TLC West Yorkshire - What's going on?

[Ballyheigue]

I've noticed that the TLC fleet is looking more and more ramshackle as the years go on, with at least one bus (a Metro Connect liveried Solo) not having seen a paint job since that well and truly defunct livery was applied! That particular bus looks more like it's on it's last legs bodywork wise it's so poorly presented. Other buses have bumpers in a different shade to the rest, and some have got dents and scrapes for years that you'd think would be repaired by now. Then there's the never ending list of different liveries, plain white, the multiple Metro versions and the old cream and blue, you'd think by now with white paint being plentyful and easy to apply, the majority of the fleet would be in white even without fleetnames. So my question si what on earth is going on? Yes I get they are a small firm but so too are the likes of Globe, South Pennine and Squarepeg yet you see their fleets presented a lot better. Are TLC just simply too big to manage everything? Are they simply just running the clock down until franchising starts? It's not a good look that's for sure.

 

[Megafuss]

In Hebden Bridge a few weeks back I witnessed two TLC drivers using cable ties to keep the panel below the front window in place.....

 

[Tetchytyke]

Are they simply just running the clock down until franchising starts?

That would be my guess. TLC are probably the ones who are most likely to lose out with franchising because much of their work is the evenings and Sundays tendered stuff.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Back when I lived in West Yorkshire, ten years and more ago, it was common to see TLC buses with mismatched panels, bumpers in primer etc.

It just seems to be one of those operators where appearance is not high on the list of priorities.

 

[Ballyheigue]

Back when I lived in West Yorkshire, ten years and more ago, it was common to see TLC buses with mismatched panels, bumpers in primer etc.
It just seems to be one of those operators where appearance is not high on the list of priorities.

It has got a lot worse however so I was just wondering the reasons why. You have to ask the question as well, bearing in mind what was described above happening in Hebden Bridge and for what I've seen out and about, what state are the buses in underneath?

 

[Andyh82]

I don’t recognise the picture being portrayed in this thread

Yes some buses have bumpers that have been replaced in base white rather than fleet colours

Yes they’ve moved to just a branded up white livery rather than the previous fleet colours

Seems to be no more than that, and the are hardly unique in the industry, I’ve seen much worse

 

[Ballyheigue]

I don’t recognise the picture being portrayed in this thread

Yes some buses have bumpers that have been replaced in base white rather than fleet colours

Yes they’ve moved to just a branded up white livery rather than the previous fleet colours

Seems to be no more than that, and the are hardly unique in the industry, I’ve seen much worse

What about the Metro Connect Solo? That hasn't seen a new paint job in years and to me it looks a mess from the outside. What about the Metro liveried buses with bumpers in blue for years on end? I'm forever seeing scruffy TLC buses with scrapes, different coloured parts, non working destinations etc in Bradford and it just seems to be getting worse as the years go on. Only last week I saw one without a working destination, it had a card saying 679 in the window instead. Although I haven't seen the incident in Hebden Bridge, someone on here has and it's not a good look. They've had the plain white livery for some time now, White paint doesn't cost much, is easy and quicker to apply than normal colours etc, so why by now aren't all buses painted white even without fleet names?

 

[darloscott]

I have seen rumours - but yet to see them substantiated - that Tower Transit are purchasing TLC, presumably in a bid to get some footing in the franchising game in WY, as per their purchase of HTL in Merseyside.

The TLC fleet has been fairly battered for years, but when you see some of the territory they operate in, it’s not too hard to see how they’d end up with a fair bit of damage.