Which buses do you dislike?

[Class 33]

Only two buses I particularly dislike really.

The first is the Wright Eclipse Gemini double decker - the most bland and boring bus I've ever used. Engine sound very boring. Very sterile and lacks any character. I also hate the automatic hooting sound they make when they pull away. And also I dislike these buses because these are all over the place in Bristol now and have been for about the past 5 years. For some reasons First Bristol sent all their MUCH better 1990's built double deckers such as the Volvo Olympians to places like Plymouth and Weymouth. And in their place came all these crappy Gemini's! Whenever I'm waiting for a bus and one of these turn up I discreetly sigh to myself and think "Rubbish. Same old same old.....".

Wright Eclipse single deckers - pretty much just a single decker version of the Gemini's. Again a bland and boring bus, very sterile and lacks and character, and also makes that annoying automatic hooting sound whenever they pull away. Additionally they(well some models do anyway) feature claustrophic like high back seating. And also only feature two openable windows near the front of the bus only. And they tend to allways have the heating on, even when the weather is warm! In the warm weather and when the bus is busy, they can be very uncomfortable to travel on! And I've heard a number of other passengers comment on this too, so that's not just my opinion. For these reasons I personally call them Incinerator buses. I refuse to travel on these things, unless it's just a very short few minutes journey. Truely awful buses!

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Preston Bus 31215. Now working my school bus for a year! Oh the joys of being rammed onto a bus designed for garden gnomes. (It's a Leyland bus, unsure what though)

 

[trentside]

I'd have to nominate the MAN 14.220 with East Lancashire Myllenium bodywork. Lincolnshire RoadCar took on the first batch in the country for their service between Lincoln and Grantham, but the buses proved to be temperamental and lacking sufficient capacity in their fuel tanks for a full day of service on the route. Their seating arrangement is also somewhat tight for anyone over 5ft 8" or so. These buses are still in service with Stagecoach East Midlands, though they have thankfully now been relegated to city services. They are pretty much universally disliked by the staff for various reasons - not least the 'goldfish bowl' windscreens which make them boiling to drive during the summer.

The MCV bodied MAN 14.220s operated by Dunn-Line and later Veolia were not much better.

 

[Seacook]

The Dennis Dart SLF (*hawk* *spit*) as used by National Express West Midlands tops my hate list. Every seat is uncomfortable.

 

[Mvann]

Midland fox fox cub

 

[anthony263]

Some of the more recent designs including the Optare Versa.

Nothing wrong with a good old leyland lynz or mercedes-benz vario

 

[90019]

This:

Utterly useless, slow, uncomfortable, rattly, hateful piece of crap.
Every Y reg Pointer in the fleet is sh*te, but 183 and 185 are the worst of the ones currently at my depot.

The 52 and 53 plate ones aren't too bad, but the Y reg ones are all crap.

The throttles are all rubbish, most of them seem to have two settings - 'on' or 'off', and that's it.
The engines have no grunt, so they're very slow, dangerously so in some situations. Generally you'll top out at about 10-15mph on hills.
The gearboxes on some of them are awful, and I swear one of them (185) has ADHD - when you finally find the sweet spot on the throttle to keep it going at a constant speed, the gearbox will get bored after about 20 seconds and kick down with no warning.
The drivers windows all rattle because they don't fit properly, and the thing to keep them shut doesn't work. Also because they're so loose, if you brake too hard, the window will either slide shut or open depending on which bus it is.
The brakes are a bit crap on some of them, and most of them judder when you're stationary without the handbrake on.
The throttle pedal has an annoying notch at the bottom of it, which makes them quite uncomfortable.
The doors are incredibly slow on some of them, both the delay between pushing the button and the doors opening and the speed the doors actually open at.
186 and 188 have an unusual feature in that they start out alright but get gradually slower over the course of the day.


The Y reg Pointers are the only buses I've had so far that trim pieces have fallen off while driving along the road.
They're horrible buses, and the sooner they're scrapped, the better.

 

[MCR247]

Nottingham City Transports Optare Versas :x

 

[Heinz57]

I'll add on to the last one and say pretty much anything by Optare

 

[Polarbear]

I'll give my age away & say the Seddon Pennine http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=653&tbm=isch&tbnid=1sGpZ0yzwpjwjM:&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/21437618%40N02/4299947083/&docid=yIND1gagRZfJYM&imgurl=http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2767/4299947083_1d73914e00_z.jpg%253Fzz%253D1&w=640&h=472&ei=6jBaUPnuBIWi0QWg8oEI&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=335&vpy=198&dur=3408&hovh=193&hovw=262&tx=176&ty=211&sig=100181950587798949021&page=3&tbnh=142&tbnw=205&start=29&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:29,i:187

Not too fussed on Metrobuses either, but as I've never lived in Birmingham, they've been fairly easy to avoid..!!

