LOL
http://www.arrivasapphire.co.uk/FAQ (http://www.arrivasapphire.co.uk/FAQ)
Look at the how do I catch a bus section.How dumb do they think we are?? :o :o :o :o :o
Quote from: dgss1 on May 06, 2013, 12:37:57 PM
LOL
http://www.arrivasapphire.co.uk/FAQ (http://www.arrivasapphire.co.uk/FAQ)
Well you wont get these on Cannock & Wednesfield routes will you?
Oh I duno I heard the pye greens are getting some refurbished s reg Darts ahahaha
I think saphire is a great idea, the buses look spectacular. I think its also an important direction change for arriva as previously they have offered a no frills but decent service. The concept is exactly what we need to turf people out of there cars willingly quality, reliable buses with a regular friwndly smile. But again I find myself repeating watch out national express. As more and morw operators start to introduce leather seats, high back seats, air con and wifi nx arent seeming to keep up ajd recently seem to be cutting back. I thinks its an outrage that they have unleathered buses on the 997 route honestly a step in wrong direction. So I pray that they start again having air con, leather and wifi onto there buses and mood lighting is a good gimic all adding to a high vehicle quality that will encourage car users onto the bus!
No frills but decent? Except in cannock its no frills if they dont break down...
And at £2.10 more for a daysaver its hardly no frills its expensive prices to travel on tat
I would rather catch a Cannock bus than some of the other WM area operators.
I went to Cannock Saturday and saw a decent fleet.
Oh I forgot, Arriva own complete tat!
Decent??? Take it there were no sb120s or s######d out Darts or knackered number 1 buses out or B10BLEs then
Quote from: bob on May 06, 2013, 05:47:32 PM
Decent??? Take it there were no sb120s or s######d out Darts or knackered number 1 buses out or B10BLEs then
Actually, there was, but they're not half as bad as you suggest!
Bu51 kwj, the driver said it was a disgrace that it was even in service, fk52 mml is in horrific condition, 2 darts broke down one after the other last week on the 33. A commander was put on a lowloader at the bus stn last week, ejz dart broke down in service on Saturday, 3 sb120s have the worst condition interiors I have ever seen, at least one of the 1 buses sounds knackered. The b10bles sound like theyre on their last legs about a month ago we all had to get off at the bus stn because the driver couldnt get it started, at the same time an mpd broke down and was stuck blocking the bus stn stand for hours. The only decent buses in ok nick are 57 plate upward sb200s....
If a comparison of breakdowns was made over a month with any nx garage nx would win hands down
Quote from: bob on May 06, 2013, 07:38:40 PM
Bu51 kwj, the driver said it was a disgrace that it was even in service, fk52 mml is in horrific condition, 2 darts broke down one after the other last week on the 33. A commander was put on a lowloader at the bus stn last week, ejz dart broke down in service on Saturday, 3 sb120s have the worst condition interiors I have ever seen, at least one of the 1 buses sounds knackered. The b10bles sound like theyre on their last legs about a month ago we all had to get off at the bus stn because the driver couldnt get it started, at the same time an mpd broke down and was stuck blocking the bus stn stand for hours. The only decent buses in ok nick are 57 plate upward sb200s....
Unfortunately, although the statement was indeed clear, simple, and straightforward, there is some difficulty in justifiably assigning to it the fourth of the epithets you applied to the statement, inasmuch as the precise correlation between the information you communicated and the facts, insofar as they can be determined and demonstrated, is such as to cause epistemological problems, of sufficient magnitude as to lay upon the logical and semantic resources of the English language a heavier burden than they can reasonably be expected to bear.
What?
Quote from: bob on May 06, 2013, 08:41:34 PM
What?
basically I feel your statement was totally incorrect
Quote from: trainbasher on May 06, 2013, 09:17:13 PM
Quote from: bob on May 06, 2013, 08:41:34 PM
What?
basically I feel your statement was totally incorrect
You obviously don't look at Cannock's fleet closely. The seats in some of Cannock's buses make the never retrimmed ones in NXWMs 41xx tridents look decent and the ride quality given by some of the gearboxes is dreadful with them shaking you to bits at Bus Stops. The contrast between Tamworth and Cannock if you look closely is huge. The one thing Arriva generally do well everywhere including Cannock is keeping the exterior panels on buses looking reasonable with very few dents or none matching panels, but look beyond that and the older half of Cannock's fleet is in a very bad way
When I was out & about on Saturday, I went on both the 2 & 35b, both MPDs & they seemed to struggle on a gradient with few passengers on.
