Shore, We'll Ditch The Tridents
Buses from Alexander Dennis' new Enviro MMC range are starting to see more service in more routes across London.
Route 47 which runs between Shoreditch and Bellingham, Catford Bus Garage is the latest route to be allocated these buses. They are on the Volvo B5LH chassis.
On the 2nd of June it was announced that route 47 was retained by Stagecoach: Selkent from their Catford Garage. Speculation had started just weeks prior to the result that the route had a possibility of being specified with the iconic New Routemaster bus, however the contract specified brand new conventional Hybrids, a requirement for any Double Decker route which enters the proposed Ultra Low Emmision Zone due to be introduced from the year 2020. Soon after the result it was made public that Stagecoach had opted to order Enviro400 MMC buses on the B5LH chassis, a combination which produced a bus type which had been praised on Route 135 and fellow Stagecoach Route 177.
Route 47 is a very unique route starting in the quite South London suburb of Bellingham and passing through Catford, Lewisham, Deptford, Surrey Quays, Canada Water, Bermondsey, London Bridge and Liverpool Street. As you probably guessed from the first picture in the post, the route was allocated Dennis Trident 2 buses on the popular ALX400 chassis. These buses were the last of these type of bus built for London with the last of them entering service during 2006. To the right you can see 18487 taking some stand time at Liverpool Street Bus Station, where the route was diverted to terminate during 2015 due to various roadworks which affected the route. The Tridents which were found on the 47 up until 2015 have now moved onto pastures anew at Barking (BK) and Bromley (TB) garage for use on routes 5 and 269 respectively.
The new buses on route 47 started their service on the route on the 25th of January 2016, two days after the renewed contract had started with Stagecoach London. Introduction of these buses was initially quite slow, with just one or two buses entering service each day. However after a fortnight all the buses were in service at their new home.
As the Volvo B5LH/Enviro400 MMC combination is a bus I have always praised and considered the best bus type in London at the moment, I had to ride these at the first opportunity that I got. So on a Monday morning I made my way down to Canada Water Bus Station to ride one of these buses. I was quite lucky as one of the brand new buses (13091) arrived as soon as I arrived. I made my way upstairs to take a front row seat. The bus was a beautiful ride, it gave you a wonderful experience and everything that a bus passenger would want. The bus moved so majestically and quietly that it felt like we were floating above the road. The heating on the bus also made the bus nice and cosy but at no point did it get too hot that it became uncomfortable. Some tourists boarded the bus at London Bridge and they too seemed to enjoy their experience on the bus and complimented its smooth ride. I was so comfortable on the bus that when we arrived at Shoreditch I was pretty upset that I had to get off the bus.
Once I got off 13099 was parked in front of our bus and was almost ready to depart. Seeing as I did not have much else planned in Shoreditch I decided to board the bus to ride it back to London Bridge. This time I opted for a lower deck ride, this time you could hear the silent hum of the engine whenever it was operating. Like 13091 before it the bus was really comfortable and cosy and despite the fact we were stuck in traffic for the best part of the journey I enjoyed my experience aboard the bus very enjoyable and almost felt quite jealous of all the people who used the 47 regularly as they were graced with such nice buses. Below you will find the experience of Rushaune 157...
I on the other hand; Rushaune157, am not really one with Alexander Dennis' Major Model Change range but was astounded upon my first encounter with 13091,BL65OYK. The Enviro 400 MMC body delivers great stability and good comfort accompanied by the powerful, mighty Volvo B5LH diesel-electric engine. The intense power given by the B5LH engine enables the bus to swing round corners with great ease further assited with the Enviro 400 MMCs steady suspension to provide good comfort. Many of the speedy points of Route 47 include: Jamaica Road in which the driver put his foot down and I immediately became immersed with the sizzling revs of the newer, lighter and quieter Euro 6 engine. The new buses are perfectly suited to Route 47s needs of hybrids. They provide excellent fuel savings as well as being very intriguing to ride on.
