Messages

E041 has had the e.on wrap removed

That means only 4 left looking at bustimes; E039/40/42/43

Here is my review of the B7's and E200 I rode to Lichfield and back yesterday. The first B7 was 2138 on the 34 driver drove proffesionally considering Pleck has some truly awful drivers and this time was no different, he slowed for an indescive passenger just after Darlaston who didn't signal him to stop so he carried on another passenger didn't stand at the curb and put there arm out but tried to stop him without moving before shaking there head. I heard the indicator applied and the brakes pressed not the drivers fault you didn't signal clearly. Bus didn't seem to rattle much. The B7's feel well built haven't aged much and I do prefer them to the Omnilinks because they feel more spacious as 2138 had most of it's Seats taken.

My next bus was 2123 driver was a nice guy helped some people with how to get to a Morrisons somewhere inbetween Brownhills and Lichfield, helped a lot of people who had probably not caught the 8 before to go where they needed. I was getting of at the end so I didn't need any help myself. We were a bit late due to traffic so the Driver put his foot down on the faster sections Bus didn't rattle much and for the hour I was on I sat at the back right handside I had plenty of room to move my legs I am almost 6'0 foot didn't feel my bum or legs going numb. Over one of the Canal bridges after Clayhanger It felt fun to go over. Ik B7's don't offer much to the spotter but I'm not sure but when the Driver was putting his foot down I heard a small whistle/hiss maybe a Turbo. Surprised the B7 could handle some of the narrow lanes. Must say what a nice route the 8 is I can go from Urban area to Staffordshire Countryside within minutes.

856 was my third Bus to Pelsall Fingerpost needed to use the loo. E200's do rattle but this felt nippy on the country lanes I would imagine smaller wheelbase helps, Driver didn't need to have much interaction and I can't remember much as I was chatting to a passenger and was In a state of sheer joy after watching My local football team get promoted to Step 4 of the Non League game and I was 3 pints deep and full of passion, shock and adrenaline

Fourth bus from Walsall Road the Bungalow a few stops after the Cenotaph in Pelsall as I decided to try and walk into Rushall to get another bus back into Walsall was 2143 seemed fairly busy, again does what a B7 does chatted to Darlo fans. Overall I expected to feel drained and tired after spending about 2 and half hours on buses but I wasn't the Number 8 is possibly one of the most scenic routes I have caught decent route, I dreaded an E200 at first being on one for an hour as I had planned If it wasn't for my Bladder I would have and honestly it would have been fine maybe I'll try it when I ay running on emotional joy and 3 pints.

But overall I really do like the B7's there reliable, Comfortable, Well Built have speed or a boost of power when the driver does need it. They feel spacious and still quite new and I do like the look of them and the E200 was decent to. A Voith one might have not been good as I tend to think they jolt and shudder a lot more than the ZF's I say the E200 rattled it didn't as much as some of the Voith ones which I know were slated when they first entered service

E200s definitely notorious for how rattly they are, exact reason I dislike them to be honest, but they can be fast if you put your foot down, a lot of them are used here in Coventry on the 85 that goes to Rugby, I have been on a few E200s on this particular route and, except the usual rattling, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I gotta say though I definitely prefer B7s over E200s, slightly faster acceleration, more spacious and a lot quieter.

E034 NSAs working for downstairs but not for upstairs.

Just out If interest how long does it take to fully charge an electric and does it last a full day or do the buses have to pop off service for a refill, ans could we see top up facilities at terminus's, I remember when Decorcey had a fleet of electric Versas for the P&R and there were charging facilities at Memorial park.

While I don't know how long they take to charge, I do know they have a split in the boards that run over 15(?) hours, so E223 for example will be in service for the first half and it will be replaced at some point in the day by another vehicle.

E120 not tracking on 17s.

Unidentified (ex) First B9TL Gemini bursts into flames on the A30 near Bodmin.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c136kd5yvg8o.amp

Only CV51 tracking out of all NXCV services, very unusual.

Popped in there and see they still have the open top decker on display as used by the CCFC cup final celebrations way back in time.

Got me thinking about buses used in Coventry and what looks like a lack of more recent ex Coventry buses.
Does NXC ever offer a retired Coventry bus to the museum?
Would be good to see a more modern donation and a link to NXC who have been running Coventry services for quite some time now.

Would be amazing if one of the bendibuses made it into the exhibit, i know of a lot of people and enthusiasts alike who miss those buses so would be great to be able to see one again, although apart from 6015, i'm not sure if any other Citaros or Mercs were preserved.

E060 missing a vent cover upstairs on the drivers side at the front.

E161 not tracking on 17s today.

E162 also not tracking on 17s.

same on the rear, i cannot pretend that this looks good, cause it doesnt.

it has 0 branding, at all, the entire thing is just a single colour with a single red line

you can see imperfections running all down the sides of the bus in real life and even in the photo

i mean if it were up to me i wouldn't have even bothered putting this bus in service in this current state but i dont work at nx and i dont know the ins and outs of their operation. it just looks tacky af to me

To a passenger, a bus is a bus that's why NX let these buses run in service when they don't look the best, passengers don't really care about the appearance of the bus, more about whether or not the bus actually shows up.

From an enthusiasts POV though, I do agree it doesn't look the best.

E038 - chip in the upstairs windshield on the drivers side.

Couple of questions:
What's the reasoning behind some of the repaints being done in a single shade of grey - livery experimentation, running low on one shade of paint(!)?
The diagonal red vinyls on the newly delivered electrics - is this now a single block of red (as opposed to being 2 shades of narrow red stripes on the repaints)? It's hard to tell from the pictures.

I think I saw on here that older vehicles (pre-09 plates at a guess) will be getting just one shade of grey as they don't have much time left with the new electrics coming, whereas newer vehicles will be getting two shades.

Can the computer determine when E127 is ever likely to be back on the tracking system???
  just asking....

E127 has never tracked and nor has E143, it is unknown when they will start tracking.

Yes, police now have arrested two people

Good, I hope they get charged appropriately and not just released on bail because the prisons are full or their age (if they are youths) or whatever, more justice needs to be served for these despicable acts and people need to learn they will pay the consequences for such crimes and won't just get away with it like too many people have done in the past!