A Trip was planned because DRS had an open day at there Crewe depot and I decided to go as I had never been to one before so it was up early and off to the stop to wait for the 38 to arrive.
VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2
The 0909 bus turned up 5 minutes late to my surprise was a 130 branded sapphire pulsar 2932. Iv had a ride in one before but never wrote about it but there a cracking machine nice and tidy comfortable and smooth the driver was really friendly. The ride was quite smooth and the acceleration and noises where quite good with a rattle free ride and super tidy exterior id have to give it a 10/10 for an 09 plate example
Volvo B7TL ALX400
Having never tried one before I had decided to stay longer at Crewe but when 4103 turned up I had to jump at the chance to try one out. I sat upstairs the seats where comfortable the bus was reasonably tidy and in a moderate state being in the new livery was pretty tidy on the outside. The bus rattled a lot and didn't sound too healthy and the jerkiness every time it hugged a pothole in the road let it down a bit. The ride back was noisy inside as a pair of eastern European girls chatted loudly where quite rude and drank some kind of foreign cheap alcoholic drink which let the experience down a bit but overall quite impressed to give it a 7/10 for a 55 plate and a Volvo
Both vehicles from Arriva where a nice change from the allocated Geminis but the only moan is the Pulsar got to about Haslingden and was rammed which meant people where tightly packed in on the 38 route. I have seen there Centros on cover which is a really stupid idea on this route even less capacity than the Pulsar but I shall try and experience one in the future to try it out
Saturday 21 July 2018
Saturday 3 June 2017
Manchester Airport ADL E200 29-04-17
Caught this from Staff West to terminal 1 at Manchester Airport for our flight to Turkey. These had not long been delivered when I had the chance to sample one of the new 17 plate E200s and to say I was quite impressed. There base white which was clean and tidy with the legible orange destination screen and airport logos also these where equipped with luggage racks which you could see from the bright big windows. on first impressions the interior was nice and tidy and well presented with the luggage racks positioned behind the driver side with comfy seats for a short ride its quite nice.
The ride around to terminal 1 was nice it sounded great and handled all the speed bumps and cornering around the roundabout was smooth rattle free nothing to complain about. When I heard the airport was getting these I had visions of MMCs but the overall older body style of the E200 is nice and looks the business and stood out against the other vehicles around the airport. I will score this a 10/10 excellent vehicle to ride on nothing to complain about and would expect to ride on more of them in the future
Thursday 25 May 2017
Mugla Buyuksehir Belediyesi 48BB3257 08-05-2017
Travelled down to Oludeniz, Turkey for official business at the police station then walked around before heading back on one of Mugla Buyuksehir Belediyesi's Mercedes Benz Sprinters. There a nice vehicles clean and tidy since the council took over running them since my last visit in Sept 16 looking quite smart in the council livery and drivers in proper uniforms. The ride is average for a Sprinter with the seats being ok to sit on with drivers being very friendly and you can stop them anywhere or where a dolmus stop is to catch them. so after my experience on one I would say a 6 1/2 out of 10 there nice but not my sort of thing to ride in the future
Sunday 4 December 2016
03-12-16 Manchester Transport Event
Decided to attend the event and pick up some more diecast model buses for the collection so hopped on the 0911 train and into Manchester then hopped onto the Metroshuttle 2 to Victoria and onto the 2 free shuttles to the museum. I was also suppressed to see a MCCW I had photographed back in 2012 at Gaws end under restoration sitting there outside the museum gave me a bit of a surprise
Optare Solo SR EV
Had a ride on YJ60KCF operating Metroshuttle 2 service which took me to Victoria Station to link up with the museum shuttle. There a nice little vehicle and are quite fast rattle free and super quiet and smooth riding quality. These are fitted with leather seats and next stop information giving the service a boost and make it quite smart and innovative for a Solo. Driver was friendly and helpful when I ran for the service along with an old couple and the bus was clean and tidy on the outside quite smart from the iffy First bus company these seemed the most well kept vehicles in the fleet from the rest of the fleet I saw out n about in Manchester.
