Bus Shite

[Inspector Morose]

Plaxton supremes used to break their backs quite regularly due to frame rot. Then again so did most coaches of that era.

[davidfowler2000]

On the subject of Voith boxed Tridents...

 

Stagecoach Western 18332 SF55NNZ by David Walker, on Flickr

 

Those were bloody lovely. 225 horse and a 4 speed box. The 4 speed ones had a shorter 1st gear and I think top was an overdrive on these. Seeing as they would power their way to 65mph, we used the blue and white Tridents at Kilmarnock to deputise for coaches on motorway express work when someone booked wheelchair assistance as noone could be bothered to work the wheelchair lift on the B7 Profiles. Best thing to ever be said about the Tridents was

"Watch out when you're going down a bit of a hill. The retarder stops working at 70mph!"

[rml2345]

The arse falling out of ECW B51 coach bodies also happened to a batch of Leyland

Leopards bought by Greater Manchester some years previously. They were stregthened in house and no one thought to inform ECW at the time that a coach boot floor without much support doesn't work terribly well.

As for coaches with saggy bottoms, anything Willowbrook...

[Asimo]

How is vehicle condition / roadworthiness monitored or controlled for small coach / bus operators?

 

I have been hearing tales from teachers regarding the apparently dodgy state of some of the vehicles used for school excursions. Doesn't sound any different from when I was at school 40+ years ago when failiures and obvious decrepitude were common. Apart from every seat having a belt, has anything changed since the '70s?

 

Is it just a result of school hires always going to the cheapest?

[cms206]

... as 83C says above; we normally get one DVSA "walk in" visit per year; additionally our school contracts are subject to two unitary authority checks per year, plus spot checks at schools normally up to four times per year. We work on a 4-weekly internal inspection schedule which is more or less an MOT, which must be kept on file for over a year (either 18 or 24 months from memory), defect cards must be kept for a year as well and must be completed every morning along with a walkround check.

 

Additionally you have to comply with European Working Time AND EU Driver Hours standards as well; we operate 100% legit, but not everyone does.

 

I've attached an example 4-weekly check to show whats supposed to be done.

 

 

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[mrcitroen]

Every year, at around school trip time, the rozzers/ Vosa turn up at Blair Drummond Safari park. According to the press, they remove scores of vehicles there and then. Must be easy pickings for them.

 

I remember being on a school trip and obviously the handbrake did not work as when we reached our destination, a breezeblock was placed on the foot brake. That was a small local operator. Can't remember what chassis it was, but it had the engine between the door and driver so possible ford r series or Bedford.

 

In contrast, Alexander Midland had the contract for ferrying us to and from skool and their vehicles were spot on.

[cms206]

DVSA have been kicked out of Blair Drummond, something to do with them putting seven coaches off the road and the park being unable to close until enough coaches to take 350 kids away showed up.

 

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[mrcitroen]

I wondered how that would go. Can't see some of these operators having spare vehicles to bring home the screaming weans.

[Guest Hooli]

Defect sheets, yes I've heard of them. Had them when I worked at Stagecoach, although if you put down that a bus had no brakes all you got was the workshop manager shouting at you about it stops eventually. Don't recall ever doing them at the other place I worked.

 

The school buses I went to school on were a dodgy shite company, they had lots of the same coach in the fleet. Oddly enough you could tell which one was due an MOT because it had the working suspension fitted (the saggy corner used to move around the fleet regularly).

[cms206]

Oddly enough we had a local firm which had three MOT buses; a black Iveco 21-seater, a white Iveco 21-seater and a white 25-seater to cover a fleet of about 15. They got away with it until the 25-seater went for test with a 21-seater's plate on it.

 

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[Guest Hooli]

The workshop manager at one Cornish operator stopped shouting at me when I waved the PSV test manual at him and pointed out exactly what VOSA would do with the vehicle for the defects listed.

 

I just told him to go out & drive 33011 in service, then swap to 33013 & notice how you missed the first half a dozen bus stops trying to get used to how it didn't stop. They were identical models & ages too.

 

Fuck knows why I remember their fleet numbers, it's 10 years since I did that job ffs.

[Felly Magic]

The worst vehicle I had for brake faults was Rider 5507, an Oilycan/Optare. Bloody thing used to cook it's front brakes, one day a driver brought it in and the yellow plastic markers for the wheel nuts had melted, I refused it, massive arguments with the traffic office, town inspector turned up, he said he would ride with me to a changeover point. first set of traffic lights I got to, footbrake went straight to the floor, inspector saw it as he was riding shotgun with the cab door open, I told him to hold on as I yanked on the parking brake. Bus was coasted to the next stop and dumped, and the inspector didn't stop swearing at the engineering manager on the phone. On my last day at one depot, it was boiling hot and I managed to cook the engine and box on a Scania, as it was my last run, I left it dumped where it died, and caught the next bus back to the yard. It was funny how some buses though from the same batch were utterly fucked, but some drove like a dream

[Felly Magic]

That firm's collapse was painful to watch, like a plane crash in slow motion

[Felly Magic]

Yeah the worry of not getting paid, and to whether you will still be in a job the next day cannot be pleasant, Plus the grief from passengers about X bus not turning up. 

