Drivers - Bus Reviews & Opinions

[2900]

4639 early repaint could do with freshening up though, interior every spec  of twm cushions fitted looks bad. Floors dirty. Some rattle nothing bad, slight delay on accelerator once going very pleasant drive , interlocking brakes could release a bit smoother though slight jolt there,  slowing down from 40mph brakes feel vague. With a proper refurb should make an excellent bus , 6/10

[2900]

4707 early repaint will never understand why these were painted before the 51 plate volvos these were in good condition In toothpaste livery they looked excellent back then. This example still looks presentable externally, internally worn faded original dark blue twm cushions, dirty floors etc. Engine and box still smooth , couldn't hear any rattling cause the noise from cooling fan drowned out every other noise it felt like I,m driving a hair dryer not a bus. Cooling fan really let's this bus down big time. 5/10

[2900]

4716 , refurbed a while back ,externally  side panels replaced using flat panels missing the swage line half the price of the original panel I,m told. Internally grey cushions with one of the dp seats in lower saloon having both specs of twm cushions nice, dirty floors. Drives well nothing out of the ordinary some rattling , cooling fan does come on not overly loud. 6/10

[2900]

I assume the Gemini is wrightbus first double decker body , from my observations the 4400-4500 series seem better built , they feel more robust solid than the later ones , I,m thinking cost cuttings or something has affected the later ones ,even these still million times better than alx400 body

[Sh4318]

I prefer the 46** Geminis, they tend to whine more, whereas the 45**s seem dull and I always see the 44**s with the cooling fans on. The Wright Genini body is far more robust than the ALX 400 body, although I find the ALX 400 more aesthetically appealing

[Mike K]

I prefer the 46** Geminis, they tend to whine more, whereas the 45**s seem dull and I always see the 44**s with the cooling fans on. The Wright Genini body is far more robust than the ALX 400 body, although I find the ALX 400 more aesthetically appealing

Really? I think the ALX400 looks like something a kid might have drawn, and an unimaginative kid at that. And for me the Gemini body was light years ahead of its time and still looks striking and modern now. Each to their own though.

[Sh4318]

I prefer the 46** Geminis, they tend to whine more, whereas the 45**s seem dull and I always see the 44**s with the cooling fans on. The Wright Genini body is far more robust than the ALX 400 body, although I find the ALX 400 more aesthetically appealing

Really? I think the ALX400 looks like something a kid might have drawn, and an unimaginative kid at that. And for me the Gemini body was light years ahead of its time and still looks striking and modern now. Each to their own though.

I've just always preferred the ALX 400 in that respect to anything else, I find the boxy layout appeals to me, much more than the Gemini or President bodies, while were clearly much better built. Then again, the buses I like the most of all in the ALX 400 body (Trident and Voith B7TL)

[2900]

4296 probably one the best ones at WB , recent refurb still looks fresh, interior grey cushions with the standard dirty floors etc, body cab area rattles but not overly so. Excellent chassis on this bus ,brakes retarder excellent , smooth engine and gearbox , not a slug like most picks speed easily , a joy to drive. 7/10

[2900]

4085 rebuilt/refurbed a while back after arson attack was quite severe on the upper saloon. Twm seat cushions in late spec, new floors, Body does creak and groan a fair bit , cab vandal screens rattle a fair bit, small steering wheel fitted on this bus helps with cab space issues. Excellent chassis though brakes retarder spot on, suspension good as well,  engine/box excellent , great to drive despite the body issues. 7/10

[Sh4318]

Quality buses. Nothing bad to say about them at all. It's just a shame they're so old, and that they're Euro 2 meaning they can't operate on any higher frequency routes that enter Birmingham

[P419 EJW]

I'm not going into the details of the history, some members have already covered them. Right, where can I start with this? B10Ls are the great buses, probably the best single deck buses ever Wrightbus have made. Over the years, it seems that they have been very reliable until recently, some started to feel a bit weak. I'm glad they are still going strong! I'm surprised how well they aged despite that they are 17/18 years old. The interior and exterior aesthetics still look modern. If I was from Nottingham and visited in Walsall and see a B10L, I wouldn't even think it is a 17/18 year old bus.

I have many favourite B10Ls, it's difficult for me to pick one and talk about it. Ah! 1419 is one of my favourite B10Ls (hence my name! ;))! Perfect engine, fast, when it is stationary, the engine rhythms nicely, got a small suspension. The ZF B10Ls were a bit tricky for me, because I prefer B10Ls with Voith engine, so in the end after travelling on them, I found a couple of ZF favourites: 1434, 1436 and 1439. What I like about Wrightbus B6LEs and B10Ls is that they have this nice beep indicator sound. I don't think modern buses will ever use the sound. :(

I remember the good old days when the B10Ls were branded for such routes, 9/139/919, 33, the old 46 (X City), 50 (Travel Your Bus), 301 (Mark 1 and 2), 377, 966. Going back to when I was very young, I could just about remember the B10Ls used to serve in Wolverhampton, on my route, 544. I feel the Travel West Midlands livery suited the B10Ls better than the horrible, mediocre NXWM slap-on livery.

