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I agree that this is non of our business. We have no right to speculate or raise questions on someones personal circumstances; indeed, one of the most objectionable part of being a bus driver is being treated as an object of public property. As long as he is safe I don't care what he wears. I wish him well in a difficult profession that completely wrecked my health.

Many thanks, Winston. I have to admit to being just a little devilish with my last post! When I first saw a Spectra with a full red front coming straight towards me, I thought "Midland Red is back".

I liked the red and white livery. The blue with white always seemed to drag the image down to "workers contract bus" level.

The new red, in my opinion, looks superb. The grey and black is another matter, I'm sorry to say. Black never works, needing to be immaculate. It would need a stylish bus with a high gloss varnish and washing at least twice a day to look any good.

Thanks again, Winston , for the pictures. I haven't found my way around the site yet, and with my computer skills it may take some time!

Another vote for the NB4L here.  I try to sample a couple every working day, I just love the retro ambience and attention to detail.  Yes, I know they are bespoke to London and therefore expensive.

It's a shame we couldn't have had our local authority specify a 'New Birmingham Standard' in terms of livery, detail colours and finishes when tendering services.  Okay, I recognise it would be all ADL, but with a nod to Birmingham's heritage, with a modern twist like the NB4Ls, such a colour scheme and details could have conveyed a really classy retro kudos for us to be proud of.  Instead of asymmetric sheep-dip colours.

Single deckers: new Merc saloons, like Arriva uses on the 116.

Sorry missed this when it was posted.

The NB4L would be cost prohibitive for NE, TFL are paying £334,000 per bus for the first 1000 buses, although at this stage only 800 are on order.

In order for NB4L to be effective within the West Midlands, you would either need the smartcard scheme to be up and running and be working effectively, or employ conductors!!

You don't have to have the rear door open all the time, as has been seen in London, although in my opinion and from observation, they seem to encourage fare evasion (passengers jumping on and not swiping Oyster card)

I like the NB4L. After years out of the loop, this bus re-lit my enthusiasm for buses. I feel it to be thoroughly modern outside as everything else in recent years has just seemed like a re-work of the Van-Hool Ailsa. The retro ambiance, as I see, it is the interior. The colouring, however,  is not London. The red seats and white ceiling is far more reminiscent of an early BMMO D9. The suspension even rocks from side to side like a D9, and I love 'em!

A NXWM version would, of course, have a single door and staircase with seats filling the spaces, one bay less in length and, for now, conventional transmission with micro-hybrid. That should make them nearer the price of other double deckers; as you say, £334,000 is too much for NXWM, even if you can get six of them for one tram.

Talking of retro ambiance, can someone remind me what the new NXWM livery will be, and how is First Miland Red Trident 33404 currently painted? I'm just asking.

Next, they will be putting little notices inside saying "Have You Forgotten Anything?"   

Thank you for that.

Here is a very long shot. A few years ago, I stood on the Tesco car park at Cradley Heath looking over at some sort of truck yard. Along the back in various states of dilapidation were a number of early 1960's lightweight coaches, possibly Fords, with a variety of bodywork, (Duple and Burlingham, I think, memory is fading!).

Does anyone know anything about them, and possibly what happened to them? (Where is the winning lottery ticket when you need it?)

A second type of double decker should be considered. Single-sourcing of vehicles is rarely a good idea. Some on here are old enough to remember gearbox problems with Daimler/Leyland Fleetline. Standardization is less important these days thanks to "just in time" spares delivery, so I would like to see trials of other new double deckers.

First, of course, is a Wright StreetDeck.

Second is a variation on the Volvo. While there is constant reference in their publicity to high efficiency and "green credentials", the non-hybrid version still has a transverse engine, while there is a suitable underframe for a longitudinal engine, but only with hybrid transmission. Let us also not forget the original concept for a low floor Volvo 'decker was also longitudinal engined, the B7L, (abandoned when London put a spanner in the works), and so it should be now, a Volvo B5L.

This would give two immediate savings. First, the weight of an angle drive, and second, the power absorbed by this kind of drive line. Added to this, trials could be made using the Automated Manual Transmission, as is already used in the B5LH. AMTs are already operating locally with Midland Classic, albeit in the ADL e200.

I feel this is the way to go. Let us finally rid ourselves of the transverse rear engine for mechanical transmission buses. Fifty-five years of their inefficiencies has been far too long.

Any other new bus trials would, of course, also be welcome. It all adds to the fun.