Cant remember where on the 35b, but it was Landywood bridge on the 2.
Hear hear tony!!! Answer this, would you agree that the amount of breakdowns on a weekly basis at cannock would be much higher than a nx garage with buses of a comparable ( or in some cases older) age?
And can you see why I wish NX had never withdrawn from cannock, with midland being taken over, arriva have carte vlanche to be as crap as they like with no competition
the X51 to cannock would look good in sapphire
Quote from: dgss1 on May 19, 2013, 08:05:00 AM
the X51 to cannock would look good in sapphire
And the 110 Tamworth-Birmingham
Here is 4010 in Sapphire livery
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55432463@N08/8949090459/
Typical, he Africa Midlands 313 is delayed by a month
Quote from: dgss1 on May 06, 2013, 12:37:57 PM
LOL
http://www.arrivasapphire.co.uk/FAQ (http://www.arrivasapphire.co.uk/FAQ)
Look at the how do I catch a bus section.How dumb do they think we are?? :o :o :o :o :o
You would not be surprised how 'dumb they are'
Trust me!!!!
'This one going to Wolverhampton?'
"No, that's why it has 'Wolverhampton' on the blind, the flag on the stop says 'towards Wolverhampton', the timetable on the stop shows 'Wolverhampton' I mean what more could we do? Put a F***** siren on like the scrap man only instead of 'Srcap Iron' make it belt out 'This One's going to Wolver..ham..ton..'
Christ sake you go some other country and catch a bus they tell you jack s*** you have to work it out for yourself over here everyone is spoonfed and they still don't get it
British Bafoons :o :o :o
The first midland sapphire route has been launched,only a month late
Just come back from Leicster after trying out Sapphire route 31 its amazing what can be done to a 7 year old Gemini.
When on it and it is good :) The power plug is a defo advantage
Is there anymore on the possible upgrading of the 110 and a route in Derby to Sapphire spec?
Tamworth and Derby are having e400 deckers built to specification for sapphire, Tamworths are for 110 and Derbys are for 44/4d or 37
Quote from: arrivaaston on January 31, 2014, 10:47:21 PM
Tamworth and Derby are having e400 deckers built to specification for sapphire, Tamworths are for 110 and Derbys are for 44/4d or 37
Source?
Arriva Midlands are definitely getting new Sapphire buses in 2014. I believe it to be Tamworth, Derby and one other garage.
Quote from: williamposh on February 02, 2014, 07:36:13 AM
Arriva Midlands are definitely getting new Sapphire buses in 2014. I believe it to be Tamworth, Derby and one other garage.
I assume the other garage might well be for services in Leicester with First making a start to improve their fleet?
Will they be new build ADL E400's?
Someone told me off the record that the route 1 cannock-walsall was going to be upgraded to Sapphire standard? Really...I cant see it myself but you never know. ..
Yes, new build E400 for at least Tamworth and Derby.
Quote from: bob on February 02, 2014, 12:30:32 PM
Someone told me off the record that the route 1 cannock-walsall was going to be upgraded to Sapphire standard? Really...I cant see it myself but you never know. ..
It's always possible, it's an important corridor for Arriva and with the current on-going fleet issues at Cannock, I'm sure Arriva need to be seen to be attempting to improve the situation with further new investment, if that corridor was upgraded, it would release Commanders to allows withdrawal of older unreliable Darts
Possible. Although by the same token ive heard that the 12 yr old commanders currently on there are to have a retrim. At present you wouldnt think it was an important corridor, a lot of the time the commanders are on other routss and the 1 gets the even older volvos or darts on it. Out of all the services in cannock the walsall corridor is possibly the one most vulnerable to potential competition so arriva could do with watching out lol
Quote from: bob on February 02, 2014, 06:29:35 PM
Possible. Although by the same token ive heard that the 12 yr old commanders currently on there are to have a retrim. At present you wouldnt think it was an important corridor, a lot of the time the commanders are on other routss and the 1 gets the even older volvos or darts on it. Out of all the services in cannock the walsall corridor is possibly the one most vulnerable to potential competition so arriva could do with watching out lol
It would be the easiest one for NX to compete on from Walsall garage. But I doubt they will as they withdrew from Cannock sometime ago
Wouldn't mind seeing the 10 or 19 go Sapphire. Sapphire DAF/Wrights anyone??
Quote from: the trainbasher on February 02, 2014, 07:50:06 PM
Wouldn't mind seeing the 10 or 19 go Sapphire. Sapphire DAF/Wrights anyone??
