47609FireFly
4805 - Y492 UGC: Charles Street, Leicester, 07/03/2014
The "new" order on Arriva's routes 86 and 87 in Leicester. This Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250 was new to Arriva London, as fleet number DLA292, in May 2001. It has just entered service at Wigston depot, in Leicestershire, where it has ousted a 2 year old Enviro 200 single-decker. It's a bit of a kick in the teeth bringing in vehicles which are 11 years senior than those they're replacing and the reason isn't altogether clear, but I would speculate that it's one (or a combination) of the following:
1) Passenger numbers are too high on the routes for the Enviro 200s to cope with (assuming the timetable is reliable).
2) The timetable is not robust enough to deliver a reliable and punctual service. As a consequence, the buses on the services bunch up meaning that the first little Enviro 200 to turn up takes a hammering. Yes, it's a capacity problem but slightly different from point one as the resources aren't being efficiently used.
3) The traffic calming humps around Eyres Monsell are still problematic to the Enviro 200s, causing damage to skirt panels and the like.
The iBus database tells us that this bus was last used in London service on 03/01/2013, when it worked on route 243 (Wood Green - Waterloo via Stamford Hill and Dalston). Sister buses noted in service for the first time from Wigston, on 07/03/2014, included:
4803 - Y485 UGC (formerly DLA285) on services 86 / 87.
4806 - X502 GGO (formerly DLA230) on services 47 / 48.
4805 - Y492 UGC: Charles Street, Leicester, 07/03/2014
The "new" order on Arriva's routes 86 and 87 in Leicester. This Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250 was new to Arriva London, as fleet number DLA292, in May 2001. It has just entered service at Wigston depot, in Leicestershire, where it has ousted a 2 year old Enviro 200 single-decker. It's a bit of a kick in the teeth bringing in vehicles which are 11 years senior than those they're replacing and the reason isn't altogether clear, but I would speculate that it's one (or a combination) of the following:
1) Passenger numbers are too high on the routes for the Enviro 200s to cope with (assuming the timetable is reliable).
2) The timetable is not robust enough to deliver a reliable and punctual service. As a consequence, the buses on the services bunch up meaning that the first little Enviro 200 to turn up takes a hammering. Yes, it's a capacity problem but slightly different from point one as the resources aren't being efficiently used.
3) The traffic calming humps around Eyres Monsell are still problematic to the Enviro 200s, causing damage to skirt panels and the like.
The iBus database tells us that this bus was last used in London service on 03/01/2013, when it worked on route 243 (Wood Green - Waterloo via Stamford Hill and Dalston). Sister buses noted in service for the first time from Wigston, on 07/03/2014, included:
4803 - Y485 UGC (formerly DLA285) on services 86 / 87.
4806 - X502 GGO (formerly DLA230) on services 47 / 48.