You Wait Ages For A Bus

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Sat 03 Mar, 2012 9:52 pm

Public Transport should never have been privatised........it was "public" for the benefit of the travelling public not the greedy shareholders and those knowledgeable and financially priveleged to take advantage of what essentially should remain a public service...i.e.the "fat cats"minorities who laugh at us.Captive audience.Feel sorry for the employees though as they have to work 24/7 under these conditions.It,s a lose-lose situation for Joe Public tho who will continue to have to endure [edited for content] service and diminishing services whilst the powers that be protect their "nice little earners"....the prime routes at peak times.Even bus subsidies won't save the rest.....God help us.Shareholders milking this and other systems(could go on ad infinitum) will always be at the detriment of the very people who are stuffed with paying for it.Bring back the old LCT.....Done now............soapbox is bust

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 12:34 am

BLAKEY wrote: tyke bhoy wrote: Blakey my memory of the bendy buses matches yours in that they first appeared on the 1 route possibly just before 2000. While I don't doubt your sources are we sure the "imposter buses" now on the 95 route in almost Centrebus livery are those buses refurbished. The initial bendy buses had a full 5 seat rear row. The current bendy's have a "big white box" replacing the 2 nearside back row and possibly the 2 penulitmate row seats. I aplogise to all interested as I have posted a monumental clanger about the "95" Bendies. I've now done some detailed research and consultation and will post the true situation very soon - when I've simplified it as its incredibly complicated - bear with us just for a while folks. Right folks - a very complicated story, with differing details for nearly every one of the batch.Hold my hand up time first - the six which are now on the 95 route etc are of course NOT part of the original Beeston number 1 route delivery - I don't know how the befuddled brain got that idea . They are part of a large batch which were delivered in 2000 and are of a different model to the "Beestons" - hence the "big white box" at the nearside rear. All entered service in Bradford when new and were transferred to York in mid 2003, various dates. They served there until various dates in 2009 when many were transferred to Hunslet Park. Some of these were stored while others helped out on the number 1 route as the originals were by then falling by the wayside frequently. A few went to Avon and Somerset where they entered service on a student facility in an orange livery but NOT the "pseudo Centrebus" orange and blue of today - the six which are now here in those colours were extensively (and expensively) refurbished before gracing Otley Road and Headingley Lane. There, I said it was a complicated tale didn't I ?, but that's as simple as I can make it, and apologies once again for the king size hash I made in the original post - as my teachers regularly wrote in my reports "Must pay attention and try harder !!"

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 1:02 am

The Bendies didn't reign long in Bradford after one of them jack-knifed in the Interchange and brought the whole place to a standstill.

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 2:33 am

Uno Hoo wrote: The Bendies didn't reign long in Bradford after one of them jack-knifed in the Interchange and brought the whole place to a standstill. Dont want to cast doubt on you Uno Hoo but I have to ask, is that know fact or just one of those pieces of folk law that get passed down over time?The reason I say this is because I have been running in to Bradford interchange since late 2001 and never saw a bendy in there plus bendys tend not to be used on services that use drive on / reverse off bus stations.I'm not saying its not true because truth is I dont really know and they might have pulled them out before my time but just find it hard to understand why they would be in the interchange in the first place.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 11:34 am

Blakey thanks and no worries on the original mislead. We got their in the end.Big N I think the modern term is "Urban Myth" but I suspect in the case of the Bendy Bus and Bradford it isn't a myth. I too haven't seen a bendy bus in the interchange but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence (internet search) they did use it including several reports that money was spent making adjustments so they could use it. If you haven't seen one in 9 years then it would seem they no longer visit the Interchange and one reason for that would be some "catastrophic" incident. Of course there are plenty of other reasons surrounding business decisions that they could have stopped but my search didn't find a reason given other than First moved the buses on to York.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 11:37 am

BTW I found at least 2 other sources suggesting all the Bradford bendy's went to York in addition to Blakey's post above.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 12:10 pm

Just seen a 16 with "Whinmoor" on the destination board after todays changes have come into effect.It just doesn't look right - the 16 has always* said Seacroft on the front and that is how it should have stayed! * - Apart from a very brief period in the 90's where one bus an hour was extended to Barwick during the peaks.

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 12:52 pm

raveydavey wrote: Just seen a 16 with "Whinmoor" on the destination board after todays changes have come into effect.It just doesn't look right - the 16 has always* said Seacroft on the front and that is how it should have stayed! * - Apart from a very brief period in the 90's where one bus an hour was extended to Barwick during the peaks. When did that start Davey?Just looking at the route maps and if they are to be believed, the No4Ftr is shown to terminate at Seacroft Shopping Centre - does that mean Whinmoor is of these oversized buldozers on the roads?In fairness I do feel for the chaps having to negotiate others who believed they too had a right to occupy the roads from time to time!Most of the drivers are more than sensible but one or two - well, best parking on the path till they'd gone

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 1:03 pm

Just looked at the website, changes are headed:'Building a better bus service'and in relation to the Ftrs:'The new route of service 4 means it no longer has to make manoeuvres that are more difficult for ftr buses'Finally, an admission (or two...) that these things were inappropriate for estate roads, which almost everyone else already knew.

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Sun 04 Mar, 2012 1:18 pm

BIG N wrote: Uno Hoo wrote: The Bendies didn't reign long in Bradford after one of them jack-knifed in the Interchange and brought the whole place to a standstill. Dont want to cast doubt on you Uno Hoo but I have to ask, is that know fact or just one of those pieces of folk law that get passed down over time?The reason I say this is because I have been running in to Bradford interchange since late 2001 and never saw a bendy in there plus bendys tend not to be used on services that use drive on / reverse off bus stations.I'm not saying its not true because truth is I dont really know and they might have pulled them out before my time but just find it hard to understand why they would be in the interchange in the first place. Didn't see the event myself, Big N, but I do remember reading the report in the Telegraph & Argus (so it must be correct)