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Post by yorks06 on Feb 9, 2007 11:53:03 GMT
Noticed while in Sheffield City Centre the other day a new Powells bus on the M22 & for a change it isn't a Dennis Bus.
The Bus is a optare Solo, livery wise its Plain white with the usual Powells fleetnames applied on all sides & their coloured squares logo. Also appeared to have full destination blinds with updated destinations on, so not a series of cards like on some of Powells other buses.
I assume with it being plain white that the bus was got in a hurry as they seem to have all other buses & coaches in their blue livery. Whether or not it will be repainted into full Powells livery who know i suppose time will tell.
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Post by mattw on Feb 9, 2007 15:24:15 GMT
Suprising that the optare garage (or what ever its called) is less than a stone throw away from the Powells Depot in Hellaby.
Wonder if they got some sort of deal with a vehicle that a operater returned due to a fault or an accident and was repaired and sold on for a fraction of the price to Powells Bus Company. I also know of a bus traders opposite from the Optare garage who had a few white solos in stock by looks of it - wonder if it came from there.
And if it is a new bus this is strange for powells as im used to seeing metrobus's and handybuses in service. By sounds of it the white livery is better though will have to wait till i see it - wonder if they paint all vehicles this colour.
Anyone have Fleet and Reg number of this new arrival?
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Post by yorks06 on Feb 9, 2007 17:17:41 GMT
Well i didn’t see the Solo close up so dont know the Reg or fleet numbers but it doesn't seem brand new & the style of seating doesnt look like the types newer solos have so may well be second hand either way something’s better than nothing & if they got the M22 on standard spec as opposed to SLF spec then Powells must be feeling generous.
I don’t think they'll paint everything white as theyve always stuck to different types of blue based liveries, my guess is it came in white & kept in white due to them not having enough time to paint it. Either that or there bored of Blue. A Solo seems a strange sort of bus for Powells going on how in the past they’ve been a fan of Dennis buses both in SLF & Step entrance forms. Id have thought they’d have opted for a LF mini dart of some sort, may well have been cheaper too. I wonder whether it’s a case of bus just for contract or updating the fleet.
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Post by manontheinside on Feb 9, 2007 20:59:20 GMT
Seems to me that there is likely to be a quick explanation to this.
If the PTE required a low floor bus for the contract they may have been forced to get what they could quickly. However, the obvious possibility is that it could be a leased vehicle hence the lack of fleet livery. This could be a stop-gap until a new bus is delivered, or it could be leased for the duration of the contract from someone like Mistral.
Whether it gets painted depends on the A or B scenarios above.
It could of course just be that one of their buses is out of use for repair and it could be the bus equivalent of a 'courtesy car'.
The other 'not ridiculous' idea is that it could be a demonstrator on hire for a period, perhaps with a view to purchasing one/some. Again, this would explain the lack of a livery.
It could also be that - like the A1 - the PTE has instructed a white livery on the bus(es) in question for contract services pending a 'TSY' livery application.
Answers on a postcard...
Meanwhile lets bask in a new Powells Bus, which is nearly as rare as a Powells Solo!
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