Most Hated Bus

[J-2739]

-Inspired by 'Most Hated Traction' thread-

Has anyone got a particular bus type that they hate, despise and/or try and avoid?

For me it's Scania Omnidekkas with Fainsa seats.

 

[83G/84D]

Any version of the Trident.

 

[Lrd]

To drive, streetlites and old Volvo eclipses are horrible.

Tridents, Geminis and Enviro 200 are all quite nice

 

[pdq]

I would never avoid a bus, and couldn't 'despise' one either. The 14 plate mini E200s for Arriva Yorkshire are pretty nasty to ride on and - I assume - to drive. They seem impossible to drive smoothly, especially up hill, because the gear changes take so long, meaning momentum gained in 1st is lost by the time it shifts to 2nd. Passengers just get lurched back and forth. For a pretty new bus they are really unpleasant.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

To drive, streetlites and old Volvo eclipses are horrible.

Tridents, Geminis and Enviro 200 are all quite nice

There is one winner to my mind - the Daf SB220LF with NC/Plaxton Prestige bodywork. How firms of such renown can come up with such a poorly built and designed body is astonishing? Then it was placed on the Daf chassis that again seemed not to have made the transition well to a low floor configuration.

Other duff designs are available!!

 

[J-2739]

Any version of the Trident.

To drive, streetlites and old Volvo eclipses are horrible.

Tridents, Geminis and Enviro 200 are all quite nice

I love Tridents, the ones with thrash. Never been on a Streetlight, but they look hideous. Volvo eclipses are rare in my area, so a novelty to go on.

 

[fowler9]

The Optare Solo, Metrocity and Versa are hideous.

 

[Antman]

-Inspired by 'Most Hated Traction' thread-

Has anyone got a particular bus type that they hate, despise and/or try and avoid?

For me it's Scania Omnidekkas with Fainsa seats.

I wouldn't disagree about Omnidekka's

 

[J-2739]

I wouldn't disagree about Omnidekka's

Why do you hate them?

They are disgusting to ride on, those seats are like sitting on lego, very dirty inside and out, absolutely gloomy, weird mixture of seats with yellow handle bar ones at the top back and horrid headrest ones everywhere else, stiff suspension, slow ride, ugly front end... :-x

Gasp! I could go on for a bit. Only good bit is engine noise, but even that gets a bit repetitive...

 

[christopher]

Boris bus

 

[class387]

New "Routemaster".

 

[Ianno87]

Optare Metroriders.

When I lived in Bolton, my then local insependent bus company, Blue Bus (since aquired by Arriva in 2005) bought a shedload of the things second hand as a way of expanding their fleet on the cheap. Shame they broke down constantly, and seemed to have a slight perpetual smell of exhaust inside them.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Optare Metroriders.

When I lived in Bolton, my then local insependent bus company, Blue Bus (since aquired by Arriva in 2005) bought a shedload of the things second hand as a way of expanding their fleet on the cheap. Shame they broke down constantly, and seemed to have a slight perpetual smell of exhaust inside them.

It is, of course, a personal view but I can't see how the Optare Metrorider or Solo can be in there when there are a raft of van derived minibuses.

Of these, the worst were the Dodge S56. My experiences were of Alexander or NC bodied ones (slow, noisy, terrible ride) but they were good looking compared to these https://flic.kr/p/7GVpym

 

[fowler9]

It is, of course, a personal view but I can't see how the Optare Metrorider or Solo can be in there when there are a raft of van derived minibuses.

Of these, the worst were the Dodge S56. My experiences were of Alexander or NC bodied ones (slow, noisy, terrible ride) but they were good looking compared to these https://flic.kr/p/7GVpym

Yeah, that is an awful mess to be fair.

 

[pompeyfan]

To drive, streetlites and old Volvo eclipses are horrible.

Tridents, Geminis and Enviro 200 are all quite nice

I actually didn't mind the eclipses, how old were you referring to when you say old? The Hilsea ones that went to you were lovely when they left. Agree with everything else, the 55 plate tridents were lovely. The mini enviro's were nice providing the rattling had been sorted.

I HATED vario's, and to a lesser extent merc engined Solos.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

ADL Pointer Darts with Urban 90 seats....

 

[J-2739]

I also don't have a sweet spot for ALD Enviro 200 with Voith transmission. Rather dull and repetitive sounding, Allison ones are way more exciting.

