Arriva North West - Bootle Depot

[M113 YKC]

RE: Arriva North West - Bootle Depot

(13/09/2012 21:28)507009 Wrote:  I make it 15 Pulsars of the new batch which are due for Bootle: 3107-3121. This will give some leeway for use beyond the 53/53A as this route has a PVR of 12.

With luck, as MPTE says we will indeed lose some Marshalls. All things being equal, with the five T-PNBs very likely goners, that leaves 10 Marshalls able to depart the Bootle fleet. This will be a massive improvement for everyone, not least the 53 users.

I'm hoping that these allocations will benefit the 311 - somehow. If 10 Marshalls are withdrawn, that'd be excellent news! As a passenger, though, I'd prefer 15 Marshalls to be withdrawn and the 5 T-PNBs to stay on the road. After all, they're a bit older than them, but they're completely different.

Just to sum-up what I've had on the 311 recently:
I've had Cadet 2519 - comfortable and suited for the service. I had Pulsar 2 2942 once - this was a bit rattly, but comfortable!

I've had Marshalls 7638, 7646, 7648, 7660 and 7661 - I actually had 7646 today and this has been the best Marshall that I've had on this service for a while (excellent ride-quality, compared to the others). On the other hand, 7638, 7648 and 7660 all offered backache and a headache within the hour - things that I had no choice in receiving... 7661 was OK.

I've had Plaxton Pointer 2 2228 three times. Interestingly, it'd decreased in quality when I rode on it for the third time. Its engine sounded tired and it rattled and clanged badly underneath. I'm not surprised - this bus has always performed well on this service (and on the Skelmersdale 345 journeys). On the other hand, I've had 2224 (sluggish), 2233 (horrible brakes) and 2322 (broke down) - despite their problems, though, they were comfortable and they didn't feature bad ride-quality (well, don't count 2322 in that statement because it didn't exactly perform well...).

So - going off my report... The more Marshalls that go, the better!