On The Buses

woah · Sun 15 Jan, 2012 11.40

That's true, but with a rear staircase and other odd design features it's still going to look very strange and I can't see many operators buying them. That and the fact that Ensign seem to have trouble shifting the normal buses they already have!

iSon · Sun 15 Jan, 2012 13.21

Just to let you know I've split these posts from the election thread so that bus chatter and political discourse can continue side by side.

WillPS · Sun 15 Jan, 2012 21.44

woah wrote:That's true, but with a rear staircase and other odd design features it's still going to look very strange and I can't see many operators buying them. That and the fact that Ensign seem to have trouble shifting the normal buses they already have!

Once you get big enough economies of scale anything is possible. Remember towards the end of this decade there may well be massive bus shortages as 2020 DDA regulations come in to place.

barcode · Sun 15 Jan, 2012 21.54

WillPS wrote:
woah wrote:That's true, but with a rear staircase and other odd design features it's still going to look very strange and I can't see many operators buying them. That and the fact that Ensign seem to have trouble shifting the normal buses they already have!
Once you get big enough economies of scale anything is possible. Remember towards the end of this decade there may well be massive bus shortages as 2020 DDA regulations come in to place.

Its FAR sooner than that: 2016

http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/bus- ... ility-faqs

When will all buses and coaches meet the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR)?

All full size single deck buses over 7.5 tonnes will be fully accessible from 1 January 2016, and all double deck buses from 1 January 2017. New buses weighing up to 7.5 tonnes and coaches will be required to have wheelchair access from 1 January 2005. All buses weighing up to 7.5 tonnes will be fully accessible from 1 January 2015 and coaches by 1 January 2020.

woah · Sun 15 Jan, 2012 22.07

And the deadlines for standard service buses tie in nicely with high-floor buses reaching the end of their servicable life - even the youngest double deck will be 17 years old.

Saying that, a local operator here in Sheffield though is running H/J plate Leyland Olympians in regular service, and two D-plated ones on school work (over 20 years old) - and seem to be some of the more reliable (not tidy) vehicles in the fleet!