 

[90019]

I suppose another to add to the list is these:

[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27204054@N07/6201092197/]

[/url]
(Not my photo)


They're not bad buses, in fact, they're pretty nice.
The problem is the engine. Because of the Euro V regulations, they're a bit sluggish, which is frustrating when you're running late.
At least they're at a different depot now, but I do miss driving the 49.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Volvo B6LEs. Bags of nails

 

[route101]

For me its the First Glasgow 51 plate Eclipses with the toiletbox bit . rattle and have hard uncomfortable seating.

Tridents too way too many in Glasgow now .

 

[ChathillMan]

Volvo B10 single decker and the dennis trident. Cannot stand either of them

 

[34D]

As a passenger: anything without sufficient legroom

As a driver: all 3 speed mark 2 MCW metrobuses, most buses with a cummins engine, and anything with an uncomfortable driving seat.

 

[Stonesourscotty]

Wright Bodied Pulsar 1 or 2 Underpowered Awful buses that for some reason Arriva put on Important Routes also the build quality is awful

Marshall Bodied Darts awful build quality poor legroom and are hopefully soon razorblades

Basically Anything Other than a Volvo or Scania.

 

[gnolife]

Stagecoach Manchester's Enviro 400 Hybrids. When I'm travelling with someone, I usually like to be able to hear what they're saying over the noise of the engine.

 

[MK Tom]

Anything with Urban90 seats. The single most uncomfortable chair invented since the one that drives a screw into your neck in The World is not Enough.

I'm talking about this rubbish. Look at it... it's not even on the right route...

It's actually in a completely different town to the one in which 'BlueRoute 2' can be found. In turn the fifteen minute ten passenger route 2 is run with a massive great Trident.

Then we have Arriva's Plaxton Prestiges on DAF frames. The worst ride EVER. They rattle like a baby's toy and bounce around like a Pacer. The ones that have leather seats are even worse; one abrupt stop and everybody slides off.

*Rant over*

Both my own pictures btw, copyright me

 

[Scania3379man]

I dislike Wright eclipse and gemini because winderscreen like U-bend (lol) and I like Scania omnicity and double deckers because nice design, I love leyland atlantean double decker and national single deckers. Man Lion city i like it nice bus tho. other dislike is Marshall dart leg room too tight i dont like. I like Wright renown volvo/B10BLE is my favourite. I like 50/50 is darts plaxton pointer 2. Volvo Olympian. That's all I can say. I forget one more I like is Alexander alx300 with volvo B10BLEs in aberdeen and also Plaxton Prestiges on 10 to brookhouse and manchester because i like straight rectangle and square like plaxton pointer 2.

Thank you, guys

Martyn

 

[Pyromaniac]

I dislike pretty much anything you can go out and buy today. And Optare, nuff said.

Bring me back my Leyland Olympians. I mean even Darts are beginning to grow on me now as they're reaching maturity.

However, I do like Scania vehicles. Omnicity and OmniLink single and double deckers. I'm probably one of very few people to say that.

 

[MCR247]

I do like omnicitys and omnilinks. Definitely got a soft spot for them. Omnidekkas I'm not so sure. Some are shocking.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Anything with an Optare badge on it although the cummins engined solos are ok.
I quite like geminis and eclipses.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

This:

Utterly useless, slow, uncomfortable, rattly, hateful piece of crap.
Every Y reg Pointer in the fleet is sh*te, but 183 and 185 are the worst of the ones currently at my depot.

The 52 and 53 plate ones aren't too bad, but the Y reg ones are all crap.

The throttles are all rubbish, most of them seem to have two settings - 'on' or 'off', and that's it.
The engines have no grunt, so they're very slow, dangerously so in some situations. Generally you'll top out at about 10-15mph on hills.
The gearboxes on some of them are awful, and I swear one of them (185) has ADHD - when you finally find the sweet spot on the throttle to keep it going at a constant speed, the gearbox will get bored after about 20 seconds and kick down with no warning.
The drivers windows all rattle because they don't fit properly, and the thing to keep them shut doesn't work. Also because they're so loose, if you brake too hard, the window will either slide shut or open depending on which bus it is.
The brakes are a bit crap on some of them, and most of them judder when you're stationary without the handbrake on.
The throttle pedal has an annoying notch at the bottom of it, which makes them quite uncomfortable.
The doors are incredibly slow on some of them, both the delay between pushing the button and the doors opening and the speed the doors actually open at.
186 and 188 have an unusual feature in that they start out alright but get gradually slower over the course of the day.


The Y reg Pointers are the only buses I've had so far that trim pieces have fallen off while driving along the road.
They're horrible buses, and the sooner they're scrapped, the better.

agree totally, horrid things, Y reg ones especially. Any word on replacements? The punters hate them too!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I suppose another to add to the list is these:

[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27204054@N07/6201092197/]

[/url]
(Not my photo)


They're not bad buses, in fact, they're pretty nice.
The problem is the engine. Because of the Euro V regulations, they're a bit sluggish, which is frustrating when you're running late.
At least they're at a different depot now, but I do miss driving the 49.

and we miss you lot driving it too
and yes they are a bit sluggish, I notice Firsts eclipses are like rockets in comparison.
Whats worse is Marine have some working the 40 and there not the best at it.

