Stagecoach Manchester

[gilesbus1]

RE: Stagecoach Manchester and Wigan

(06/03/2019 21:07)Y474 KNF Wrote:  That's why larger batches of vehicles are refurbished/maintained over a longer period of time

It isn't practical for a specific area to receive X amount of new buses each year. Eventually an operator the size of Arriva or Stagecoach will end up with a surplus of mid-life vehicles which they no longer have a use for


No it isn't. It's inevitable that buses bought for one route will eventually be used on another route

Illustrate this, I like Brickmill see no evidence of any refurbishment by any of the big three. I have also been told that one large operator specifically only paint what is easy to do, so if a bus has a dent they don't fix the dent and therefore don't repaint as its seen as cheaper not to bother, would you expect a car driver to leave a dent or a scratch in his car and not bother?

Also just better management of resources allows fleet investment on an annual basis to the right level, yes not every route can have new vehicles or repayments couldn't be made on loans etc... but just to leave it for 5 years and then buy 150 buses in one year is foolish as those vehicles then age and you can't replace any more for years in that area, which then is unappealing to passengers who then just walk eventually. Prior to deregulation the only operator AFAIK who had been silly enough to operate that policy was Salford Corporation in the 1950's by replacing around three quarters of its fleet over a three year period 1951-1954 that operator then couldn't have new buses for 9 years and also had to replace buses that were not at full life also, and still leaving a fleet which part was past its best into Selnec days.