The dreaded FIRST BUS!

[Bracken]

With regard to the FTR buses i read that Swansea have disbanded with their fleet of FTR'S and running single deck buses instead.Leeds currently are showing 2 of these buses withdrawn.Is this the begining of the end for the Leeds fleet ?

[BLAKEY]

Its to be fervently hoped so Bracken - if ever fortunes were spent on taking the mickey out of a totally disinterested public the "ftr" farce was a classic example. Notice that the "ftr" and "streetcar" tripe was quietly dropped a long time ago. When the York fleet was transferred to Leeds and refurbished - I ask you, refurbished at five years old - and put on the scandalously expensive conversion of the perfectly satisfactory OPO service 72 to Bradford on increased crew frequency at double the manning costs, well sanity or the last remains of it went straight out of the window. I'm firmly convinced that the real reason for this "consultancy led" pantomime was that the purple monsters stood at too great a value "on the books" and no one would have bought them anyway. I despair at many of the modern trends - just to digress slightly look at the abominable expensive disfigurement of many of the new double deckers by plastering the top deck front and side windows with ghastly purple "PULSE" vinyls - whose only purpose has been to render many of the electronic destination displays unreadable until the vehicle pulls up !!

[dogduke]

The local "know all" at the bus stop this morning complainingvabout the poor service seemed to think that Arriva are taking over the Leeds First routes and that he would know after the meeting tonight.
Anyone know anything ?

[tyke bhoy]

I could imagine Arriva moving in on some of the remaining First South and East Leeds Route but not really all. Of course if Arriva did take over the Hunslet and Middleton routes it would be a bit ironic given First moving their depot t0 Hunslet.