Tight fleets in Ulstei
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Financial results for the two state transpor companies in the province are quite amazing. Despite terrorist attacks that• regularly destroy buses, depots and stations, and without the benefits of
revenue support, healthy profits are still generated. Noel Millier has been to see how it's done
WHEN I LAST visted Britain's most profitable nationalised company three years ago, the emphasis was on maintaining a service in the face of terrorist attacks that were regularly destroying buses, depots and stations. The fleet in Belfast included secondhand buses including AEC Merlins and Swifts from London Transport.
On a visit just recently I saw a much improved situation. The only buses that were obviously secondhand were a few ex-NBC Bristol RE ECW buses operating in Belfast with Citybus and these• looked smart and an integral part of the fleet.
Apart from some recent secondhand Leyland Leopards and double-deck Atianteans bought for school contracts, the mainstay of the Ulsterbus urban fleet is modern Bristol RE and Leyland Leopard single-deckers with Alexander (Belfast) bodies.
Both Ulsterbus and Citybus have standardised on Alexander single-deck bodies for a number of years and have found no reason to change this policy. The balance between Leyland Leopard and Bristol RE chassis will soon have to change as both types of chassis have reached the end of their production runs.
A number of Leyland B21 chassis are being evaluated in the fleet but at the time of my visit no decision had been announced on the future chassis requirements.
A large number of Bristol RE chassis have already been purchased and await bodying by Alexanders so this year's new chassis order will consist of midengined inter-urban machines.
The company expects to order 80 chassis in the very near future. Among the models being considered are products from Hestair Dennis and Leyland. Volvo, too, had been considered but was too expensive.
Chief engineer Ken Middleton was particularly impressed with the new Volvo Citybus chassis announced at the NEC Show. He was taken by the advantages of the mid-engine and low floor, which were possible because of the dry sump engine arrangement.
In addition to buses Ulsterbus is buying four new Leyland Tiger 245 coaches for its extended tour programme.
Ulsterbus vehicle policy is -specifically aimed at providing value for money and reliable public transport. As a result, its • vehicles are basic when compared with many in use with mainland Britain operators. So • phistication is avoided al vehicle cost is kept to minimum.
The most cost effective conf uration is an 11-metre sing deck bus for both urban and ral routes. Double-deck bus are fast disappearing from t fleet although a number second-hand Leyland Atlanta are being purchased fro Strathclyde Passenger Transpi Executive for school contract c ties.
Thanks to the recessis Ulsterbus has been forced keep down its costs in line w reduced demand. And the have had to be a few redunde des at both Ulsterbus and Ci' bus.
Ulsterbus currently emplo about 2,162 staff and operate: fleet of about 980 buses, whi have an average age of about I years. Terrorist attacks on bus are still a problem. Ulsterb lost 48 buses last year and 36 three attacks this year.
Nevertheless, its financial suits for the year up to the end March showed a profit of over • million without any benefit frc revenue support.
Major accident repairs al major overhaul of Ulsterb vehicles are carried out at t "factory", as the Central Wor at Milevvater Road Belfast affectionately known.
Here the company staff has the skills and equipment, if r the space to build its own bue If required. In the days of t
rmer Ulster Transport thority, bus bodies were built the site, although a large secn of it has since been lost to 'building of a new motorway. The policy of using less phisticated but regularly aintained and carefully Deified single-deck buses does irk. As an example of just how htly run the Ulsterbus fleet is, 3re are only six per cent more sec in the fleet than are reired for daily service (though number of mothballed buses 3 kept in case of an untoward lergency).
Among Or new vehicles to n the Ulsterbus fleet this year 3re two Leyland Leopard semiaches with aluminium body3rk built by Wrights of Ballyana. The two vehicles have len bought for evaluation and already serving the company 311.
While in Belfast I took the ore modestly furnished of the Fa vehicles for a brief drive. le 11-metre vehicle was fitted th 53 seats and licenced to rry an additional 24 standing issengers. It has been in regur use on the Belfast Airport and, city centre service as well as the fast 200 mile round trip Belfast!Dublin Airport cross border service There have been few problems with the Alusuisse body construction.
The vehicle was rattle and draught free with an attractive interior environment. I particularly liked the visibility given by the flat bonded in windscreen and quarter light arrangement.
The interior specification included lights on only one side of the saloon to save money and avoid reflections in the screen. An interior parcel rack, too, is only fitted to one side of the saloon.
Interior noise levels in the bus are less than with Leopard buses with more conventional steel frame bodies in all areas except over the engine.
I found the somewhat square look of the body was attractive, different and obviously practical.
The second Wrights vehicle in the fleet has a more lavishly furnished interior with full, soft carpet trim.
Despite the promising debut -of the vehicles in the Ulsterbus fleet, their different method of • construction and the obvious financial and practical advantages for Ulsterbus of standardisation on steel frame bodies make it unlikely that the body will make major inroads into the fleet.
I also visited Wrights' Ballymena plant, where an exciting addition to the Alusuisse body range was nearing completion. The new Wright Contour coach body has been developed with the aid of Bedford stylists in Luton and the first prototype is on a 12-metre turbocharged Bedford YNT chassis.
From what I saw, the body appears exciting and original and could mark a rewakening of interest by Bedford in the psv market.
The new body was first revealed at a Bedford export conference and is to make its UK operator debut at the SMT coach show in Scotland. Features include full soft continental trim and Chaidon reclining seats, rubber flooring with extra engine encapsulation to reduce noise levels and full bonded and flush fitting side windows to give a particularly smooth and clean line to the coach.
The line of the all-aluminium body is emphasised by lift-up side locker flaps and rear wheel arch spats which all combine to give a futuristic but not impractically styled coach body with a price, I am assured, that will be competitive.
Although initially developed on Bedford chassis there is no reason it cannot be fitted to other chassis if required. The Wright T1range will continue to be built and has recently been supplied on Bedford chassis to the Maidstone Borough Council bus undertaking and a number of education authorities. A large batch of bodies on front-engined Bedford BLP (VAM) chassis is at present being supplied to Nigeria and the company is building an armoured bus for a customer in the Third World.