The seats where comfortable and smart looking complimenting the clean and tidy interior and next stop information was helpful to know when to press the stop button and was loud clear and precise with a easy to read display and route information on the screen was well presented. The trip was great and no niggles in the bus to write about so id give this a 10/10 and would expect more o these around
Leyland Olympian Northern Counties
A member of the museum fleet Greater Manchester Transport B65PJA was looking quite smart and tidy as it pulled up for the first journey of the day to the museum from Victoria. It was clean and tidy and well presented in its livery and looked the part in Manchester as we boarded from the front on this. The interior was well presented in its preserved state and I sat upstairs which was a clear all round view of the city as it powered its way home. It sounded great and the ride was good the seats slightly worn here n there but confortable for there age. The staff where nice and friendly and played a nice role in its running a suggestion was maybe donation buckets on the machines to aid towards there upkeep and running costs but other than that a superb vehicle. I would give this a 9 1/2 / 10 but its a piece of nostalgia to ride on
Leyland Titan PD3/14 East Lancs
A member of the museum fleet Greater Manchester Transport KJA871F was looking quite smart in its Manchester livery clean and tidy on the outside but worn out and tired on the inside the seat cushions falling apart and tired looking. The vehicle sounded ace as it made the trip from the museum to Victoria and looked like it was back home doing service works surrounded by so many old architecture and building around Manchester. The ride was great to experience the vintage vehicle and be able to see what it was like for passengers when these where out in daily service. I felt rear platform vehicles are quite cold in the winter being all open and noticed the driver had his own little cubicle up front to drive from next to the engine. The museum staff where friendly and even got a wave from the driver which I waved back so this is a 9/10 the open config rear platform puts me of full marks in winter time
Optare Solo SR EV
Had a ride on YJ60KCF operating Metroshuttle 2 service which took me to Victoria Station to link up with the museum shuttle. There a nice little vehicle and are quite fast rattle free and super quiet and smooth riding quality. These are fitted with leather seats and next stop information giving the service a boost and make it quite smart and innovative for a Solo. Driver was friendly and helpful when I ran for the service along with an old couple and the bus was clean and tidy on the outside quite smart from the iffy First bus company these seemed the most well kept vehicles in the fleet from the rest of the fleet I saw out n about in Manchester.
The seats where comfortable and smart looking complimenting the clean and tidy interior and next stop information was helpful to know when to press the stop button and was loud clear and precise with a easy to read display and route information on the screen was well presented. The trip was great and no niggles in the bus to write about so id give this a 10/10 and would expect more o these around
Leyland Olympian Northern Counties
A member of the museum fleet Greater Manchester Transport B65PJA was looking quite smart and tidy as it pulled up for the first journey of the day to the museum from Victoria. It was clean and tidy and well presented in its livery and looked the part in Manchester as we boarded from the front on this. The interior was well presented in its preserved state and I sat upstairs which was a clear all round view of the city as it powered its way home. It sounded great and the ride was good the seats slightly worn here n there but confortable for there age. The staff where nice and friendly and played a nice role in its running a suggestion was maybe donation buckets on the machines to aid towards there upkeep and running costs but other than that a superb vehicle. I would give this a 9 1/2 / 10 but its a piece of nostalgia to ride on
Leyland Titan PD3/14 East Lancs
A member of the museum fleet Greater Manchester Transport KJA871F was looking quite smart in its Manchester livery clean and tidy on the outside but worn out and tired on the inside the seat cushions falling apart and tired looking. The vehicle sounded ace as it made the trip from the museum to Victoria and looked like it was back home doing service works surrounded by so many old architecture and building around Manchester. The ride was great to experience the vintage vehicle and be able to see what it was like for passengers when these where out in daily service. I felt rear platform vehicles are quite cold in the winter being all open and noticed the driver had his own little cubicle up front to drive from next to the engine. The museum staff where friendly and even got a wave from the driver which I waved back so this is a 9/10 the open config rear platform puts me of full marks in winter time
Thursday 22 September 2016
21-09-2016 Manchester Airport Optare Versa Hybrid
Had a ride on this 15 plate hybrid vehicle from the Manchester Airport fleet during the early hours of Thursday AM after returning from Turkey to staff west for the car. The vehicle was tidy on the outside and inside and was a nice experience and a well presented vehicle for the airport fleet. The vehicle sounded great and was very confortable.
