Repaints and refurbishments 2023

[BlackCountryBusSpotter]

Should not the all over one shade grey buses have their bus times livery rectified.

The Zenobe spares livery' is correct.

If you think it's an issue you can correct it on BusTines. to the General Public it isn't as long as a Grey Bus turns up at the time it says either on the RTI, Timetable or BusTimes abs is going to where they are I don't think they are. I don't think most care if it is Blue and White ex Coventry with NX plastered on the front, Grey or Red and White if it says X51 or 79 on the front and they want to get on it they will 

[jasmine]

I don't think it really matters, even most of us bus enthusiasts aren't really bothered about this, we just want to get on a bus just like everyone else.

devils advocate here, I care. but it's because I'm a graphic designer. in day to day, when all I want is a damn bus, idgaf.

[JosephR]

 

devils advocate here, I care. but it's because I'm a graphic designer. in day to day, when all I want is a damn bus, idgaf.

Devils advocate  I don't see why everything has to turn argumentative. Have to grovel to some though 

[jasmine]

Devils advocate I don't see why everything has to turn argumentative. Have to grovel to some though

how on earth is an argument happening here? unsure if you know what an argument is.

[Westy]

how on earth is an argument happening here? unsure if you know what an argument is.

Monty Python would know!

[karl724223]

Suppose it matters when you sit at home being a keyboard warriors watching weg web all day every day seven days a week four weeks a month twelve months a year 
Yawn I'm bored now 

[LR55LTR]

Suppose it matters when you sit at home being a keyboard warriors watching weg web all day every day seven days a week four weeks a month twelve months a year
Yawn I'm bored now

I'm bored of the content bickering on here, if it wasn't for the fact that I like seeing the perspectives of Tony and those that have been confirmed as drivers then I probably wouldn't be on here. 
I do have to agree that I find the brand a little disconnected at the moment though once the vehicles with the older liveries are withdrawn or repainted maybe that would improve the brands connection and as time goes on I'm sure that the new grey livery will become accepted as NXBus livery and people will move on with their lives until a new brand identity is launched by NX in the future. I personally like seeing the reinvention of a brand whether or not I agree with the change doesn't really matter to anyone else. I'm sure that there are always good reasons for every decision made when it comes to a livery and a brand since it does change the way the company looks. I know of a few people not on the forum that question aspects of the grey but I also know that it has been confirmed that the grey is more hardwearing than the red was and also since the only difference between NXWM and NXC livery is now just vinyls then it also reduces costs when transferring between brands and as a business, like all businesses, NX need costs to be a low as they can get them. So meanwhile I don't like the grey in comparison to crimson I can respect the decision that has been made and I cannot wait for the next livery - as long as things don't end up going too close to Manchester's arrangement but that's a topic I'm not willing to go into publicly

[JosephR]

Do you not all make my point by getting involved "while being bored of it" how about some of you take a day off and leave people to it, because that's how it becomes pages of useless criticism. Like that essay that went completely off tangent. As I said grovel to some. 

By the way if are logged on a bus forum 24/7 I don't think anybody can talk about 'veg'.

[don]

If I'm anything to go by, the only thought I've had is, why have occasional repaints appeared in one or other of the two tones of grey rather than the whole two tone livery? 

It's a slightly odd thing but not essential to get an answer though! Back in the 70s there were several occasional peculiar variations of fleet number location and livery application, but it transpired these were usually cock ups in the various paint shops (eg Walsall). 

As for 'I want a bus, I don't care about the colour' - the major groups are very conscious about image and brand, as are train operating companies and most commercial firms whatever their industry. In the bus industry this is so much so that many have employed commercial graphic designers at some expense to assist them. So I think it's quite wrong to assume this is not an important subject! 

[Tony]

If I'm anything to go by, the only thought I've had is, why have occasional repaints appeared in one or other of the two tones of grey rather than the whole two tone livery?

It's a slightly odd thing but not essential to get an answer though! Back in the 70s there were several occasional peculiar variations of fleet number location and livery application, but it transpired these were usually cock ups in the various paint shops (eg Walsall).

As for 'I want a bus, I don't care about the colour' - the major groups are very conscious about image and brand, as are train operating companies and most commercial firms whatever their industry. In the bus industry this is so much so that many have employed commercial graphic designers at some expense to assist them. So I think it's quite wrong to assume this is not an important subject!

The single grey colour saves a few hundred pounds over the two tone grey. As a trial a WN E400 was painted allover in the lighter grey, and an AG B7RLE was painted in the darker grey. Comments were made on social media about the WN one, but it appears initially no-one actually noticed the B7RLE. Both vehicles were taken to Digbeth Coach station for managers to look at along with the first ever two tone grey repaint. The colours were checked on the two tone bus to see if either tone had faded more than the other from the original spec and i was then decided all repaints would be in the darker grey

[Mike K]

In the bus industry this is so much so that many have employed commercial graphic designers at some expense to assist them. So I think it's quite wrong to assume this is not an important subject!

One thing's for certain, NX definitely haven't employed Ray Stenning to come up with that all-over dark grey livery on the most recent repaints. Ray Charles perhaps, but not Ray Stenning.

[don]

The single grey colour saves a few hundred pounds over the two tone grey. As a trial a WN E400 was painted allover in the lighter grey, and an AG B7RLE was painted in the darker grey. Comments were made on social media about the WN one, but it appears initially no-one actually noticed the B7RLE. Both vehicles were taken to Digbeth Coach station for managers to look at along with the first ever two tone grey repaint. The colours were checked on the two tone bus to see if either tone had faded more than the other from the original spec and i was then decided all repaints would be in the darker grey

Thanks @Tony for the clarification. I suppose one advantage of having a slightly different livery variation on repaints is (presuming new deliveries of electric buses continue in two tone grey) it distinguishes the two. Having said that, and from the photos on this site it's sometimes, dependent on lighting conditions, difficult to differentiate the two tones of grey anyway!

I tend to agree with others that watering down the livery to one colour is a slightly retrograde step. And particularly when compared with some other operators around the country, using two colours and more complex graphics. I guess one has to work within the finance available and it's a balancing act. I must say although I like some of Ray Stenning's work, I'm not a massive fan of the current iterations of either Stagecoach or Arriva - although I guess they're distinctive and easily recognisable.

Will the application of one colour repaints increase the speed and throughput at the paint shop?

[Tony]

Will the application of one colour repaints increase the speed and throughput at the paint shop?

It makes the actual painting quicker, one less baking to dry a colour which saves a few hundred pounds in gas costs, so 'greener' as well as cheaper, but NX don't just paint buses like some of the other big operators, all vehicle have all panels replaced or flatted and that is what controls the speed of repaints

[MW]

Not sure if anybody would be able to answer this, but the likes of Stagecoach for example. Is their paint process more time consuming than NX?

[Wba_lad]

The single grey colour saves a few hundred pounds over the two tone grey. As a trial a WN E400 was painted allover in the lighter grey, and an AG B7RLE was painted in the darker grey. Comments were made on social media about the WN one, but it appears initially no-one actually noticed the B7RLE. Both vehicles were taken to Digbeth Coach station for managers to look at along with the first ever two tone grey repaint. The colours were checked on the two tone bus to see if either tone had faded more than the other from the original spec and i was then decided all repaints would be in the darker grey

I noticed the Volvo, but thought it was unnecessary to post in the forum and to save arguments, so are all buses now going to be painted into dark single tone?