Why do Stagecoach Fife do it differently?

[robertclark125]

And my reason for asking why my local Stagecoach company does it differently is because an MAN 18.220, delivereyd in 2005 to this company, has had a new style seating moquete applied; the old style seating, with the normal grey seat, with red and orange flashes?

22268, new in 1999, has Dublin Bus style covers, i.e. Beach ball and seals, but that was demonstrated to DB in 1999.

 

[rail-britain]

If the price is right then it can be worth the acquisition
Stagecoach used to purchase demonstrators in the past at between 70% and 80% of cost
Usually part of that deal would also include some modifications, especially to the items more prone to wear and tear

Stagecoach Fife used to be the only Scottish Bus Group company that used underfloor engines, and this continued for some time after acquisition

 

[robertclark125]

Well, the bus, 22268, was part of the order for MAN's delired to Stagecoach Fife in 1999. Dublin Bus borrowed it from them. I'm still puzzled as to why the other MAN has got the old style seating moquete

 

[gordonthemoron]

Are there any MAN double deckers (i.e. like those in Berlin) in use in UK or Ireland?

 

[Stonesourscotty]

Think Reading Buses have an RR07 reg East Lancs Bodied Man Kinetic+

 

[driver9000]

Some minor work can entail recovering the seats when the seat frames are in good condition, I dont think Stagecoach stock the old grey moquette anymore so its beachball seating covers as standard these days. The NW fleet has been slowly getting this covering for a couple of years. The MANs in service that were rescued from the Carlisle flood have bench seats with the new moquette as do a couple of the ex-East London Tridents

 

[mbonwick]

As driver9000 says, this is part of a group wide, ongoing project to update everything to the latest corporate livery, beachball.

 

[robertclark125]

The beach balls on 22268 are not Stagecoach beachballs, but Dublin Bus ones! Theyve been fitted since 1999!

 

[mbonwick]

None of the Fleetlists that I've looked at have anything special about 22268. It may just be that is was bought from a dealer and with the 2003 fleet standardisation if got numbered in series.
It's shown as being purchased in Dec-99, one month after its predeccessor 22267 as the last of the batch. Perhaps they were 1 short and made up the numbers? I don't know

 

[driver9000]

When buses are sent out as demonstrators if the client is important enough, as Dublin Bus is to Alexander they will deck out the demonstrator in that companies colours/interior specification. When Stagecoach took the bus into stock the interior would have been in good condition so wouldnt have been cost effective to change the cloth for Stagecoach cloths better to leave it until it requires re-covering.

 

[robertclark125]

Another example of Stagecoach Fife doing it differently. The fleetnumbers applied to vehicles are not in the national font, but in a differnet font, which, after checking, is none other than British Rail Dark Normal! Not only that, but depot allocation codes are being carried.

Thje recently transfered Enviro 400's from manchester have been so treated, new style font for the numbers, and a G for Glenrothes.

 

[driver9000]

They reintroduced depot codes a few years ago when we had Volvo B10M coach 52027 at Lancaster for Rail Replacments it carried full Fife fleetnames and lettering and carried depot code A, and the non-standard fleetnumber numerals arent that unusual either.

 

[mbonwick]

You can tell the difference between the first and third batchs of ex-Manchester Tridents in Lancaster by the different fleet number styles!

 

[robertclark125]

Stagecoach Fife are at it again. Numerous vehicles are running around with no fleetnames at all. The five new Optare solos delivered to Glenrothes depot in June are an example of this. Several Volvo Olympians are the same, no fleetnames AT ALL. Oh, and then there's the case of the Volvo B7R coach meerilly trundling around with no fleetnames, or Express City Connect names on it.

Lastly, one of the nine Scania Omincity tri axles has lost its Stagecoach Fife fleetnames, but retains Experience City Connect branding.