The interior was nice and tidy and smart looking with the motif and luggage racks it was a cracking ride with comfy seating quite nice lighting and a plesant atmosphere. This ride will score 10/10 its a fantastic machine and I hope the airport get more as Pointer replacements
The interior was nice and tidy and smart looking with the motif and luggage racks it was a cracking ride with comfy seating quite nice lighting and a plesant atmosphere. This ride will score 10/10 its a fantastic machine and I hope the airport get more as Pointer replacements
Wednesday 25 May 2016
GHA Coaches
Noticed lately that GHA have been using Vale Travels deckers they used on schools in Macclesfield before they puled ou. There using them on service 27 Macclesfield - Knutsford route. I intend to sample the decker before 2017 and the DDA rule comes into effect and need to research the route to see possible points along it to photograph other operators
Rides
Transferred over from y other blog to start off the blog
2013
Dennis Dart SLF Plaxton Pointer
A nice looking bus for a 55 plate with the Manchester Airport fleet quite tidy as to be expected along with the baggage rack make it look small. It sounds and rides quite well and sounded like it should going around the Airport. The vehicle overall the livery was smart and very clean inside and out and being a single door variant. I have yet to experience there duel door Pointers on duties but am quite impressed with it so it gets a 7/10
Scania Irizar PB
This vehicle was experienced on holiday in Lanzarote going around the National Park. The bus overall was a bit scruffy and lots of scrapes and scuffs around the vehicle. The interior was looking a little run down and needed a tidy up or refurb but the seats and interior where clean and comfortable. The livery was a little bland and a mix bag of shades of the base colours. This is the first Scania product to ride on and to be honest the vehicle sounded rough and the ride wasn't that great but that can be blamed by the road surface but overall it scores a 5/10 and I would love to experience more. Was surprised to see a Mercedes Benz chassed variant in there fleet but did not experience it
DAF DB300 Wright Gemini
A superb looking bus inside and out and quite tidy for a 61 plate vehicle assigned to Arriva at Macclesfield they seem to take care of it quite well. The ride was superb but was let down by the quality of the road condition being terrible in places and it sounded pretty well. The seats are quite comfortable and look smart in there motif plus the interior looks well done too id have to say overall a eight and a half out of ten if the road condition was better it would have scored a 9/10
MAN 18.220 ALX300
A nice looking bus could use a tidy up on the outside with Stockport's Stagecoach livery freshened up a bit. The ride was quite average with some hard breaking in places it also vibrates a lot at bus stops the pulling away is a little jerky it also sounded a little rough in places. The seats where quite average the look was to be desired by the non matching seat covers. The interior was a little scruffy you could see where stickers used to be on the roof. Things need an overall tidy up to improve the overall brand so it a 5/10 from me
Optare Solo M990
A nice looking product from Optare but being a 55 reg with D&G leaves a lot to be desired the livery is kind of bland needs something to make it more attractive. The ride isn't that great a let down of its choice of engine it has it also vibrated like mad at bus stops and pulling away was quite rough. The seats where a bit bland along with the interior needed a bit of freshening up a lot. A lot of this vehicle needs improvements to make it a nice bus but overall it scores a 3/10 from me
Optare Solo M970SR
Had a ride on Arriva's 12 plate example on route 3 and id have to say its a brilliant all round bus for its age. The interior is nice and tidy apart from condensation worn adverts and it feels like a nice ride but will try and experience a longer route to get my full experience on one. The engine and ride where superb and have noticed the Optare rattle that seems standard on Solos but doesn't bring it down. The seats where nice and could be sat on for long periods the driver also was nice. Overall the livery was smart and clean no scuffs or dings and suits the vehicle so overall a nine and a half out of 10. Might experience one of Arriva's route 130 vehicles at a later date but overall am impress at Arriva's standards