The 10 maybe but the 19?? Lol :--p
Quote from: bob on February 02, 2014, 08:04:21 PM
Quote from: the trainbasher on February 02, 2014, 07:50:06 PM
Wouldn't mind seeing the 10 or 19 go Sapphire. Sapphire DAF/Wrights anyone??
The 10 maybe but the 19?? Lol :--p
Tbh the 10 is a good route for Wednesfield that directly competes against NX 10 and gets good loadings
Yea maybe but the 19s a bit of a dead duck. Hardly used lol
As I asked earlier on in this thread, has there been any official word from Arriva about anything going Sapphire, or is this all driver/spotter gossip?
Quote from: nx4737 on February 03, 2014, 03:57:21 AM
As I asked earlier on in this thread, has there been any official word from Arriva about anything going Sapphire, or is this all driver/spotter gossip?
From other sources I have within Arriva I believe WilliamPosh is spot on with his comments
Well those B9TL's have been good workhorses for Arriva especially the Tamworth ones. The 110 would be a good contender for Sapphire surely?
The 110 is going sapphire, a source of mine at Arriva tells me tthat they are looking at getting some streetlites for the 1
Streetlites? For a sapphire route? Only in cannock lol
Can you get 44 seat streetlites? Or will it be a reduction in capacity. I dont know why they cant get something decent like citaros ...
Largest Streetlites are 45 seaters I think. Citaros seem to have very fussy interiors now, seating seems to vary, maybe 41 max. Those at Tamworth have seats all over the place and in all directions.
Ace buses though! Smooth under stressed engines that dont struggle whatever demand placed on em, they ##insert swear word## all over pulsars from an epic height!
Quote from: bob on February 19, 2014, 12:52:33 PM
Streetlites? For a sapphire route? Only in cannock lol
you mean s***t lites the commanders are better may as well put on crap mpd darts
Bob, if you think Streetlites are good, go to Sheffield where theirs have a minimum life expectancy of another 18 months, they ratle like hell and have to move around all day on full rev's none stop. Fair play they'd be better on flat terrain but Pulsar's are just better even if they too would struggle in hilly areas I'd have one of those over a "lampost" or a versa any day
Yes thats right. I was referring to citaro's. I personally think pulsars are crap. Underpowered and horrendously noisy compared to citaros and b7rles. The engine has to work so much harder I was on 3728 the other day they sruggle to pick up speed without the engine moaning/gearbox screaming when pulling away from stops let alone hills. Vile things
Ohh ok. I like Citaro's though as well.
My mate has told me that cannock is definately having sapphire route and it will be services 1 and 2 to walsall. Iys believed that the buses will be the 45 seat streetlite
Really interesting observations Andy!
I'm glad to hear the Central Buses X55 is doing ok-again, a small, innovative quality operator stepping in to fill a genuine gap in the market.
I think not just Arriva but most companies have axed these express routes which as you say are more comfortable for passengers and encourage end-to-end traffic competing better with the train/car.
I agree with andy in the sense that a bus seated pulsar does not cut it for a 90 min journey. Jesus even the ewu volvobuses would be mmore comfortable. ...
Quote from: Bob on November 08, 2014, 09:02:44 PM
I agree with andy in the sense that a bus seated pulsar does not cut it for a 90 min journey. Jesus even the ewu volvobuses would be mmore comfortable. ...
I travel on Pulsar2's a lot and they seem very comfortable. Personally I prefer the moquette on them to the leather on MAX/Sapphire.
Let's face it, none of these spec's compare to the comfort levels on proper, old dual purpose vehicles.
Quote from: andy on November 08, 2014, 09:17:39 PM
Quote from: DiamondDart on November 08, 2014, 09:06:32 PM
Quote from: Bob on November 08, 2014, 09:02:44 PM
I agree with andy in the sense that a bus seated pulsar does not cut it for a 90 min journey. Jesus even the ewu volvobuses would be mmore comfortable. ...
I travel on Pulsar2's a lot and they seem very comfortable. Personally I prefer the moquette on them to the leather on MAX/Sapphire.
Let's face it, none of these spec's compare to the comfort levels on proper, old dual purpose vehicles.
Spot on. The high backed seats on the Sapphire vehicles don't touch a proper DP. The Stagecoach Gold seats are a bit closer to one but still not the real deal. Shame they can't make them like that anymore but I'm assuming it's down to DDA regs as much as anything.
