From what I've seen recently most if not all Bee Network Ticketers have the Bridge Sensor fitted to the ticket machines and also it comes up with a message on the ticket machine screen to Stop the Bus when it comes up, apparently not to sure how true this is but once the notice comes up you can't reset the ticket machine for 2 minutes if someone can verify this it would be appreciated.
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TfGM Bee Network - fleet discussion
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TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Had another horrible journey on a silver B9 on the 38 last week, instead of the usual Enviro400EV/Volvo BZL. Sorry to keep banging on about the same thing, but why are they still being used?
Because they're good buses and TFGM/Metroline clearly still have use for them
mayneway
Member
The low bridge alert on the ticket machines is glitchy and I know for the fact coming away from the Trafford centre it doesn’t go off until you’re actually past the junction with the low bridge.
The warning only goes off once and as soon as you stop or pull up to a bus stop the screen clears and goes back to normal.
Leedsbusman
Member
To maintain the service!
Class 466
Established Member
So an actual response rather than an opinion. Latest plan is that they’ll be replaced once the BYD refurbs are out the way - they’re not a part of the permanent fleet and will be going sooner rather than later.
They still serve a purpose,. No use complaining about them they're there to do a job
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Very much appreciate it.
I didn’t complain dude I asked why they were still being used.
I remember a poster ages ago saying they had plenty of 400EVs that could easily see the B9s off now, so I enquired.I was quite obviously enquiring what that use was.
Dallamlad
Established Member
Interesting little nugget from a TFGM press release issued yesterday:
“Due to practical challenges and it being a listed building, electrification of the Queens Road bus depot will take longer than originally planned. Instead, GM will be seeking to adjust the agreed plan to include 38 further electric buses running from Bolton depot, and to cover the operational costs of EV charging infrastructure for the free bus services in Manchester city centre, and bus fleet deployment. In addition, the traffic management measures in the St John’s area are also no longer needed, based on the latest air quality modelling and monitoring data.”
Source - https://news.tfgm.com/press-release...ution-is-cleaning-up-greater-manchester-s-air
“Due to practical challenges and it being a listed building, electrification of the Queens Road bus depot will take longer than originally planned. Instead, GM will be seeking to adjust the agreed plan to include 38 further electric buses running from Bolton depot, and to cover the operational costs of EV charging infrastructure for the free bus services in Manchester city centre, and bus fleet deployment. In addition, the traffic management measures in the St John’s area are also no longer needed, based on the latest air quality modelling and monitoring data.”
Source - https://news.tfgm.com/press-release...ution-is-cleaning-up-greater-manchester-s-air
What Bolton routes are for upgrade next, one assumes V1 and V2, but 38 buses for those is a little too many vehicles?
MCRTransitYT
Member
Could mean 163 and 8 may get electrified aswell, but not the busway
TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
I'm about to move to Leigh, I don't want to lose the leather seats and tables on the busway 
Now that the Schools have finished for Summer the remaining First Olympia liveried E300s have been took out of service possibly for the summer season so they can be sent away to Chesterfield for repaint last time any of them actually tracked was Tuesday (22nd).
RUK
Member
It looks like there is much more commonality in appearance between double-deckers and single-deckers from the same manufacturer nowadays than there used to be, presumably to save on costs for the manufacturers through part-sharing. Does this extend to the interior of the cab, and if so, do the manufacturers need to change this and make the cabs look more different, in order to help distinguish them, and prevent this from happening?
mayneway
Member
Evora’s tend to be used on the 52’s that go under the bridge and E400’s are used on the 100 so totally different buses.
Probably a bit early to say but considering 11512 was one of the earlier MMC400s that were fitted with the earlier basic Next Stop information system will it come back with the same system or the system with the bigger screen in the upper deck front window that the Bee Network MMC400s have?
toms
Member
Will it not just come back with all new mobitecs like some 16 and 64 plate mmcs have been retrofitted with
Class 466
Established Member
It'll just get what it had before, literally no reason why they'd have one odd one out in the batch.
Is 11266 also on loan to Middleton (ex Queens Road)? I saw it on a 112 yesterday (27/7/25). 11928 was on a 119 about the same time.
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What's utter nonsense?
You're judging the driver, not by the seriousness of his actions, but by the seriousness of the consequences, no matter to what extent extraneous circumstances may have played a part. I'm siding with the driver on this.
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mayneway
Member
The driver is someone I know fairly well and it’s gutting what’s happened but there are no extraneous circumstances. He made a tragic mistake that injured 15 people, 3 very seriously. There’s no getting out of that. He’s gone into auto pilot and forgotten what route he’s on and what bus he’s driving. It’s 100% his fault.
toms
Member
There’s a couple now fitted with this, mainly 64 and 16 plates which I’ve spotted. They have had their Hanover controller replaced with a mobitec one to make the AVA work, that’s why these buses have strange looking destos, which also have an issue at the moment where it only shows the destination in large and not any via points
Whose idea was it to have 52s and 100s on the same driver's rota, let alone on the same duty?
Leedsbusman
Member
I struggle to see any extraneous circumstances that excuse driving a bus under a low bridge.
Perhaps we could put you on alternate 52s and 100s, and see how long it was before you made a mistake?
mayneway
Member
Drivers have done both for years, I’ve done both in the same day without issue.
You’re trying to play the blame anyone but the driver card and sadly it won’t work.
The driver, nobody else, made a mistake that could very nearly have been a lot worse than it was.
DiscoSteve
Member
One thing occurred to me - I have no knowledge how this is done, but someone in the depot allocated the oversized double decker to the driver to drive the 100 route which included the underheight bridge - now surely that person MUST have known that the 100 route contained this low bridged and should have known that (or be prevented from) allocating a double decker was inappropriate. Thoughts?
pokemonsuper9
Established Member
The 100 fits double deckers, and does not go under that bridge, the 52 goes under that bridge so can only be single deckers.
Leedsbusman
Member
Are you seriously suggesting making a mistake is an ‘extraneous circumstance’? I’m not sure anyone is suggesting it was a deliberate cause of action on the drivers part.
It’s pushing credibility that a driver having driven Shudehill to Warrington and back to Trafford Centre on the 100 would suddenly think they were on a 52!
Drivers in many places regularly drive routes with a low bridge and routes without on the same day and don’t drive the wrong bus under the bridge so its no excuse I’m afraid.