fair play to the bus driver for persistance and getting that enviro 300 bus up the hill in those conditions most bus drivers would give up in that i think he has my respect
Remember my first time driving a bus in snow. The bloody thing decided to go sideways into a bus stop layby where about 30 school and college students were waiting. It was a real heart stopping moment I can tell you.
Rear wheel drive yes, but with the engine over the driving wheels or near enough. Plus a big heavy vehicle with the weight in the chassis. I would have expected it to do better. I used to have one of the old Skodas with the engine at the back, and I remember every winter I had it I outperformed all the front wheel drive modern cars.
I was lucky back in 2009 or 2010 when working one of my many weekend shifts helping the public at Walthamstow Central during one of the then regular Victoria Line upgrade closures, when I was working in a heavy snowstorm and before I had finished the Bus Station and roads had several iInches of snow, so I was very lucky that a no 48 bus < the 48 was at the 1981 T Leyton Garage of 1913, then London Transport, now Stagecoach London from 7 Sept 1968, continuously for almost 48 1/2 years until Frid 24 Feb 2017, an exceptional longevity record of a London bus route at the same garage without moving garages, before going from Stagecoach to Arriva at the 1981 AG Ash Grove Garage the next day > driver battled it out as far as Clapton to get me home, abandoned getting to London Bridge and decided i that it would be safer to turn back and just go back as far as Leyton Bakers Arms for the Garage. Most buses headed back to their home depots that late evening. Peter, now temp in a wheelchair having lost my left foot ad leg up to my knee in a very rare through the knee operation, mid March 2016, due to Polio and Rheumatic Fever at age 8.
That's that then... good work we didn't know if you would make it but you nailed it lol was going to push with my girlfriend and other by-standers but didn't think it would help :)
My understanding is that on ice (it doesn't work on mud), the wheel-spin helps. The friction warms the tyres and they then melt through the ice and grip the road. Naturally, ice doesn't provide much friction-hence the battle for heat and grip.
But it damages the tyres & transmission through erosion & overreving much kinder & better to used snow chains like the used to in days gone by.bring back snow chains as they prevent tyre & transmission damage.
We've had lots of snow today (March 2nd 2018) and the buses had similar problems on the hill down my road.. A double decker got stuck on the hill and ended up reversing down and u-turning before coming back the way it had come, then about 20 mins later a bus came down my road, stopped at the bus stop just before the hill before going out of service and going down a back road... That was the last bus I saw for the rest of the day (this was around 5:30pm) and on Fridays they usually go until 11:30pm
It's an MAN Enviro 300. I drove them in Liverpool. They have a more distinctive whine to the Alexander Dennis Enviro 300s. Not too sure if both have same engines and gearboxes. I drove a Dennis Trident double decker in ice and that was an experience!
The Alexander Dennis use Cummins ISB engines, the MAN uses MAN D08 or D28 something engine (MAN engine of some kind anyway). Trident is Cummins C series or ISC.
i am a uk stagecoach bus driver myself now been for 2 months and i must say that is very good driving up that hill. but try driving an optare up where i live with the mega steep hills were is cover in ice god its torcher but a coach would go up it like nothing dam light buses
@ilovemoviesuk lol... i remember few years back when I was in high school, we had 3 feet of snow (pretty much overnight) and we still had school. This is in chicago, btw.
im a driver in edinburgh....i dno if id agree they are good in bad weather. rear wheel drive, engine BEHIND rear wheels. and of course it also depends where your fattest punters are sitting.. only weight on front end is the 20+++ stone driver. not exactly sports car design lol that driver was very lucky to get moving again. hope you sent that video to his bosses lol
You mean the 55 plate Volvo's with computer controlled brakes? Must be seeing as they dont have any 56 plate vehicles, and the 55 plate volvos are known to be out of control even in the dry! What is wrong with a driver pressing the brake, and the regular air/hydraulic system? Why does a computer have to decide how much to give the driver? This was a fantasic bit of work by this guy, pinpoint judgement, and not over the top with the right boot!
This why we fail in this country, what about a bit of grit on that road, Thumbs up for the driver and thums down for the idiots who did not give him a push.
LMFAO no didn't know who was driving couldn't see you through all the snow. Hope you packed your sandwiches! Video is also on facebook! And On Peak FM he he
