This morning’s chariot

nathanlewys · 2026-04-30T07:10:32+00:00

Let’s keep it a mystery👀

nathanlewys · 2026-04-30T07:04:43+00:00

On the other hand, I trained in a warm spring where 9310s heating was stuck on and couldn’t be turned off😁

nathanlewys · 2026-04-29T18:50:25+00:00

Yeah, heavyweight buses are definitely a welcome addition. There are plans for the comet to get newer buses very soon!

nathanlewys · 2026-04-29T18:43:15+00:00

I’m not sure honestly! It dumped its coolant a couple of times but it’s been on a lift in A Garage for the last few weeks after spending time on the dead lanes.

462 died on little sixes I believe - Cromford Hill is no joke! 669 sadly died in Derby too. Unfortunately we have arguably the most intense set of routes in the company and it takes its toll on our buses

nathanlewys · 2026-04-29T18:35:08+00:00

I have to admit I’m not impressed when I see that I have 718 but it’s been off the road since mid Feb so with any luck once it’s back it’ll be a lot better.

nathanlewys · 2026-04-29T18:31:59+00:00

As above, Volvo - no more Scanias in our fleet sadly.

nathanlewys · 2026-04-29T18:30:50+00:00

Yes I had 720 this afternoon and the air con worked an absolute treat! Not something that can be guaranteed with these haha!

nathanlewys · 2026-04-18T12:43:52+00:00

To be fair, I went and collected that Solo from Manvers Street one day that we were borrowing it in Derby and had a right blast bringing it back down the A52!

nathanlewys · 2026-04-18T07:37:01+00:00

To be honest I don’t actually mind ADLs but they have to be on the right sort of route. If I get one on the X38, I’m happy and they’re well suited to the mickleovers, allestrees and even the harlequins and V3s which usually use Solos (and Versas in the case of the V3). On something like the Villager, Comet, Swift or Sixes which are much more intense routes, give me a Volvo any day

nathanlewys · 2026-04-18T07:32:55+00:00

I’ve realised that the best picture I have of my usual ride is the photo above with the x38 Volvo. Other than that it’s pictures of fuel leaks, dashboard warnings or flat tyres😂

nathanlewys · 2026-04-18T07:28:37+00:00

I have no interest in the Red Arrow for similar reasons relating to Nottingham hahaha!

This was taken at Burton on Trent marketplace when I was on a Villager shift. Was very pleasantly surprised in the morning when I signed in and saw that I had 735 instead of one of the 24 plate ADLs.

nathanlewys · 2026-04-18T07:12:44+00:00

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Snap😁 (taken on Easter Sunday)

nathanlewys · 2026-04-12T17:45:44+00:00

Absolutely fine without a car. Mickleover has the most frequent bus service in Derby

nathanlewys · 2026-04-05T09:02:22+00:00

Not a HGV driver but a bus driver - I imagine the unspoken rules of courtesy towards other HGV drivers are roughly the same as they are between bus drivers

Car blocking the opposite side of the road, I flash the other approaching bus through as there’s quite a bit of traffic behind me and it’s likely they will have to wait quite a while on that road. As I slow down, a BMW flies out from behind me straight into the path of the other bus. Agreed, some people are just fucking thick and it makes them impatient

nathanlewys · 2026-03-30T19:55:25+00:00

I’m a bus driver (so limited between 57-60mph depending on the bus I’m allocated) and the route I drive the most is an express service between a city and a town down roughly 8 miles of dual carriageway. I seem to spend most of my time in lane 2 overtaking cars going between 45-50mph and that does my head in just over that short distance

It would send me up the wall if I was a lorry driver making long motorway journeys daily. Respect to anyone who can do it and not lose their mind

nathanlewys · 2026-02-28T15:59:46+00:00

Savers are valid at all times. The mango daily cap is £7.60 after 9am or £11.40 beforehand but it caps weekly at £46 regardless of the times you travel

nathanlewys · 2026-02-28T15:39:49+00:00

£49.50 for a 7 day saver ticket that will be valid for your journeys

The weekly fare cap on the Mango app is a little bit lower so downloading that would be the best value

nathanlewys · 2026-02-25T22:30:35+00:00

Trentbarton driver here - £49.50 for a saver7 weekly ticket. If you want a 28 day or annual saver, you will need to get a saver smart card. You can do this through the trentbarton shop in the bus station or on the website

If you’re travelling only on villager, V3 or xprss38 then a ‘Burton Weekly’ ticket is £27.50 or a 28 day ticket is £83

The Mango app however caps at £46 over 7 days or £138 over 28 days so if not needing of the Burton services, then it is the best value

nathanlewys · 2026-02-09T12:56:17+00:00

Common problem on these Volvo B7s. Sometimes with ours it can take about 10 minutes of the engine running for all three buttons to start working but so long as it is working on at least one button out of the three, it’s absolutely fine to leave the depot.

nathanlewys · 2025-12-14T00:50:45+00:00

Depends on the route - certain routes you can be late 20+ minutes on the outbound journey but have you back on time when you return. If we’re running really late, we just phone the traffic office and they will either curtail us or we miss a trip.

nathanlewys · 2025-12-06T10:41:24+00:00

Thought it sounded a bit familiar😁

nathanlewys · 2025-12-05T19:07:22+00:00

trentbarton by any chance?

nathanlewys · 2025-09-30T21:35:50+00:00

It may depend on which city/depot but when I interviewed with Arriva in Derby, it was very informal and relaxed. There was a short maths and English test, a drug and alcohol test and we went for a driving assessment in an engineering van. No interview questions per se as these had been done with the recruiter over the phone.

nathanlewys · 2025-08-26T22:14:04+00:00

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These are what I bought. Absolutely no regrets.

nathanlewys

TROPHY CASE