I must be honest I'm disappointed with the dilution of Sapphire in particular.
One minute it was new/refurbed e400s as new with proper seats top deck now it's streetlites with pretty standard seating.
In the North East they're ordering new e400's to MAX spec and then refurbing e400's to Sapphire. Why not just put the new vehicles on Sapphire?
Having said that, it's led to some impressive growth in passenger numbers.
For comfier seats than on any Sapphire, try a DIAMONDvalue eclipse on the 301/2!
I make the sapphire streetlites 39 seaters is that right? Theyre reasonably comfortable but horrendous noise wise....and are starting to rattle. ..3301 is anyway. Speaking of what arriva have planned in next 6 months I wonder if they have any new cannock services planned? I can see the 34 being axed.
According to BLOTW the seating on the streetlites is B44F.
The ones in Leicester seem to be fine noise wise but they're not that comfortable.
Quote from: stuartn on November 09, 2014, 01:28:39 AM
According to BLOTW the seating on the streetlites is B44F.
The ones in Leicester seem to be fine noise wise but they're not that comfortable.
The Cannock ones are labelled as 31 seaters
Theres more than 31 tony
Quote from: Bob on November 09, 2014, 09:37:16 AM
Theres more than 31 tony
The one I checked in Walsall had the sign above the driver saying seating capacity 31 had had 2+1 seating in the front half so did only have about 31
Bit of a decrease in capacity for the 1 then!
Perhaps that's so that the load factor increases and they can claim them as a success despite not actually attracting a single extra passenger? :)
I remember they always say in local papers "the great success ...etc" when they introduced the 68 in addition to the 69 and increased the 70 to three an hour it was down to the great success of the 70.it got reduced again shortly after and the 68/9 got withdrawn completely! Only kept 68 in the end with council funding
Have voith been in yet? I was on 3302 yesterday and the gears were jerking badly especially in low gears, also rattling like mad which hasnt taken long. Im not much of a streetlite fan mainly due to how ugly they are and pretty cheap and noisy sounding for an allegedly now premium route, that said theyre not quite as bad as I imagined and certainly a bit better than the worn out crap they had on the 1 before, which passengers on the 70/76 now have to suffer
These particular Street-Lites are micro-hybrids, which is why they are a bit quieter than standard StreetLites.
I think the jerking is a problem they all suffer from, however: if they lose too many revs (mainly in lower gears), they'll jerk badly for the kickdown, and you end up banging in to the seat in front of you. That's the only problem I have with StreetLites.
Quote from: Bob on November 09, 2014, 10:39:02 AM
Bit of a decrease in capacity for the 1 then!
Definitely 41 seaters, just counted the number of seats on 3306. Does say 41 seated by the door.
I didnt know the sapphire ones were micro hybrids. I wondered why they don't sound as horrific as the First ones on YouTube
Have you heard one of the Tates Travel examples? It's a wheel-forward one, and sound awful!
To be honest none of them sound great
I was on 3301 this morning and it wasnt too bad smooth up to a point. They really struggle up hills though dont they. On 3304 now and it has a really jerky gearbox and they seem quite slow on the a34. Just experienced that kickdown thing, I see what you mean about throwing you forward. Awful!!! They seem to change gear too quickly from pulling off
Have streetlites gpt the worst gear box set up ever?? Travelling on the 2 from Walsall now and have been thrown forward 3 times by jerky kickdowns, a couple of old dears are moaning about it to each other. Maybe these werent the best choice of bus for the service? Even without the kickdowns theyre generally pretty jerky. Some are smoother than others. As well as the obvious voith whine youd expect whats the constant death rattle groan tjat sounds like its coming from the back/underneath on all of them? Its like a sort of throaty deep groan sound. That aside if they weren't so jerky and didnt throw you all over the place they wouldn't be too bad a bus. Seats are quite comfy especially if you bag the emergency exit seat with mega legroom!
Travelled on 3309 twice today. From Cheslyn Hay to Walsall and return a few hours later. On both journeys the bus was spotlessly clean and warm. Both drivers were friendly and very smart. The gear box issues in paticular the kickdown jolt was only evident on the outward journey. Perhapes some of the issues could be driving style related ?
Went on the 110 from Sutton Coldfield to Birmingham and the sapphire e400 was a pleasant ride, driver was very helpful and i hope nx platinum is the same
Full marks to anyone that can come up with the correct location for the attached photo
Went on my first Sapphire today between my stop & Walsall.(Mother can't walk far sometimes, plus it was only 60p with an Nx pass!)
