The dreaded FIRST BUS!

Railways, trams, buses, etc.
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Phill_dvsn
Posts: 4423
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 5:47 am

Post by Phill_dvsn »

I don't know about you guys but i'm fed up of going anywhere in the U.K be it Bristol, Bradford or Brighton.All the buses are the same in that awful first bus livery.Towns and cities have no identity these days. I think it's a shame that Leeds will shortly have even less with the closure of Tetleys and the Y.T.V studios too.The Leeds city transport livery looked very grand in my opinion.I was looking at this picture of a Halifax Joint commitee bus.I thought how good it was to see these old liveries still abouthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/thespian/25957276 ... 06073511/I think First bus should bring back these traditions and make the city they operate in feel proud again.    
My flickr pictures are herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/Because lunacy was the influence for an album. It goes without saying that an album about lunacy will breed a lunatics obsessions with an album - The Dark side of the moon!

amber
Posts: 120
Joined: Thu 15 Nov, 2007 1:29 pm

Post by amber »

Could not agree more. In the 60s/70s returning from holidays you always knew when you saw the green LCT bus you were home and you would be at work on Monday at Sov St Garage. The only advantage of First is I can travel free in Scotland on my staff pass

Cardiarms
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Joined: Tue 21 Oct, 2008 8:30 am

Post by Cardiarms »

I always knew when I was getting close to my grans in newcastle when I saw the first amber coloured bus.The Halifax Joint Committee always makes me chuckle. Most of their buses seem to be ex westmidlands.

Brandy
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Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 8:03 am

Post by Brandy »

I cannot agree more with you phill.I remember in the eighties visiting family up north(Newcastle)and wondering why all the busses looked the same?All painted in the same 'horrible' mucky looking pale yellow and then you would jump on the metro and again every carriage painted the same and looking the same! sort of like a transport themed groundhog day!Looking back at it now the trend must have set in there first lolAnd also phill dont forget it was not just the looks of the old busses what about the sounds? remember the sound of the diesel pump clunking away? and the diesel engines purring away like a cement mixer ?? the bell's ding ding ding "LAST STOP"The old mechanical ticket machines kkrrrrrrrunchching lol The whirring noise of the old differential axles? even the windows rattled in there own little wayhappy days mate happy days    
There are only 10 types of people in the world -those who understand binary, and those that don't.

Tasa
Posts: 826
Joined: Mon 08 Oct, 2007 11:11 am

Post by Tasa »

Yes, I liked the green LCT livery too and the fact that we had our own "green bus station" as opposed to the "red bus station" on Vicar Lane. Everyone knew what you meant when you referred to them by these names.

Trojan
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Joined: Sat 22 Dec, 2007 3:54 pm

Post by Trojan »

Black Prince disappearing was a blow as far as colour schemes go. The distinctive Halifax colours are the same as Glasgow. Apparently because the first bus they ever had on demo was en route to Glasgow and the committee liked the colours. West Riding - greenYorkshire Woollen - maroon when I was a kidLCT Blue and the greenBCT Blue and creamHebble - maroonWest Yorkshire and United - which both ran into Leeds redEYMS Dark blue with yellow stripeLegards - blueAs for bus stations - many of the buses terminated at Sovereign Street, and the Huddersfield/Halifax buses Wellington Street.
Industria Omnia Vincit

simong
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Joined: Sat 08 Sep, 2007 6:17 am

Post by simong »

Actually Brandy, mucky yellow livery aside, Tyne and Wear PTE ran a great transport network in the 80s. The buses, Metro and local trains were actually -gasp- co-ordinated, so buses waited at transfer stations if a Metro or local train was due, and you could get from the north side of Newcastle to Sunderland for about 50p. When the network was privatised, it was decreed by central government that the different transport systems should compete, because as we know competition makes everything better (excuse me a minute: *thump**thump**thump*), which lead to the city having some of the worst bus wars in the country, with about thirty companies battling for spaces at Haymarket and Eldon Street at one point.In comparison, Leeds had it easy, although I do still wonder about WYPTE's motives for privatising the buses so quickly - South Yorkshire kept hold of them until it was really necessary, as did Manchester - but I don't think the bus wars were as bad as in, say Sheffield.

raveydavey
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Joined: Thu 22 Mar, 2007 3:59 pm
Location: The Far East (of Leeds...)
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Post by raveydavey »

Last Bus have a virtual monopoly in Leeds and Metro are powerless to intervene. This allows them to charge what they like and run only the services they want to. One particular bugbear is the way that Last put the skids under Supertram saying they could do a better job with bendybuses, the got an ongoing commitment from Metro to subsidise the cost of providing conductors on the ftr service to improve loading speeds and yet they still run old single manned double deckers on the route far too often.Our buses ceased to be a public service long ago.It's a mystery to me as to how they're allowed to get away with it - go to Manchester, or even Sheffield and there is real competition on the streets with different companies offering a range of services at much more reasonable fares. There is another take on the situation here: http://www.yorkshireeveningpest.co.uk/ - look for 'Taken for a ride'.(See my post in 'General chat' for more on the Yorkshire Evening Pest...)
Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act – George Orwell

Brandy
Posts: 1550
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 8:03 am

Post by Brandy »

simong wrote: Actually Brandy, mucky yellow livery aside, Tyne and Wear PTE ran a great transport network in the 80s. The buses, Metro and local trains were actually -gasp- co-ordinated, so buses waited at transfer stations if a Metro or local train was due, and you could get from the north side of Newcastle to Sunderland for about 50p. When the network was privatised, it was decreed by central government that the different transport systems should compete, because as we know competition makes everything better (excuse me a minute: *thump**thump**thump*), which lead to the city having some of the worst bus wars in the country, with about thirty companies battling for spaces at Haymarket and Eldon Street at one point.In comparison, Leeds had it easy, although I do still wonder about WYPTE's motives for privatising the buses so quickly - South Yorkshire kept hold of them until it was really necessary, as did Manchester - but I don't think the bus wars were as bad as in, say Sheffield. 50p? it was a lot less than that simong-i remember we used to catch the bus from bankfoot to gosforth for 5 pence then use the same ticket on the metro(it was called a transfare or summet)and then go all the way to Whitley bay excellent clean and efficient service but just a shame it was all painted a horrible shade of yellow!
There are only 10 types of people in the world -those who understand binary, and those that don't.

Cardiarms
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Joined: Tue 21 Oct, 2008 8:30 am

Post by Cardiarms »

I remember Wansbeck road to Haymarket being 30p. I'd forgotten about the bus wars, was a bit wild at times, buses racing each other to get to stops! IRRC there was a fault on the me'ro ticket machines at one time when you put a pound or 50p in, I can't remember, and you got your change plus your original coin. Needless to say the machines were milked dry within a day. Vaulting the barriers used to be very common. Secret Newcastle anybody? Apparently there's some fantastic tunnel up there.

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