Arriva North West - Bootle Depot

[mathias]

RE: Arriva North West - Bootle Depot
Went for possibly my last ride on an ex-MTL bus that's still in service with Arriva Merseyside.

7674 (V674 DVU) DartSLF/Marshall was on route 52 last week.
Decent-looking interior with full Polish & Promote (blue moquette, Interurban, orange LEDs) with no evidence of the engine fire it had two years' ago.
It's a bit of a shock to realise how narrow these old Darts are compared to newer stuff, and consequently the ride is more 'knobbly' and less stable.
The old bench seats are a bit of a pain too, put your mobile on the cushions and it slips thru' the gap, crashing to the floor behind you (Esteban Civics don't have this problem as their seatbacks are sealed without gapping).

Usual rubbish Marshall grey bell modules on the handrails have been replaced by five yellow ones that actually work (grey Marshall bell modules always fail for some reason) and 7674 has the usual rattles you'd expect from a 14-year old bus, although it rattles a lot less than some Marshalls (7662 for example).

Engine is very noisy compared to more modern buses, and the dry throaty roar of that Cummins B-series sounds like a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a mini-chainsaw!

Overall impression is that this is a cheaply-made bus, but it has good visibilty for the driver (deep windscreen) and its low kerbweight of 7.2 tonnes (7190kg to be exact) means it'll be more 'chuckable' than a nine-tonne Pulsar.

I suppose it could be painted orange (Yorkshire Tiger 554 maybe??) but I reckon after next Sunday it may be withdrawn completely.

Yep, NEXT SUNDAY (tax is about to run out)....

DVLA Vehicle Enquiry;
7674 (V674 DVU) NEW 12-01-2000, TAX 01-06-2014, DIESEL, BLUE, £330 PER YEAR.

Get your last ride while there's still time, and say farewell to MTL