The dreaded FIRST BUS!

simong · Post by **simong** » Sat 19 Mar, 2011 2:01 pm

BLAKEY wrote: Riponian wrote: Bad news for Worst in North Leeds. From 17th April the daytime frequency of the 36 is going up to every 15 minutes. More bad news too for the North Leeds/South Leeds axis - rumours from the First staff say that the dreaded articulated heaps are returning to the number 1 route in April. This is somewhat puzzling as they were in a shocking state of unreliability and one or two were "banished" to other regions after they were withdrawn - so it will be interesting to see what transpires !! I saw a bendy bus with Holt Park boards on Otley Road a couple of weeks ago. It had broken down at North Lane lights. So they might not be back on the 1 too soon...

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Fri 15 Apr, 2011 8:33 pm

Is it any wonder that people won't use the buses?mrs ravey finished work at 4pm today (early, for a change!) and by 4.02pm was at the bus stop on Wellington Street waiting for a 40/40a heading east."Next bus due in 2 mins" said the display on the bus stop.....it was 4.35pm when one finally arrived. Over half an hours wait for an "every 10 minutes" service. Not helped by the misleading screen at the bus stop which kept insisting that the next bus was never more than a few minutes ago - do these things actually work or do they just countdown in 10 minute chunks?Oddly, when the bus arrived it was nearly empty and it was then passed on Boar Lane by another one, which was also nearly empty.

bramley13 · Post by **bramley13** » Sun 17 Apr, 2011 1:17 am

we were on the number 16 from leeds, got to bramley near the deport, it was driver change, the new driver didnt turn up. so our driver turned the engine off and just walked off, saying nothing.strange lol.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Thu 21 Apr, 2011 8:34 pm

After the palaver with the non-arriving 40's last week, mrs ravey went for a number 4 tonight (or a 4ftr as they are now referred to...)One turned up after a couple of minutes waiting and there was no conductor on board! Result - a free trip home. There have been numerous letters about this of late in t'YEP so it's clearly becoming more commonplace. I wonder if it's to do with the hard time Metro have been giving Worst about running "ordinary" driver operated buses on the 4?

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Wed 04 May, 2011 10:53 pm

BLAKEY wrote: More bad news too for the North Leeds/South Leeds axis - rumours from the First staff say that the dreaded articulated heaps are returning to the number 1 route in April. This is somewhat puzzling as they were in a shocking state of unreliability and one or two were "banished" to other regions after they were withdrawn - so it will be interesting to see what transpires !! I haven't seen evidence on the 1 Route but I have today seen evidence of them on the 95 Route and am reliably informed there needed to be roadworks on the Boddington Hall "estate" to accommodate them even though the Bendy-bus did switch from the 1 to 95 prior to its withdrawl. I also think Worst are pulling a very underhand fast one. The two buses I have seen and I saw what was probably a third in Hunslet Park passing it later are in orange livery with a blue trim on the "skirt" not Worsts standard predominant white with lilac and purply blue trim on the skirt and elsewhere. So it's very close to Centrebus's standard livery on all but a few of their buses with the airport route predominantly covered by a silver bus and one or two totally white buses. No way Centrebuses white buses could be mistaken for Worst because there is no hint of the lilac and blue trim, and not much chance that the silver Centrebus could be mistaken for the recently introduced silver double decker hybrid buses run by Worst but plenty of chance the Worst bendybus could be mistaken for Centrebus.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Thu 05 May, 2011 10:14 am

tyke bhoy wrote: BLAKEY wrote: More bad news too for the North Leeds/South Leeds axis - rumours from the First staff say that the dreaded articulated heaps are returning to the number 1 route in April. This is somewhat puzzling as they were in a shocking state of unreliability and one or two were "banished" to other regions after they were withdrawn - so it will be interesting to see what transpires !! I haven't seen evidence on the 1 Route but I have today seen evidence of them on the 95 Route and am reliably informed there needed to be roadworks on the Boddington Hall "estate" to accommodate them even though the Bendy-bus did switch from the 1 to 95 prior to its withdrawl. I also think Worst are pulling a very underhand fast one. The two buses I have seen and I saw what was probably a third in Hunslet Park passing it later are in orange livery with a blue trim on the "skirt" not Worsts standard predominant white with lilac and purply blue trim on the skirt and elsewhere. So it's very close to Centrebus's standard livery on all but a few of their buses with the airport route predominantly covered by a silver bus and one or two totally white buses. No way Centrebuses white buses could be mistaken for Worst because there is no hint of the lilac and blue trim, and not much chance that the silver Centrebus could be mistaken for the recently introduced silver double decker hybrid buses run by Worst but plenty of chance the Worst bendybus could be mistaken for Centrebus. Are these "new" bendy buses actually new, or are they cast offs from London where Boris has promised to clear them from the streets before the Olympics next year?

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Fri 06 May, 2011 9:44 pm

The orange bendys are Brand new Ravey, I passed one on Boar lane last week and actually thought it was Centre bus - it was only when I glanced in my mirror and saw the large First logo across the back that the penny dropped.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sat 07 May, 2011 9:09 am

BIG N wrote: The orange bendys are Brand new Ravey, I passed one on Boar lane last week and actually thought it was Centre bus - it was only when I glanced in my mirror and saw the large First logo across the back that the penny dropped. Beg to differ Big N but I've subsequently seen one that is a W Reg. That would make it new about the time Bendybuses were first introduced in Leeds. Being Orange is new but whether any of the vehicles are actually new ???????????????

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sat 07 May, 2011 9:17 am

tyke bhoy wrote: BIG N wrote: The orange bendys are Brand new Ravey, I passed one on Boar lane last week and actually thought it was Centre bus - it was only when I glanced in my mirror and saw the large First logo across the back that the penny dropped. Beg to differ Big N but I've subsequently seen one that is a W Reg. That would make it new about the time Bendybuses were first introduced in Leeds. Being Orange is new but whether any of the vehicles are actually new ??????????????? I'm asking one or two chaps who still work there, but I'm sure that these are from the batch which were recently withdrawn and stored at York. I had my first ride on one on Thursday, from Headingley Arndale approximately two hundred yards through the traffic lights towards Leeds. This was brought to an abrupt halt outside Barclay's Bank (unavaoidable) when a high school boy fainted in the rear section and was seemingly quite poorly so an ambulance had to be called and we were eventually "transferred" to other passing buses. Not wishing to be heartless, but less dangerous congestion could have been caused if the bus had been moved just a very short distance to the wide sweep just beyond "The Oak" - still, to be fair I suppose the driver considered getting help to the lad to be top priority.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sat 07 May, 2011 9:37 am

tyke bhoy wrote: BIG N wrote: The orange bendys are Brand new Ravey, I passed one on Boar lane last week and actually thought it was Centre bus - it was only when I glanced in my mirror and saw the large First logo across the back that the penny dropped. Beg to differ Big N but I've subsequently seen one that is a W Reg. That would make it new about the time Bendybuses were first introduced in Leeds. Being Orange is new but whether any of the vehicles are actually new ??????????????? A 'W' reg is 2000 - so these shiny 'new' buses are actually 11 years old then...