehicle's limitations, and that would call into question their suitability to do job in the first place.

You cant refuse to drive but you can bring it to the unions attention who can bring it to managments attention that it needs sorting as ive seen it done in the past where a veichle as been signed of 3+ times with the same fault then the approach managment about a solution and resolve the matter.

(16/02/2014 10:43)motormayhem1 Wrote: [ -> ]You cant refuse to drive but you can bring it to the unions attention who can bring it to managments attention that it needs sorting as ive seen it done in the past where a veichle as been signed of 3+ times with the same fault then the approach managment about a solution and resolve the matter.

Correct MM! I couldn't have put it better myself.

(16/02/2014 10:43)motormayhem1 Wrote: [ -> ]You cant refuse to drive but you can bring it to the unions attention who can bring it to managments attention that it needs sorting as ive seen it done in the past where a veichle as been signed of 3+ times with the same fault then the approach managment about a solution and resolve the matter.

Correct, the drivers don't refuse as has been said they just do as they're told. If a bus is signed off with the same defect a certain number of times it is VOR'd. If the union see no issues with it then it will be returned to service, if they're unhappy it will be blacklisted and repaired, not sure how it works in laird st but is presumably similar.

2426 has returned with a demand from Speke that problems are fixed. Amazingly, they are the same set of problems it arrived with from Speke, the first time around. A bit of a cheek I say.