Couldn't get the Wi Fi to work though.
What really annoyed me, where some stops were listed incorrectly.
The next stop down from me is Addenbrooke Street, not Addenbrook Road(Mind you Centro hasn't helped by labelling the stop incorrectly too!), then 2 stops down from the Walsall NX depot is Forest Lane, not Forest Avenue.
Then again, from a company that refers to the Blakenall area of Walsall as 'Blakenhall' on several occasions in the past, it doesn't surprise me!
Did you get a jerky geared streetlite or one of the slightly less awful ones of the batch?
Quote from: Bob on February 17, 2015, 04:32:14 PM
Did you get a jerky geared streetlite or one of the slightly less awful ones of the batch?
Havent a clue.
Think I might have the ticket somewhere.
I'll remember to fish it out & see which number it was.
It was the one that arrived in Bloxwich around 1115 though!
Quote from: Westy on February 17, 2015, 08:48:33 PM
Quote from: Bob on February 17, 2015, 04:32:14 PM
Did you get a jerky geared streetlite or one of the slightly less awful ones of the batch?
Havent a clue.
Think I might have the ticket somewhere.
I'll remember to fish it out & see which number it was.
It was the one that arrived in Bloxwich around 1115 though!
If you didn't notice then it obviously wasn't giving that bad a ride
Be warned if you have an NXWM pass and decide to use the 110 on a Saturday or Sunday, thinking there only be a 70p supplement.
According to the driver of my bus today, the 70p supplement only applies on Monday to Fridays. Saturdays and Sundays the full normal fare is charged (£2.20 for Birmingham - Sutton Coldfield).
Quote from: Kevin_Brum12 on February 22, 2015, 10:43:59 PM
Be warned if you have an NXWM pass and decide to use the 110 on a Saturday or Sunday, thinking there only be a 70p supplement.
According to the driver of my bus today, the 70p supplement only applies on Monday to Fridays. Saturdays and Sundays the full normal fare is charged (£2.20 for Birmingham - Sutton Coldfield).
The NX pass supplement is 60p and it is common knowledge (Mentions it on the notice on the side of the bus)
Is there a two tier Sapphire interior? Previous e400s in other areas have had luxurious upstairs interiors and the most recent ones that operate in chester the 15 plate onss have this too. Other ones such as Derbys have a more basic seating arrangement
You will find that it is only Arriva NE&W Chester/Rhyl/Wrexham Depot's are like this
Sorry should read Arriva NW&W
Wonder why that is
Guess this is probably down to recent mishaps elsewhere, but the one Sapphire single decker on the 2 / 2a today has a panel a slightly different shade of blue plus half a fleetname 'Sapph' !
I bet that looks great. ...
Anyone along the line of route had the latest Cannock Sapphire leaflet, complete with a couple of discount vouchers for Daysavers, if you buy off the driver?
Quote from: Bob on March 28, 2015, 09:34:50 PM
Wonder why that is
The ones in Wales have been specified as they are upstairs specifically by the MD there.
Quote from: Westy on February 17, 2015, 03:51:11 PM
What really annoyed me, where some stops were listed incorrectly.
The next stop down from me is Addenbrooke Street, not Addenbrook Road(Mind you Centro hasn't helped by labelling the stop incorrectly too!), then 2 stops down from the Walsall NX depot is Forest Lane, not Forest Avenue.
Think you'll find the next stop information is produced by Hannover using the stop names in the NaPTAN database. That's why Centro's errors are carried through.
Just read on the Route One website that the next Sapphire route will be the X3 in Leicester, later this year
http://www.route-one.net/industry/sapphire-delivers-over-10-patronage-growth-in-year/
Quote from: John on July 08, 2015, 07:39:47 PM
Just read on the Route One website that the next Sapphire route will be the X3 in Leicester, later this year
http://www.route-one.net/industry/sapphire-delivers-over-10-patronage-growth-in-year/
That is interesting that passenger growth on the 110 has increased by 10% as well. So it begs the question surely in this day an age all modern buses should have usb connections and wifi.
Quote from: Dutsey on July 13, 2015, 10:07:47 AM
That is interesting that passenger growth on the 110 has increased by 10% as well. So it begs the question surely in this day an age all modern buses should have usb connections and wifi.
WiFi makes sense but it will come at a cost to the operator. Is it worth it for them? As for USB connections, on normal local service buses I can't see the extra cost and associated maintenance being worth it on any vehicle.