 

[Lrd]

I actually didn't mind the eclipses, how old were you referring to when you say old? The Hilsea ones that went to you were lovely when they left. Agree with everything else, the 55 plate tridents were lovely. The mini enviro's were nice providing the rattling had been sorted.

I HATED vario's, and to a lesser extent merc engined Solos.

The 55 plate 66*** were horrible. The newer ones 09 plate 69*** were nicer but I could not get on with them.

Yeah the rattling on the Enviros was pretty awful for the passengers but so smooth to drive, if a little slow some of the older ones. The 2012 ones had no speed limiter on them so taking it down the motorway was fun.

 

[pompeyfan]

I would assume you're no longer based at empress road considering the note under your username?

 

[ValleyLines142]

For a new bus, I think the Enviro 200MMC is extremely ugly, and doesn't feel like an ADL product.

 

[Colly405]

It is, of course, a personal view but I can't see how the Optare Metrorider or Solo can be in there when there are a raft of van derived minibuses.

Of these, the worst were the Dodge S56. My experiences were of Alexander or NC bodied ones (slow, noisy, terrible ride) but they were good looking compared to these https://flic.kr/p/7GVpym

The Reebur ones used in Plymouth as the Sh*ttyShuttle, sorry, CityShuttle, were fairly awful, especially the first batch (B-reg, 1984-ish) that from memory had automatic boxes. Cracking livery they had when new, though...

 

[THarris123]

Well my opinion:-
Like:
Solo, versa, tempo, E400, E400MMC, B7RLE, Geminis, ADL Darts, E300, Omnidekkas, Omnicities, most MCVs, Citaros, B10s, most step darts, Olympians

Hate, but they drive well:
E200, Tridents, B7Ls, B6s

Hate, but they're modern and good seating:
Streetlites, Streetdecks

Just completely hate:
ELC darts, S reg Dart SLFs

 

[the101]

Ignoring minibuses, early Volvo B6 low-floors were very poor, and older E200s do not age well at all. A well-worn Metrobus was always a ride from hell, while trips on buses with semi-auto gearboxes that were used incorrectly by the driver were never to be savoured.

Leyland and ECW also built some very shoddy Olympians around 1984/85 that were very poor to ride on.

 

[Mojo]

Enviro 200s. The number of rattles on most vehicles is simply unbearable.

 

[J-2739]

For a new bus, I think the Enviro 200MMC is extremely ugly, and doesn't feel like an ADL product.

The 'smile' at the front, the 'Streetlite' inspired headlights...

It seems to have gone the 'Wright direction'!

 

[507021]

The new Routemaster, horrible looking buses in my opinion.

 

[Statto]

Of all time it's the East Lancs EL2000 darts, horrible buses, have to be under 4 foot tall to have any degree of comfort on them, same with any bus that have the dreaded urban 90 seats.

Volvo B6, shake rattle & roll &, similar seating comfort to the East Lancs EL2000 darts.

I dislike the new Wright streetdeck ugly looking vehicle.

 

[Tetchytyke]

There is one winner to my mind - the Daf SB220LF with NC/Plaxton Prestige bodywork.

Nailed it. The worst bus ever built. Noisy, rattly, unreliable, slow. It nailed the lot. A big part of the problem was the bodywork, though; the Volvo examples Stagecoach Newcastle had were just as grim, despite the better chassis.

Speaking of Stagecoach, a special mention to the Alexander bodied Mercedes 711, every gearchange being brought to you via the power of semtex. Nobody who's been on one of those buckets should slag off the Metrorider. Riding one of those over Honister was, er, "interesting".

A special commendation to the Temsa Avenue. Fabric velcroed to a concrete block is not a seat.

 

[J-2739]

Other nominees:

Garbage ex-Manchester s-regs ALX300- Used to be loads of these. Horrible flat board bench seats.

Rattily East Lancs Kinetec- Ugly, dumb attempt at being the future. Hard leather seats, loud stopping bell.

 

[Andyh82]

Not a fan of any double deck with tiny upstairs windows or thick front corner panels, so basically all variants of the Wright Streetdeck.

I'm not the biggest fan of the NRM but I do agree that they now make an impact in London and do serve a purpose as being an iconic bus.

Any single deck that doesn't have a decent number of forward facing seats in the rear higher up section, Arriva spec ALX300s were like this as are Excels and Tempos.

Volvo B7TLs that sound like an aircraft taking off at this lightest incline.

Any hybrid buses that slow down when changing from electric to diesel, losing all momentum just as the bus needs to get going into traffic.