[Six-cylinder]

What am I looking at, on A1M today?

[RoadworkUK]

What am I looking at, on A1M today?

 

The latest Elddis caravan is a bit on the large side?

[Guest Hooli]

If it's by Thorntons it'll have a chocolate gearbox.

[Noel Tidybeard]

do the dennis tridents have different vents/louvres to the ovlov versions of similar- just something i wondered what with the amount nxwm have floating around here for eleventy years or so

[Six-cylinder]

I can't remember seeing a bus on a low loader before does it happen often?

[davidfowler2000]

I can't remember seeing a bus on a low loader before does it happen often?

 

Depends on who the recovery firm are. A lot of modern motors can be easier to low-loader seeing as a lot of stuff is monocoque these days and suspended towing can cause structural issues especially when windows are missing.

 

Length is also a consideration.

 

First photo - 15m Volvo B12 on the back of a Karen Yuill loader with about 4m hanging off the trailer. Estimated rig length, 22m.

Second photo - 14.1m Van Hool TDX27 being towed by MTS's DAF boom lifter. Estimated rig length 28m. Lifted by the tyres 'cos there's no structure to fork on to with the boom.

 

I do have a video of a 14.7m Van Hool TDX29 on the back of a low loader in London being reversed down Elizabeth Bridge / Elizabeth Street and then turning in to Buckingham Palace Road. When I find it, I'll upload it.

[davidfowler2000]

Here it is.

 

About 20 - 30 mins after this video was taken the truck / bus hit a low bridge and spent about 3 months in Belgium for repairs.

 

I once had the pleasure* of dragging one of those mega Golds empty from London - Glasgow after it had broken and been repaired at West Ham. Naturally I did mischeif with the destination screen.

Broken Down Megabus Gold.mp4

[mrcitroen]

Talking if recovery this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-38918468 happened near me this week. Goodness knows how it happened, but thankfully none of the passengers were badly injured, even more so as I know some of the kids and their parents. Bus company are JD travel and apparently do lots of school contracts here.

 

Was recovered by 911 & 911 have the police contract so I guess it's going for examination or the bus company would have used their own breakdown contractor. Apparently 911 are very very expensive. They recovered one of my cars on behalf of AA.

[Six-cylinder]

Here it is.

 

About 20 - 30 mins after this video was taken the truck / bus hit a low bridge and spent about 3 months in Belgium for repairs.

 

I once had the pleasure* of dragging one of those mega Golds empty from London - Glasgow after it had broken and been repaired at West Ham. Naturally I did mischeif with the destination screen.

I am getting sound but not picture.

 

I have seen a fair number of buses being towed, some lifted but it is low loader moves that I have not seen.

[davidfowler2000]

I have made it a YouTube...

[Six-cylinder]

I have made it a YouTube...

 

Thanks, I have got that now how much does the bus weigh?

[CreepingJesus]

How the fuck did the driver scone that off a bridge? It's not actually that tall. Although if one hasn't ascertained how tall one's load is before setting off through a city, one is asking for trouble.

[davidfowler2000]

Thanks, I have got that now how much does the bus weigh?

 

From memory, those are 21500KG unladen

 

 

How the fuck did the driver scone that off a bridge? It's not actually that tall. Although if one hasn't ascertained how tall one's load is before setting off through a city, one is asking for trouble.

 

The bus is 13'2" tall and I'd say another 3 feet for the front of the trailer.

[Guest Hooli]

Talking if recovery this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-38918468 happened near me this week. Goodness knows how it happened, but thankfully none of the passengers were badly injured, even more so as I know some of the kids and their parents. Bus company are JD travel and apparently do lots of school contracts here.

 

Was recovered by 911 & 911 have the police contract so I guess it's going for examination or the bus company would have used their own breakdown contractor. Apparently 911 are very very expensive. They recovered one of my cars on behalf of AA.

 

How on earth did they manage that?

 

Takes effort to get a bus to run away & even then the brakes can normally hold it.

[Richard]

I would guess the driver managed to get two wheels on the verge and gravity did the rest.

[Guest Hooli]

The article said the driver kept fiddling with the key as if he was trying to turn it off.