You Wait Ages For A Bus

Si · Post by Si » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 12:10 pm

BLAKEY wrote: The marketing fraternity have lulled or drugged operators into shelling out fortunes, which would be better spent elsewhere, on zany gaudy meaningless vynils and way out colour schemes - notice I decline to use the term "liveries" as there is/was usually some dignity attached to the latter. My last personal experience of this was when we received three nearly new big Dennis Darts at our depot for the service between Pontefract and Tadcaster - the route passes through Barkston Ash - I suppose you've guessed it already ?? - yes, they had full size diagrammatic maps of the route on each side, enclosed in a huge diagrammatic image of an ash tree !! Hi Blakey,I'm surprised that you didn't mention First's recent foray into television advertising, with Liza Tarbuck "piloting" a bus whilst singing The Greatest Love of All with suitably shoehorned-in new lyrics.Mind you, nice to see those dancers from the 70s Keep Britain Tidy campaign have got some more work at last...

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 12:24 pm

Si wrote: I'm surprised that you didn't mention First's recent foray into television advertising, with Liza Tarbuck "piloting" a bus whilst singing The Greatest Love of All with suitably shoehorned-in new lyrics.Mind you, nice to see those dancers from the 70s Keep Britain Tidy campaign have got some more work at last... Well Si, I'm pleased and relieved to say that I haven't seen that particular TV advert - no doubt produced for a paltry few pounds (I admit that sarcasm has sometimes been a weakness of mine ) and I'm very happy that I haven't seen it as I don't like being put off my dinner Of all the self obsessed "own trumpet blowing" purveyors of empty promises First must be the very worst example.Can you imagine the late Samuel Ledgard's ultra reliable services (and they certainly were that) being belittled with advertising slogans like "Your journey's jammy with Sammy" or similar embarrassments - I think not !!

Si · Post by Si » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 12:37 pm

Sorry to impose this on you Blakey, but these are the ad's "lyrics" sung to a speeded-up version of George Benson's The Greatest Love Of All:(Sung) I believe that buses are the future,Treat them well and let them lead the way,Enjoy all the comfort they possess inside,And with a sense of pride,Make it easier to help you all enjoy each day,The way it's meant to be.(Spoken) We believe every journey should be the greatest one of all.Get on board with First Bus.Oh dear...

chemimike · Post by **chemimike** » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 12:54 pm

Ugh

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 12:57 pm

Si wrote: Sorry to impose this on you Blakey, but these are the ad's "lyrics" sung to a speeded-up version of George Benson's The Greatest Love Of All:(Sung) I believe that buses are the future,Treat them well and let them lead the way,Enjoy all the comfort they possess inside,And with a sense of pride,Make it easier to help you all enjoy each day,The way it's meant to be.(Spoken) We believe every journey should be the greatest one of all.Get on board with First Bus.Oh dear... Are they cheer leader type girls Si?I'd watch them with the sound turned off, so said George Harrison about the Spice Girls too

Riponian · Post by **Riponian** » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 1:19 pm

It will be noted that the recently refurbished vehicles of a certain North Yorkshire operator have done away with the rear facing seats, and has bench type seats sideways over the rear wheel arches.Those "Dynamo" vehicles do creep up on you, setting off and then having the engine starting, but we'll see how the technology stands to long term use. Maybe they could to succomb to the "Wulfronian" problems as floored West Ridng years ago. Yes we'll have to watch the new Arriva ones as well.Bus technology has to change with the times, maybe instead of this silly NGT scheme where it's not really needed, why doesn't Leeds just call for a citywide trolleybus network? Go for broke.

Si · Post by Si » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 4:32 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: Si wrote: Sorry to impose this on you Blakey, but these are the ad's "lyrics" sung to a speeded-up version of George Benson's The Greatest Love Of All:(Sung) I believe that buses are the future,Treat them well and let them lead the way,Enjoy all the comfort they possess inside,And with a sense of pride,Make it easier to help you all enjoy each day,The way it's meant to be.(Spoken) We believe every journey should be the greatest one of all.Get on board with First Bus.Oh dear... Are they cheer leader type girls Si?I'd watch them with the sound turned off, so said George Harrison about the Spice Girls too Sort of, Phill. I've just had a look on Youtube, and the PIF I was thinking of starred Roy Hudd as a litter lout being chased by a bunch of clean-cut, prancing dancer-types, called the LDV (Litter Defence Volunteers.) It's dated 1968.The First Bus ad is also on there, if anyone dare look...(PS There's also a nice parody of the ad, too.)

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 5:29 pm

BLAKEY wrote: BarFly wrote: That is likely the reason. I'm not convinced it is the best way to use the space in any country though -- seems to be laziness to me. I agree that its embarrassing and unpleasant to have to face others at such close quarters, but this pales into insignificance at the side of another aspect that worries me greatly and I've written about it often at great length. In the midst of all these intertwined legs, hand luggage etc you might just be lucky and find the only "emergency exit" in the entire lower saloon of a vehicle holding upwards on ninety people. This pathetic little narrow door on the offside is worse than useless, especially in two quite possible circumstances. Firstly in the event of a front end collision putting the front door out of bounds - the first one or two passengers might escape into the middle of the road before mass panic floors the rest, particularly if there are around twenty standing. Alternatively an engine compartment fire, far from unknown these days, would send a panicking horde towards the front, where the buggy exchange and other folks panicking from upstairs would soon bring escape to a halt. I really cannot credit that the Ministry will allow such possible hazards to be commonplace at all.Returning to the question of the "interlocked knees" facing seats - this is not confined to modern rear engined vehicles at all and has been a bugbear since long ago, even in cases before WW2. In Leeds remember all the small Mark V AEC Regents (150 in all) and the larger few bodied by MCW as opposed to Roe, and the small Daimler CVG6s. All of these "back loaders" had a seat for five facing backwards behind the driver and the knee clearance on these was at least as bad as on the modern buses. I agree, many buses seem to have seats crammed into spaces where legroom seems to have been forgotten about - none worse than the ftr purple slugs, with the "passenger lounge" at the back where the legroom in certain seats is non-existant if there are passengers in adjacent seats. Mind you, I've yet to board one of these buses and find the promised tea and coffee available either...Was it the old MCW's (as used on the 56) that used to have inward facing seats over the rear wheels? A much better, even if you might occasionally make eye contact with a fellow traveller...

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 8:35 pm

I'll post this link for the guys like Blakey who appreciate vintage transport, it has to be one of the finest collection of transport images from the 60's and 70's I have seenhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/david_christie/sets/And page two with a few L.C.T buses included herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/david_christie/se ... ge=2Trains, buses, Ferries, liners, service vehicles, trams, trolleys and cars, you name it it's there! All in colour too

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Sat 11 Feb, 2012 9:48 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: I'll post this link for the guys like Blakey who appreciate vintage transport, it has to be one of the finest collection of transport images from the 60's and 70's I have seenhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/david_christie/sets/And page two with a few L.C.T buses included herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/david_christie/se ... ge=2Trains, buses, Ferries, liners, service vehicles, trams, trolleys and cars, you name it it's there! All in colour too Thanks for that link Phill. There are loads of great photos there. One thing about such photos is that things are often coincidentally seen in them. For example the 1969 image of the bus at the Corn Exchange shows the building in the rear just on New York Street having a tower-like object that as far as I'm aware is not there now, so I wonder when it was removed?