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The buses are numbered 13082 - 13102 to fit into Stagecoach's national fleetnumbering system signifying that they are Volvo B5LHs. Below you will find a fleetlist for the new buses...
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An MMC and Enviro400 stand side by side at Catford Garage © Rushaune 157 |
On the 2nd of June it was announced that route 47 was retained by Stagecoach: Selkent from their Catford Garage. Speculation had started just weeks prior to the result that the route had a possibility of being specified with the iconic New Routemaster bus, however the contract specified brand new conventional Hybrids, a requirement for any Double Decker route which enters the proposed Ultra Low Emmision Zone due to be introduced from the year 2020. Soon after the result it was made public that Stagecoach had opted to order Enviro400 MMC buses on the B5LH chassis, a combination which produced a bus type which had been praised on Route 135 and fellow Stagecoach Route 177.
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| © EastLondoner |
The new buses on route 47 started their service on the route on the 25th of January 2016, two days after the renewed contract had started with Stagecoach London. Introduction of these buses was initially quite slow, with just one or two buses entering service each day. However after a fortnight all the buses were in service at their new home.
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| 13099 takes some stand time at Shoreditch © EastLondoner |
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| 13083 leaves Canada Water Bus Station © GloriousWater |
Once I got off 13099 was parked in front of our bus and was almost ready to depart. Seeing as I did not have much else planned in Shoreditch I decided to board the bus to ride it back to London Bridge. This time I opted for a lower deck ride, this time you could hear the silent hum of the engine whenever it was operating. Like 13091 before it the bus was really comfortable and cosy and despite the fact we were stuck in traffic for the best part of the journey I enjoyed my experience aboard the bus very enjoyable and almost felt quite jealous of all the people who used the 47 regularly as they were graced with such nice buses. Below you will find the experience of Rushaune 157...
I on the other hand; Rushaune157, am not really one with Alexander Dennis' Major Model Change range but was astounded upon my first encounter with 13091,BL65OYK. The Enviro 400 MMC body delivers great stability and good comfort accompanied by the powerful, mighty Volvo B5LH diesel-electric engine. The intense power given by the B5LH engine enables the bus to swing round corners with great ease further assited with the Enviro 400 MMCs steady suspension to provide good comfort. Many of the speedy points of Route 47 include: Jamaica Road in which the driver put his foot down and I immediately became immersed with the sizzling revs of the newer, lighter and quieter Euro 6 engine. The new buses are perfectly suited to Route 47s needs of hybrids. They provide excellent fuel savings as well as being very intriguing to ride on.
_________________________________________________________________________
The buses are numbered 13082 - 13102 to fit into Stagecoach's national fleetnumbering system signifying that they are Volvo B5LHs. Below you will find a fleetlist for the new buses...
13082 - BL65OYA
13083 - BL65OYB
13084 - BL65OYC
13085 - BL65OYD
13086 - BL65OYE
13087 - BL65OYF
13088 - BL65OYG
13089 - BL65OYH
13090 - BL65OYJ
13091 - BL65OYK
13092 - BL65OYM
13093 - BL65OYN
13094 - BL65OYO
13095 - BL65OYP
13096 - BL65OYR
13097 - BL65OYT
13098 - BL65OYU
13099 - BL65OYV
13100 - BL65OYW
13101 - BL65OYX
13102 - BL65OYY
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| 13099 is seen at London Bridge on its way to Bellingham © EastLondoner |
So as I always end my posts, what do you think about the buses? Would you like to have a ride on them? Or have you already had a ride on them?
If you would like to say anything else about the 47s new buses. Or have any questions about the new buses themselves. Then please make sure you leave a comment below!
I've had the pleasure of these buses on the 135 - I must say and keeping it short, they're superb, even better than the Wright body, but one thing no Badge detailing it's a Volvo, so maybe it's an ADL product chassis provided by Volvo similar to the DWs at Arriva, no badges.
ReplyDeleteI think it's an operator choice whether the Volvo badge gets displayed or not on the bus. I do agree with you on the fact that these buses are better than their variants on the Wright body.
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