Wrightbus has gone in to administration!

I know I haven't been posting for a month, but I have to break this sad news.

Wrightbus, who notably manufactured 1,000 of the three door, two staircase hybrid New Routemaster buses, 6 Volvo B5LH with SRM bodywork and 2 Volvo B5LHC with SRM bodywork has gone in to administration due to cash flow problems which has affected thousands of jobs.

Opinion: Design criticisms of Wrightbus Gemini 3 and SRM

This is more of an 'essay' type article because I have some criticisms with the design of the Wrightbus double deck products such as the Gemini 3 and SRM. I have criticised the Wrightbus double deck products in my previous articles and therefore I will lay out my ideas which could possibly inspire the manufacturer to make changes.

Volvo SRM B5LHC finally launches on route 37

I know this news is a little bit late.

The long awaited Volvo B5HLC with the SRM (two-door, one-staircase New Routemaster) bodywork finally launches in service on route 37.

There are only two Volvo SRM B5LHC’s; they are (fleet numbers) VHP1 and VHP2 operated by Go-Ahead London.

SRM Volvo B5LHC update and a trial for automatic passenger counting on London Buses

Starting off with a press release from TfL on testing the new automatic passenger counting which will be tested on routes 55, 47, 222, 507 and 521.

From TfL Press release

• The data could be used to improve services, provide better real-time travel information and help prioritise investment across London
• All data collected will be automatically anonymised and no individuals will be identified

TfL is beginning a three-month trial to identify how best to automatically count passengers on buses. The trial, which will begin on Friday 8 June, will assess which techniques capture passenger numbers in real time with the most accuracy. This could enable TfL to improve its services, provide better real-time travel information and help prioritise investment - all while being cheaper and more reliable than current manual counts.

Final New Routemaster, LT1000 has finally entered service on route 267

As of yesterday (19^th February 2018), the last ever built three-door, two-staircase Hybrid New Routemaster bus entered service on route 267!

The LT1000 is used by RATP-Dev London United for their route 267 contract which is fully served with New Routemaster buses; this marks the end of an era for the New Routemaster rollout!

It’s been six years since the first New Routemaster prototype (LT2) entered on route 38 which happened on 27^th February 2012 - very bizarre how time flies.

Finally! - An update on the SRM Volvo B5LHC

Here is a short news update:

The Volvo B5LHC with New Routemaster (SRM) bodywork was demonstrated at the Buses Festival which was held on 20^th August in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

Here’s the description of the Wrightbus SRM Volvo B5LHC taken from the Buses Festival website.

This is an interesting vehicle in that it is a prototype built to be used in trials to test the concept of on-road charging.

New Buses for January 2017

More to come for route 388

As we approach February, the rollout of new buses continues in Britain.

We begin with Arriva who have taken delivery of 174 Volvo B5LH double deck hybrids.

A short update on electric buses for London and the Volvo SRM at the 2016 Imber Bus Rally

Wright SRM at the 2016 Imber Bus rally

Credit to KS LAB (KS Chow) on Flickr

First off, let me bring you up-to-date regarding the Electric Bus rollout in Central London.

From LOTS

Sunday 21 August

1) The first few of the BYD/ADL E200EV electric buses (SEe class) are now in London being prepared for use on routes 507 and 521, hopefully during the coming week.  The intended fleet class code has been changed from EE to SEe  (i.e. to link the Enviro200 class SE with e = electric, this being in lower case lettering –a ‘first’ for London).   The two electric Irizars (EI 1 and 2) were last used on the ‘Red Arrows’  on 15th August prior to being moved to New Cross for intended use soon on route 108.

London Mayor announces plans to clean up London’s toxic air

The new London Mayor has announced plans to combat diesel emissions in London, while Volvo announces their 1,000th Hybrid bus sale.

New Routemaster, Enviro400H City & Volvo SRM comparison

New Routemaster, Enviro400H City and Volvo SRM

I enjoy comparing different bus types so this time I will compare the New Routemaster (NRM) with the Enviro400H City and the new Volvo SRM.

The New Routemaster first entered service on Route 38 and since 2012 we have watched the fleet expand; it now serves over 20 routes in Central London. The Enviro400H City buses are serving route 78 and soon they will enter on route 26 under a new contract with CT Plus.

Back in the middle of March 2016, Wrightbus and TfL unveiled the Volvo SRM which is a two-door New Routemaster bus, a design that enables bus companies to buy.