Drivers - Bus Reviews & Opinions

[Liberator9]

@MW

Sound good - yeah the sound on them is lifeless - now if they had the ZF the 56 versions have then that'd be much better. The Scanias I've heard are good to drive - just can be a bit difficult with the brakes on some and the low speed smoothness. Although the batch AG/YW had delivered from new are pretty good; better than the Dundees. 

[John]

I think the omnilinks have a button to disable the bell iirc

@BU07 LGO

Yeah they do - I think if you hold it down it disables it.

Yes, it's the button next to the door open/close button. Just hold it down and it will stop the bell from ringing.
Great for the 28 at timing points!

[Liberator9]

@John

Useful feature - shame not more of the fleet could have it fitted! Save drivers a headache

[Squiz1971]

As far as I have always been aware, if a passenger wants the driver to stop at the next stop, then they should press the bell button. That, of course, is what they are installed for. I don't expect drivers to have psychic mind powers. There is more cause for concern if someone presses the bell and the driver doesn't stop. But then again, with the number of people who just randomly press the stop button 'for fun', it does help if you try to make your way to the front of the bus (safely of course) if you've pressed the button and want to get off.

I remember the Metrobuses having them, but if you were short you couldn't reach it, as it was on the ceiling!

I believe the Fleetlines also had the bell strip on the ceiling as well

[2900]

One my favourites not ,someone presses bell you stop look in the mirror people gawping at each other no one moves occasionally someone might aplogise .
For the morons who press the bell continuely hoping the bus will move I just switch the engine off add another minute or two then crawl on.

Another one of hates is the passenger who,ll just stand by the cab you stop then they say next one, you stop and again next stop this kinda shit is seriously testing, back in the day I would have gone ape shit now you think person could be lost or has issues.

[don]

I believe the Fleetlines also had the bell strip on the ceiling as well

And the BCT Fleetlines - they often didn't work and were rarely used but it didn't really matter because the bus always stopped if people either walked down the gangway on either deck or walked down and stood just next to the back of the driver's cab - come to think of it, how on earth did drivers cope in those far off days!!!

[2900]

Never knew eclipse 2s had voith gearboxes coupled with euro 5 engine no wonder they seem so dull and underpowered.

[Tony]

And the BCT Fleetlines - they often didn't work and were rarely used but it didn't really matter because the bus always stopped if people either walked down the gangway on either deck or walked down and stood just next to the back of the driver's cab - come to think of it, how on earth did drivers cope in those far off days!!!

Without the screen it was far easier to sense when someone was stood there

[BU07 LGO]

The worst one is the x51! Virtually every trip you get past alexander stadium and are waiting for the bell to ring, the enxt stop isn't until town so usually people just casually sit back down looking confused! The drivers laugh and call alexander stadium the last chance saloon haha

[Liberator9]

@2900

I think the Eclipse 2s NX have actually have a ZF gearbox installed - rather ironically I think it's called the ZF Ecolife!

[MW]

Never knew eclipse 2s had voith gearboxes coupled with euro 5 engine no wonder they seem so dull and underpowered.

They're not voith, they're ZF, but ZF without a soul.

[Mike K]

They're not voith, they're ZF, but ZF without a soul.

Decent buses from a passenger perspective. You'll be sorry when you've got E200s instead ;)

[BU07 LGO]

Decent buses from a passenger perspective. You'll be sorry when you've got E200s instead ;)

I quite enjoyed my day on 857! Seemed pretty nippy

[Liberator9]

@BU07 LGO

They are nippy actually - I actually quite like them - had two Stagecoach ones a few months ago and they really could move, and were smooth as well. The later batches built at Falkirk don't rattle too badly either and suspension is fine. Just Scarborough examples seem worse - as the delay in the delivery of the 200MMCs is proving.

[Tiptonian]

The subject of bells has always been a strange one. Nowadays, when a passenger does not ring a bell, I feel it is someone who is self-centred, who thinks you should know what I want without me telling you. However, going back to the 60's, I remember there was an attitude from some conductors, both Midland Red and Corporation, of "leave the bell alone, only I press that!". Consequently when conductors disappeared, passengers rarely used the bell for fear of being told off, preferring instead to stand at the front in silence. 

Regarding passengers pressing the bell during a timing stop, I once witnessed a driver lean out of the cab of a single decker and ask if anyone was accidentally holding or leaning on a bell push button because the bell keeps ringing. Diplomatic or what?!