 

[Class 33]

Tridents too way too many in Glasgow now .

I actually quite like Dennis Trident's. Comfortable enough seating, nice engine sound, and even a bit of character to them. Unfortunately we only have around three of them in Bristol. Yet dozens of these boring Gemini's. Fancy a swap? Glasgow can have all our Gemini's, and send all the Trident's down to Bristol.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Bring me back my Leyland Olympians. I mean even Darts are beginning to grow on me now as they're reaching maturity.

Indeed all the Leyland Olympians shouldn't have been retired. Compared to buses a little older, these buses are timeless. If they were still in regular service now they wouldn't look old fashioned. And many people who are unfamiliar that they date back to the early 1980's, would think they are modern buses.

 

[90019]

agree totally, horrid things, Y reg ones especially. Any word on replacements? The punters hate them too!

Unfortunately, I think they're going to be with us for a while yet, we're pretty short on single decks at the moment. I think the last two Y reg Pointers in storage (187 and 191) have just been repainted and are about to come back into service.

and we miss you lot driving it too

It seems that Marine aren't particularly interested in running the buses on time. At least we make the effort. I don't understand how they can't keep the 49 on time, though. Granted, you can get a fair bit late in the peaks, but at other times it's not exactly difficult.

Rumour is that the 49 is to return to Central as a decker route in the upcoming service changes, but I don't know how much truth there is in that.

and yes they are a bit sluggish, I notice Firsts eclipses are like rockets in comparison.

Most of the older Eclipses are pretty quick (though 140 springs to mind as one that isn't), I particularly like 133 and 134 at the moment.

Whats worse is Marine have some working the 40 and there not the best at it.

165-170. I don't know what they're like, as I've never driven them, but they're slightly older than 171-175.

 

[12CSVT]

Class 142 to 144 units.

All rail replacement buses (unless they are operating on a route normally served by class 142 to 144 units).

 

[mbonwick]

Indeed all the Leyland Olympians shouldn't have been retired. Compared to buses a little older, these buses are timeless. If they were still in regular service now they wouldn't look old fashioned. And many people who are unfamiliar that they date back to the early 1980's, would think they are modern buses.

Indeed, if you get a facelifted RL body, there's no way to tell the difference between a 1991 Leyland Olympian or the last Volvo Olympians produced in late 1998/early 1999.

http://londonbuspics.smugmug.com/Op...47769_GZFNMR#!i=2063490607&k=b74hm2K&lb=1&s=A

(Not my pic) You wouldn't think that bus was 20 years old, its in great nick.

 

[Class20]

Preston Bus 31215. Now working my school bus for a year! Oh the joys of being rammed onto a bus designed for garden gnomes. (It's a Leyland bus, unsure what though)

Its a Leyland Lynx, and the fact that its working your school service for a year has most likely saved it from the scrap yard (though I do think it may be preserved once its withdrawn from service).


For me the worst bus ever is the Plaxton Primo. They're poorly built and very uncomfortable, oh and they dont even look that great.

 

[anthony263]

Its a Leyland Lynx, and the fact that its working your school service for a year has most likely saved it from the scrap yard (though I do think it may be preserved once its withdrawn from service).


For me the worst bus ever is the Plaxton Primo. They're poorly built and very uncomfortable, oh and they dont even look that great.

I most certainly agree about the Plaxton Primo still hear about operators having problems with them although the mk2 version is a little bit more reliable.

 

[route101]

I actually quite like Dennis Trident's. Comfortable enough seating, nice engine sound, and even a bit of character to them. Unfortunately we only have around three of them in Bristol. Yet dozens of these boring Gemini's. Fancy a swap? Glasgow can have all our Gemini's, and send all the Trident's down to Bristol.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Indeed all the Leyland Olympians shouldn't have been retired. Compared to buses a little older, these buses are timeless. If they were still in regular service now they wouldn't look old fashioned. And many people who are unfamiliar that they date back to the early 1980's, would think they are modern buses.

Ha , actually geminis numbers must be less in Glasgow now . The tridents do seem wider . Although not a fan of the Tridents with the staircase halfway way along the bus , hardly any seats downstairs .
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Stagecoach Manchester's Enviro 400 Hybrids. When I'm travelling with someone, I usually like to be able to hear what they're saying over the noise of the engine.

First Glasgow have some hybrid ones , and what i hate is the engine noise like its revving up when the bus is coming to a stop.

 

[90019]

First Glasgow have some hybrid ones , and what i hate is the engine noise like its revving up when the bus is coming to a stop.

Lothian's E400Hs are crap, and are forever breaking down.
At least half of the buses I've seen being brought back into the depot by a Mcphie's truck in the last six months have been the hybrids.
Quite impressive when you consider that there are only 15 of them, out of over 200 buses at my depot.


Rumour is we may be getting rid of them in the next couple of years because they're so unreliable.