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I have a Stagecoach driver as one of my neighbours, albeit the gentleman is semi-retired. He has often said that Volvo is most bus drivers favourite make to drive. Certainly as far as our local depot is concerned. But all you have to do is look at the number of National Express vehicles and Megabus vehicles travelling up and down the motorways of the UK and look at their current fleet lists on the Internet and you can see how many of them are Volvos. Quite a lot. Which ever way you look at it, they are very popular in the industry.
The worst buses are British mades and driving them is a challenge to any driver! Stiff steering wheel, jerking engines and kicking gearboxes! Germans and Swedes know how to make buses.
These wheelchair accessible stuff annoys me ..I worked for a operator who specializedin this sort of work , I don't get having a lift for the less able ( can't use stairs ) yet the builders insist on centre sunken toilets..In my opinion and speaking from experience rear floor mounted toilets are best suited for PSVAR spec coaches .
Impressed. I think that coaches that are built by the chassis manufacturer rather than chassis and body built separately by another company is best as it ensures quality control also the vehicle does not have to be taken to different places for chassis work and bodywork.
If buses/coaches are made to be accessible to everybody then why have centre sunken toilets? Doesn't that make the whole wheel chair accessible point well pointless?
Why do Volvo put a stupidly oversize steering wheel I hate driving them because I cannot get comfortable as the wheel is nearly on your lap and also they have too many gears it never knows what it wants to be in and changes up and down way too much. Scania are so much better for cab room and a better drive however Volvo do look good.
@1st Officer The tri axels steering wheel are nearly double the size where the duel axels are a normal size. It's not about people's weight even the slimmest of people think it's too big