Repaints and refurbishments 2023

[don]

Remember the upstairs rear bench seat on Fleetlines? Absolutely rock hard. If the bus took a corner too quickly you'd slide from one end to the other.

Yeah - I think they may have been introduced in the mid 70s owing to the level of seat slashing occurring at the back, upstairs on Fleetlines. I remember when I was at school, there were lads who had their Levi's jeans patched in red leatherette! All the rage IIRC.

The entire seat was solid plastic in matching red on the ones you're referring to! Around the same time, a couple of Fleetlines were fitted with anti attack screens for the driver - at least one was a grilled affair rather like a fence at a zoo!!!! They were not liked!! 

[Tony]

Yeah - I think they may have been introduced in the mid 70s owing to the level of seat slashing occurring at the back, upstairs on Fleetlines. I remember when I was at school, there were lads who had their Levi's jeans patched in red leatherette! All the rage IIRC.

The entire seat was solid plastic in matching red on the ones you're referring to! Around the same time, a couple of Fleetlines were fitted with anti attack screens for the driver - at least one was a grilled affair rather like a fence at a zoo!!!! They were not liked!!

The grills were all detachable they were never fitted permanently, just loose in the cab for the driver to use if wanted

[2900]

Awful things. Sweaty in the summer, cold in the winter, ask any of the drivers who have had to sit in them when cabs seats made of it

Yeap totally awful experience, worst cab seat ever 

[2900]

The platinums receiving a refurbishment, will they be getting the same leather and cloth replacement for the seats ( the cloth being the new moquette) or will the seat just be all over cloth? (Like what happened to 47** high back seat E400s)

I would imagine so , why introduce another cost buying in fake leather , plus the first batch of ENVIRO 400mmc's are basically 10 years old , platinum doesn't mean anything now does it. 
People moan it's a sea of boring grey , you could say the same back in the day when you had blue and grey Metros everywhere. 

[Westy]

When the 529 Platinums eventually get a 'tart up', is there any chance of the out of date 'connections' information finally being removed?

[JosephR]

The image I just seen of 6803 on fb looks awful. should have just kept Sutton line branding, at least till it could be polished out/ ad wrapped / repainted. Wouldn't be so scruffy looking if that branding weren't just bodged on.

[Jack]

The image I just seen of 6803 on fb looks awful. should have just kept Sutton line branding, at least till it could be polished out/ ad wrapped / repainted. Wouldn't be so scruffy looking if that branding weren't just bodged on.

It looks fine to me, just because the outlines are still there. Most buses that get debranded look like that, doesn't look tatty at all, seen worse when the branding takes the paint off it.

Look at pictures of when the Walsall Road Tridents or Line 33 Geminis got debranded or even the toothpaste B7RLE's, they was tatty. 6803 still looks respectable.

[JosephR]

It looks fine to me, just because the outlines are still there. Most buses that get debranded look like that, doesn't look tatty at all, seen worse when the branding takes the paint off it.

Look at pictures of when the Walsall Road Tridents or Line 33 Geminis got debranded or even the toothpaste B7RLE's, they was tatty. 6803 still looks respectable.

They definitely need a little more attention than that. They've worn their branding well for several years. The route branding is now outdated and clearly still visible. The livery is outdated. Can't just slap on new style branding onand call it a day. 

[Wumpty]

They definitely need a little more attention than that. They've worn their branding well for several years. The route branding is now outdated and clearly still visible. The livery is outdated. Can't just slap on new style branding onand call it a day.

I very much doubt that's the approach at all.

What would YOU do if it were your business? Debrand as per the strategy, or spend endless hours tarting each bus up to the enth degree just so people on a forum don't get offended? It's easy to criticise when it's not your money or responsibility to maintain services.

The same was said about 4801 when it was vinyl wrapped after being ad wrapped, members bemoaning that it looked awful after forensically analysing photos, when it looked perfectly acceptable and fulfilling its primary function - operating and picking up passengers.

[Straightlines]

I very much doubt that's the approach at all.

What would YOU do if it were your business? Debrand as per the strategy, or spend endless hours tarting each bus up to the enth degree just so people on a forum don't get offended? It's easy to criticise when it's not your money or responsibility to maintain services.

The same was said about 4801 when it was vinyl wrapped after being ad wrapped, members bemoaning that it looked awful after forensically analysing photos, when it looked perfectly acceptable and fulfilling its primary function - operating and picking up passengers.

I saw this bus several times and if anyone other than National Express would have put a bus out looking like that, references to Cowboys and The Wild West would have been made by the usual suspects! 

[Wumpty]

I saw this bus several times and if anyone other than National Express would have put a bus out looking like that, references to Cowboys and The Wild West would have been made by the usual suspects!

Certainly not by me, then I'm not your usual anorak posting on forums. The difference being is that these  "Cowboys and The Wild West" operators have spent more time in the TC's office than their PA's have! There's a world of difference between a perceived untidy livery and running unsafe buses with major defects warranting a PG9 prohibition.

[ellspurs]

I guess these people haven't been around Oxford in the last year or so, if they want to complain about the state of the liveries on the buses.

[BBS]

I very much doubt that's the approach at all.

What would YOU do if it were your business? Debrand as per the strategy, or spend endless hours tarting each bus up to the enth degree just so people on a forum don't get offended? It's easy to criticise when it's not your money or responsibility to maintain services.

The same was said about 4801 when it was vinyl wrapped after being ad wrapped, members bemoaning that it looked awful after forensically analysing photos, when it looked perfectly acceptable and fulfilling its primary function - operating and picking up passengers.

NXs new moto is "to the bare minimum to save costs" now, it should explain why it's like that, certainly explains why their cutting corners and missing out parts in the new electrics livery too

[2900]

NXs new moto is "to the bare minimum to save costs" now, it should explain why it's like that, certainly explains why their cutting corners and missing out parts in the new electrics livery too

I look at the Beenetwork Manchester that's low cost single yellow paintwork , TFL Buses same single red paintwork, its cost effective for big fleets. 
But no one is saying bare basics cost cutting about them

[BBS]

I look at the Beenetwork Manchester that's low cost single yellow paintwork , TFL Buses same single red paintwork, its cost effective for big fleets.
But no one is saying bare basics cost cutting about them

But at least their able to complete a livery, NX is cutting corners and you can visually see newer electrics where they decided to not even make the roof section back anymore, and the rear was completely forgotten in the entire new batch.