Mercedes Benz Citaro
Today I travelled on a de courcey citaro around the NEC in Birmingham being a 12 plate example was a nice sight. The ride was excelent and it went quite well the seats where nice and the atmosphere was great. It sounded great and rode well on the roads around the NEC complex so overall im impressed enough to go for a 9 1/2 out of 10
2014
ADL E400
Went to the airport on the 11th April on the 369 and was expecting the ALX300 but got a ride on an E400 instead. Have to say there quite nice and smart looking in there Stagecoach livery I think they take pride in keeping them smart looking and tidy. The overall appearance was great inside and out nothing to fault it about driver was friendly. The ride was smooth and comfortable seating with the frontal window rattle but that still dosnt let it down. The performance was great is got off the mark quite well with acceleration engine sounded great. The view was nice from the top deck clear all round view the ride was great apart from the odd road condition along the route. A ride on a hybrid one might be on the books later in the year but its overall scoring a 9 1/2 out of 10 there are a few little things that means its not 10/10 but you can fault Stagecoaches pride with most of there newer fleet in keeping them looking so new and fresh
Mercedes Benz Articulated Citaro
Had a ride on this on the 19th of October from staff west to terminal one to catch a flight and sat in the rear. The ride was nice rattled a bit but you can feel the back end slide around more than usual but the let down was the loud noisy engine usually you dont hear it on other vehicles. was nice clean inside and out from what i could tell of the outside from the floodlights at terminal 1 but overall it scores a 7/10 first ride in one is an interesting vehicle to say the least and worth the ride to experience one a couple of letdowns but nothing major
2016
Mercedes Benz Articulated Citaro
Had a ride on one of these before but luck had it returning home from a Turkish trip in April gave me the chance to sample one of Manchester Airports 53 plate ex London vehicles. Not much different from the previous ride but overall quite tidy inside and out wasnt that noisy and was quite a smooth ride from Terminal 1 with there new bus stop configuration outside make for interesting photos but managed to snap it getting off at a Staff West stop. Overall id score it an 8/10 and would look pritty smart in the airports own livery instead of TFL red but thats just an observation and dosnt detract from the overall score
2013
Dennis Dart SLF Plaxton Pointer
A nice looking bus for a 55 plate with the Manchester Airport fleet quite tidy as to be expected along with the baggage rack make it look small. It sounds and rides quite well and sounded like it should going around the Airport. The vehicle overall the livery was smart and very clean inside and out and being a single door variant. I have yet to experience there duel door Pointers on duties but am quite impressed with it so it gets a 7/10
Scania Irizar PB
This vehicle was experienced on holiday in Lanzarote going around the National Park. The bus overall was a bit scruffy and lots of scrapes and scuffs around the vehicle. The interior was looking a little run down and needed a tidy up or refurb but the seats and interior where clean and comfortable. The livery was a little bland and a mix bag of shades of the base colours. This is the first Scania product to ride on and to be honest the vehicle sounded rough and the ride wasn't that great but that can be blamed by the road surface but overall it scores a 5/10 and I would love to experience more. Was surprised to see a Mercedes Benz chassed variant in there fleet but did not experience it
DAF DB300 Wright Gemini
A superb looking bus inside and out and quite tidy for a 61 plate vehicle assigned to Arriva at Macclesfield they seem to take care of it quite well. The ride was superb but was let down by the quality of the road condition being terrible in places and it sounded pretty well. The seats are quite comfortable and look smart in there motif plus the interior looks well done too id have to say overall a eight and a half out of ten if the road condition was better it would have scored a 9/10
MAN 18.220 ALX300
