Drivers - Bus Reviews & Opinions

[uniquicity]

Upgrade?
From 4 double decker buses per hour (between the 48 and 129) to 3 singles?

Now 3 buses per hour to the QE instead of two.

Any figures can be massaged to how people see fit

[Kevin]

Now 3 buses per hour to the QE instead of two.

Any figures can be massaged to how people see fit

Yeah the route has been upgraded ain't disputing that.
Just the idea that an Omnilink can be considered an upgrade *shudders*

[Liberator9]

Omnilinks are good buses - refurbished in Crimson they are far better than the old Tridents or some tatty Geminis or Mercs. Beat E200 rattles.

[Trident 4609]

Omnilinks are good buses - refurbished in Crimson they are far better than the old Tridents or some tatty Geminis or Mercs. Beat E200 rattles.

More a case that the 48 has been said to stuggle with single deckers by several members.

[Liberator9]

Sorry - interpreted that wrong. However the frequency has increased to every 20 minutes so that should help to offset the issue of capacity.

[Stu]

More a case that the 48 has been said to stuggle with single deckers by several members.

Up until recently, when more double-decks started to appear, the 48 had been coping well in recent years with Mercs being a permanent fixture, with the 48 (and previously 448) operating half-hourly.

Now with the increased frequency of the route, we may find that single-decks will cope just fine; it's a bit early to be assuming that the route will struggle with single-decks now.

[Trident 4609]

Up until recently, when more double-decks started to appear, the 48 had been coping well in recent years with Mercs being a permanent fixture, with the 48 (and previously 448) operating half-hourly.

Now with the increased frequency of the route, we may find that single-decks will cope just fine; it's a bit early to be assuming that the route will struggle with single-decks now.

As i said. Not my words.

[2900]

I really don't get the Scania bashing, they are better built buses than any ADL ENVIRO 200, MERCEDES 0405N , MK 2 WRIGHTBUS B7RLE , IMO
Yes there's is lot of plastic but it's of a better quality than mercs and enviro 200s , the fit and finish in most areas is better. The bin is an after thought  as usual.
From passenger point of view they,ve always been smooth and quiet, as for rear seating the seats facing forwards is  no worse than merc.

[r700a]

I really don't get the Scania bashing, they are better built buses than any ADL ENVIRO 200, MERCEDES 0405N , MK 2 WRIGHTBUS B7RLE , IMO
Yes there's is lot of plastic but it's of a better quality than mercs and enviro 200s , the fit and finish in most areas is better. The bin is an after thought  as usual.
From passenger point of view they,ve always been smooth and quiet, as for rear seating the seats facing forwards is  no worse than merc.

The only things I don't like about the Scania buses is; as mentioned above, there's a lot of bulky plastic on the inside. Also, there's a lot of bulkiness on the outer body.

The bus - in my eyes - is basically a very bulky bus, seems more suited to the United States than the UK  :D

Although, you can't fault the smoothness, very smooth ride, I can't say anything against that.

[Kevin]

Bulky and yet somehow feel cramped inside. None of the seats have enough leg room

[Liberator9]

I really don't get the Scania bashing, they are better built buses than any ADL ENVIRO 200, MERCEDES 0405N , MK 2 WRIGHTBUS B7RLE , IMO
Yes there's is lot of plastic but it's of a better quality than mercs and enviro 200s , the fit and finish in most areas is better. The bin is an after thought  as usual.
From passenger point of view they,ve always been smooth and quiet, as for rear seating the seats facing forwards is  no worse than merc.

@2900

Exactly - my preferred single deck at NX now - although I do like the E200MMCs. Scania did address the rather dreary interior colours in the last Omnilink versions - if you get a chance try one of Johnsons 13/63 reg versions - seat design and layout is far better and the interior has a nice beige colour, with the plastics better. At NX best ones I find are the AG/YW ones - having the EEV 5 engine they are far smoother (also have a bassier sound) than the ones delivered to BY/WA and suspension as well I find better.

[Liverpool Street]

Scania are renowned for excellence in the truck industry, they've applied a similar approach to the design and manufacture of PCV products.

Nothing wrong with Scania, they just need more customer feedback to really perfect thier buses, as like they've done with their HGV sector, working closely with purchasers to give an unrivaled service and guarantee.

Scania buses in my opinion, do have a whiff of expense about them, and they are wonderfully designed with large saloon tinted windows and a very comfortable cab.

They still look modern and better compared to E200MMC, given they are many years older.

[barry619]

Scania are renowned for excellence in the truck industry, they've applied a similar approach to the design and manufacture of PCV products.

Nothing wrong with Scania, they just need more customer feedback to really perfect thier buses, as like they've done with their HGV sector, working closely with purchasers to give an unrivaled service and guarantee.

I'm not sure those who operate OmniCitys and the Polish-built double-deck variant would agree with your first paragraph but there we are.

Diesel-wise, Scania is in the unfortunate position that it (a)has no lightweight single-decker and (b)the double-deck chassis with an Enviro400 body on it is sufficiently more expensive than an 'integral' E400 that the latter is a no-brainer in most applications. The Irizar i3-bodied K230UB comes in at not far off 13tonnes empty (!!), which is way, way more than it should be.

Scania's big strength is in gas. MAN also offers gas, but has a reputation which is in tatters following various problems with earlier buses and Euro 5 engines in other manufacturers' coaches, and the likelihood of it gaining significant orders is minimal. Scania's gas product is exceptionally strong: it is reliable, clearly descended from diesel buses, and cost effective. The gas 'decker might take a while to get off the ground but it should be very good for Scania.

[John]

I had not drove 4777 for a good while, but just guess what turned up for my second portion, thankfully for only one trip on the 902! It was a change bus for 4919 earlier this morning

This one is absolutely awful. First off all the r/h door (from inside) wouldn't open at the same time as the l/h door, people were looking as to think I was doing it! Then the doors took an age to open so I could not lower the ramp for ages (most of the time, if you press the ramp lower button just after applying the handbrake, the ramp would start to lower as the doors were opening) after all of the people had got off. Then the doors would shut, but nearly 5 seconds before the door interlock would release. It is nice to have a bus with a decent turn of speed rather than an Enviro400 remaped gearbox, but I felt that the brakes were not as good as the other OmniCitys as they seemed to be off one minute and on the next

[2900]

Recently I have had the pleasure of mk1 enviro 400s on the 127/8 they absolutely make short work of portway hill towards Dudley bus station, 25-28 mph on this stretch uphill astonishing for a decker, only Lynx,s and mercs could do that,  when I used to drive metrobuses up hear omg it was hard work for them, I could have left the cab gone home for cup of tea and biscuits and be back to meet it at the top of the hill.
I do hope we get YW remainder of mk1 enviros we all love them down here cab heating best I,ve ever come across , I,ve yet to hear a driver here complain about them with exception of speed bumps.
Most of us hate the MK2s please we don't want any more of those.