B10Ls have been a childhood bus for most of my life. I will certainly miss them. I had many great journeys on B10Ls over the years. I'm glad I get to experience them.

[PM]

I'm not going into the details of the history, some members have already covered them. Right, where can I start with this? B10Ls are the great buses, probably the best single deck buses ever Wrightbus have made. Over the years, it seems that they have been very reliable until recently, some started to feel a bit weak. I'm glad they are still going strong! I'm surprised how well they aged despite that they are 17/18 years old. The interior and exterior aesthetics still look modern. If I was from Nottingham and visited in Walsall and see a B10L, I wouldn't even think it is a 17/18 year old bus.

I have many favourite B10Ls, it's difficult for me to pick one and talk about it. Ah! 1419 is one of my favourite B10Ls (hence my name! ;))! Perfect engine, fast, when it is stationary, the engine rhythms nicely, got a small suspension. The ZF B10Ls were a bit tricky for me, because I prefer B10Ls with Voith engine, so in the end after travelling on them, I found a couple of ZF favourites: 1434, 1436 and 1439. What I like about Wrightbus B6LEs and B10Ls is that they have this nice beep indicator sound. I don't think modern buses will ever use the sound. :(

I remember the good old days when the B10Ls were branded for such routes, 9/139/919, 33, the old 46 (X City), 50 (Travel Your Bus), 301 (Mark 1 and 2), 377, 966. Going back to when I was very young, I could just about remember the B10Ls used to serve in Wolverhampton, on my route, 544. I feel the Travel West Midlands livery suited the B10Ls better than the horrible, mediocre NXWM slap-on livery.

B10Ls have been a childhood bus for most of my life. I will certainly miss them. I had many great journeys on B10Ls over the years. I'm glad I get to experience them.

Well said @P419 EJW

I remember them on various routes along with the b6's as the first lowfloor buses in the WM. I agree they are still good looking-not the ultras though they were hideous! If you put a private plate, wheeltrims and a new livery on them they would fool most passengers they ride that well. Would be great to see one preserved, definitely over the horrendous rusty inflammable mercs-they have aged far less well than the b10l's and in fact, the b10b's looked equally modern despite being withdrawn sooner, made obsolete in virtue of their lack of low-floor access.

[lynx1103]

I have a lot of childhood memories of Volvo B10L. My first ride being on PB 1417 in
January 1997 on service 118 Erdington-Streetly now Central Buses 88 when I was 13. I'm now 31.

It was a great modern clean smooth engine sound also has character like Metrobuses.
At the time I had rides on them on Service 900 which was great seeing how fast they could go.
Then in Febuary 1997 they was on Line 33 a superb great livery which really stood out.

They didn't last long at Coventry and was replaced by Mercedes 0405N the following year.
The last batch coming to Travelyourbus.

In October 2007 8 refurbished for service 377 looked brand new LEd blinds toothpaste livery looking fab.

They have served the West Midlands well and still a great bus after 18 years prefer them to
Scania/B7RLE.

[winston]

I have a lot of childhood memories of Volvo B10L. My first ride being on PB 1417 in
January 1997 on service 118 Erdington-Streetly now Central Buses 88 when I was 13. I'm now 31.

It was a great modern clean smooth engine sound also has character like Metrobuses.
At the time I had rides on them on Service 900 which was great seeing how fast they could go.
Then in Febuary 1997 they was on Line 33 a superb great livery which really stood out.

They didn't last long at Coventry and was replaced by Mercedes 0405N the following year.
The last batch coming to Travelyourbus.

In October 2007 8 refurbished for service 377 looked brand new LEd blinds toothpaste livery looking fab.

They have served the West Midlands well and still a great bus after 18 years prefer them to
Scania/B7RLE.

Same here.....

I remember when 1401 & 1404 were new to WA in Oct 1996 and used on the 302 alongside Scania L113/Access Ultralows 1398 & 1399. And also BC took deliver of 1443-1467 for use on the former Quinton Garage 19 / 19S services amongst others prior to the Hagley Road services being revamped & branding applied.

I also remember going to Coventry to see their new B10L's, which eventually were replaced by Merc 0405N's with the B10L's moving to YW for the 21 & 29.

I consider the B10L's to be far superior to the Dennis Lance & Scania N113CRL/Wright Pathfinders that London purchased in 1994. They have put in sterling service & the bodywork design hasn't aged half as much as the square Merc 0405N's

[Mike K]

That's because the Mercs were fugly from the day they appeared Winston. And they're still ugly now. Like many Wrightbus designs over the last 20 years the Liberator body was ahead of its time. Did I mention I'm a fan of Wrightbus designs? Apart from perhaps the Gemini 3.