The B9’s and Scania’s were set to move to Stockport in November with some of Stockports fleet coming the other way but that’s not happening now, and they will remain at queens road until spring 2025.
Are the Scanias finally leaving?
Really!? They are keeping the ancient 58 reg B9s! Similar to the 08-59 reg E400s that are all diesel seems a bit stupid as they have no place in a modern and large city like Manchester. I thought it would be more sensible to invest in newer vehicles or at least bring some up from somewhere like London.
Yes, the order was modified to Bee Network Spec a while back.
The B9s removal from Queens Road will be gradual in 2025 as newer vehicles are displaced from other depots.
I thought they would start to go soon. So I’m guessing they are not going to be refurbished now? Do you know what vehicles are going to replace them?
Indeed, ZEBRA has been more prescriptive with it's requirements.
Wouldn’t surprise me if it was covering for a multitude of broken B9s. Would welcome its early arrival to the depot if it does hang around!
might be a loan as Queens Rd have had 13184 aswell which is now back at Oldham they also had 13193 before repaint aswell 10608 is on loan to Middleton depot which also had 10609 which is back at Oldham
I assume it's a TfGM spec thing. Would be pretty pointless if optional for operators - the whole point is that they are something that the emergency services can rely upon to tell them at a glance what type of vehicle it is, and it doesn't serve that purpose if only some of the vehicles have the stickers
Exactly, so I wonder why only some vehicles are getting these stickers. Although, they could get them in due course.
All vehicles will get them, new orders automatically have them installed pre-delivery and refurb/repainted vehicles will either have them applied in house when avaliable or a 3rd party company will install them (Thorntons) Go North West are beginning to get their whole fleet installed with these stickers
13183/13184 were both tracking errors and actually the closely numbered 15383/15384 respectively.
13184 was a Scania (15384) tracking incorrectly.
right thanks for info
Ahh that makes sense why they don’t instantly get the stickers after they get refurbished/repainted. Thanks!
not a clue why they don’t get them instantly because it is a bee network requirement and even now it’s a bit of a shambles with non bee network liveries vehicles in the GNW fleet getting stickers and yellow vehicles aren’t
All the BN fleet is pretty much shambles at the moment tbf. Some vehicles have the yellow livery without interiors some have the interior without the full livery. Most of the refurbished vehicles don’t have stickers, even some of Go-Aheads SK73 reg E200 MMCs don’t have the stickers for some reason.
Wrong!!
What I will say after being part of the GNW team for many years is that it’s pretty poor they have gone to so much trouble to paint route learner/taxi buses into immaculate heritage livery’s when so much of the main fleet is a mess.
Spot on, 13181/84 were never at Queens road.
Nothing is wrong with it but painting a bus that will never carry the public when so much of the regular fleet looks such a mess isn’t exactly a good idea, not to mention the fact a bloody good bus has been taken out of public use.
I thought them e200s was leaving anyway, and it does seem like it’s been a very slow process with go ahead
Exactly! They need to focus on getting their fleet up to TFGM standards. Are they allowed to put ‘heritage’ liveries’ on them because they will be classed as commercial liveries, I would have thought?? Also do you know what’s going on with the Eclipses and Citaros - hardly any of them have been fully refurbished with the BN livery and are the ex First Berkshire E200s staying or what vehicles will phase them out?
There definitely seems to be an interesting set of priorities over at GNW at the moment when it comes to what's painted. As you say those 'Temporary' Enviro 200s that are still here look awful and give a bad impression of the Bee Network as whole with that Patchwork livery. Nothing surprises me though, They're still trying with those citaros that clearly just dont work - one will be in service for a couple of weeks then dissapear for another month or so. Stagecoach found the Versas to be unreliable and very swiftly they got replaced.
One suspects that GNW/GNE being ran by one person isn't helping there.