A nice looking bus could use a tidy up on the outside with Stockport's Stagecoach livery freshened up a bit. The ride was quite average with some hard breaking in places it also vibrates a lot at bus stops the pulling away is a little jerky it also sounded a little rough in places. The seats where quite average the look was to be desired by the non matching seat covers. The interior was a little scruffy you could see where stickers used to be on the roof. Things need an overall tidy up to improve the overall brand so it a 5/10 from me
Optare Solo M990
A nice looking product from Optare but being a 55 reg with D&G leaves a lot to be desired the livery is kind of bland needs something to make it more attractive. The ride isn't that great a let down of its choice of engine it has it also vibrated like mad at bus stops and pulling away was quite rough. The seats where a bit bland along with the interior needed a bit of freshening up a lot. A lot of this vehicle needs improvements to make it a nice bus but overall it scores a 3/10 from me
Optare Solo M970SR
Had a ride on Arriva's 12 plate example on route 3 and id have to say its a brilliant all round bus for its age. The interior is nice and tidy apart from condensation worn adverts and it feels like a nice ride but will try and experience a longer route to get my full experience on one. The engine and ride where superb and have noticed the Optare rattle that seems standard on Solos but doesn't bring it down. The seats where nice and could be sat on for long periods the driver also was nice. Overall the livery was smart and clean no scuffs or dings and suits the vehicle so overall a nine and a half out of 10. Might experience one of Arriva's route 130 vehicles at a later date but overall am impress at Arriva's standards
Mercedes Benz Citaro
Today I travelled on a de courcey citaro around the NEC in Birmingham being a 12 plate example was a nice sight. The ride was excelent and it went quite well the seats where nice and the atmosphere was great. It sounded great and rode well on the roads around the NEC complex so overall im impressed enough to go for a 9 1/2 out of 10
2014
ADL E400
Went to the airport on the 11th April on the 369 and was expecting the ALX300 but got a ride on an E400 instead. Have to say there quite nice and smart looking in there Stagecoach livery I think they take pride in keeping them smart looking and tidy. The overall appearance was great inside and out nothing to fault it about driver was friendly. The ride was smooth and comfortable seating with the frontal window rattle but that still dosnt let it down. The performance was great is got off the mark quite well with acceleration engine sounded great. The view was nice from the top deck clear all round view the ride was great apart from the odd road condition along the route. A ride on a hybrid one might be on the books later in the year but its overall scoring a 9 1/2 out of 10 there are a few little things that means its not 10/10 but you can fault Stagecoaches pride with most of there newer fleet in keeping them looking so new and fresh
Mercedes Benz Articulated Citaro
Had a ride on this on the 19th of October from staff west to terminal one to catch a flight and sat in the rear. The ride was nice rattled a bit but you can feel the back end slide around more than usual but the let down was the loud noisy engine usually you dont hear it on other vehicles. was nice clean inside and out from what i could tell of the outside from the floodlights at terminal 1 but overall it scores a 7/10 first ride in one is an interesting vehicle to say the least and worth the ride to experience one a couple of letdowns but nothing major
2016
Mercedes Benz Articulated Citaro
Had a ride on one of these before but luck had it returning home from a Turkish trip in April gave me the chance to sample one of Manchester Airports 53 plate ex London vehicles. Not much different from the previous ride but overall quite tidy inside and out wasnt that noisy and was quite a smooth ride from Terminal 1 with there new bus stop configuration outside make for interesting photos but managed to snap it getting off at a Staff West stop. Overall id score it an 8/10 and would look pritty smart in the airports own livery instead of TFL red but thats just an observation and dosnt detract from the overall score
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