Perry Barr Garage

[Jack]

4494 - 33

[John]

4280, 4283 and 4288 are all on PB33.

B7TLs no longer noteworthy on the 33, as there has been more than one on there every day for at least the last week. There is at least 1 branded bus off the road at the minute

[Jack]

4279 has just done a nice big loop of the Chester Road Island with Queslett Road East. Not sure what it's doing though. It's just gone down Chester Road North heading towards New Oscott.

[2206]

4166; 4179; 4290; 4334 & 4523 will be getting megarears soon as well

4523 is on the 11C today, now with its megarear for a news channel.

[Michael Bevan]

4280 has now had it's all-over Samsung advert taken off. It looked quite a mess, with bits of the paintwork appearing to be damaged when it was on the 65 this afternoon.

[Gareth]

4280 has now had it's all-over Samsung advert taken off. It looked quite a mess, with bits of the paintwork appearing to be damaged when it was on the 65 this afternoon.

Deliberately heavy handed in taking the ad off in order for the ad agency to pay for its repaint?  ;)

[Jack]

4280 has now had it's all-over Samsung advert taken off. It looked quite a mess, with bits of the paintwork appearing to be damaged when it was on the 65 this afternoon.

4284 has aswell, doesn't look as messy as 4280. 4291 still carrying it Samsung all-over advert, on the 52/A today if anyone wants a photo.

[2206]

7031 - 67

Not rare anymore @Jack B.
Omnilinks get onto the 65/67 regularly (every day at the minute), especially in the peaks.

Not unusual @2206 as one comes off the 71S school service and now that we have less double decks, they will appear more on peak extras

[John]

Not rare anymore @Jack B.
Omnilinks get onto the 65/67 regularly (every day at the minute), especially in the peaks.

Yes there has been one on the 65 every day this week. PM Peak boards on both the 65 and 67 can regularly be an OmniLink

[John]

E400 - PB 46
4488 - 52/A

4777 - 46

Both 4279 and 4284 are on the 46.

@Jack B

None of these are really noteworthy. Even though they should be OmniLink operated, deckers are still common on the 46/52. The OmniCitys are used all over still, on the same routes as B7TLs

[Jack]

@Jack B

None of these are really noteworthy. Even though they should be OmniLink operated, deckers are still common on the 46/52. The OmniCitys are used all over still, on the same routes as B7TLs

Thanks for updating me. However, theres 2 B7TLS (ALX400) on the 52 every Saturday. Geminis have near enough vanished. The 46 seems to be everything now. Still it makes no sense when PB want to make these routes fully single deck, when they don't have enough.

[Kevin]

So apparently PB have 2134 on loan
How are aby of their drivers type trained on them? Or does being trained for the Gemini suffice?

[MW]

So apparently PB have 2134 on loan
How are aby of their drivers type trained on them? Or does being trained for the Gemini suffice?

No, the cabs on the Geminis and the Mark 2 B7RLE is pretty different.

Separately trained when they were at AG.

[j789]

No, the cabs on the Geminis and the Mark 2 B7RLE is pretty different.

Separately trained when they were at AG.

Without wishing to be too controversial and start an argument, I would say as a bus driver myself I do not know why some drivers feel the need to have to drive a new vehicle type before taking it out in service. I have driven many different vehicle types from Metrobuses and Olympians to StreetDecks and despite different cab layouts it should only take a 5 minute static demonstration to know where all the key buttons are. Yes there may be a few buttons that you don't know but they won't. E important and most are fairly obvious. I do not buy into the argument that says that vehicle types have different braking etc so practice is needed. If you are a professional driver you should be driving carefully so as to be able to react to all occurrences and not use jerky brakes or similar as an excuse. I have witnessed people in my own company who have refused to drive a new vehicle type because they haven't been type trained and I think that is the wrong attitude to have. No bus in current use is so different to any other to justify that (excepting electric or hybrid perhaps).

[MW]

Without wishing to be too controversial and start an argument, I would say as a bus driver myself I do not know why some drivers feel the need to have to drive a new vehicle type before taking it out in service. I have driven many different vehicle types from Metrobuses and Olympians to StreetDecks and despite different cab layouts it should only take a 5 minute static demonstration to know where all the key buttons are. Yes there may be a few buttons that you don't know but they won't. E important and most are fairly obvious. I do not buy into the argument that says that vehicle types have different braking etc so practice is needed. If you are a professional driver you should be driving carefully so as to be able to react to all occurrences and not use jerky brakes or similar as an excuse. I have witnessed people in my own company who have refused to drive a new vehicle type because they haven't been type trained and I think that is the wrong attitude to have. No bus in current use is so different to any other to justify that (excepting electric or hybrid perhaps).

When you're type trained as a new driver, they take you for a spin around the block in all the buses. When it's a new vehicle to the garage and you're a current driver, they do the 5 minutes check to show you the controls.

The reason when you're a new driver is probably because you've just been driving clapped out relics and the service buses are vastly different in terms of controls being a lot lighter etc.