The last time we were in Chicargo we spotted two dark blue colored Greyhound buses, they were Prevost. Does anyone know the storey.
John
Yep John Greyhound doesn't own MCI any longer so they buy the cheapest they can I see they even have Van Hools and Volvo.
The Prevost they are using are not the average Prevost they are made for Greyhound and Bolt (PeterPan) just like the G series MCI was a real cheap version of Prevost the ones I looked at in the factory.
Wait till those hit the used market in 10 years if they last that long
good luck
Greyhound New Bus Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhUt0-tQau8)
Sojourn for Christ, Gerald
With as big a fleet as Greyhound has I would think they would want to buy large batches of the same model of bus for ease of service. A random smattering of bus brands and models has got to be more expensive to service.
I saw a Prevost with a hound on the side heading east on Hwy 30 a couple weeks ago. I was afraid 1960s recreational activities were reappearing.
=)
Tsk Tsk... They should be using Plaxtons - after all, British company...British bus
Seriously, I have often wondered why big operators use a mix of buses when you would think that it would make servicing expensive. I suspect the answer is that nowadays the servicing contract is included in the original purchasing deal, and the operator does very little servicing themselves. In the aviation industry I know that companies such as Rolls Royce (a big employer around here) no longer 'sell' engines at all - they effectively just lease an engine service and keep complete control and ownership of the hardware and everything to do with it's maintenance. It wouldn't surprise me if buses were going the same way.
Jeremy
I really like the new colors and Paint design.
John
Quote from: Jeremy on August 19, 2009, 07:05:48 AM
Tsk Tsk... They should be using Plaxtons - after all, British company...British bus
Seriously, I have often wondered why big operators use a mix of buses when you would think that it would make servicing expensive.
Many of the expendable and wearing parts are common across brands, and when you have several brands, you aren't down across the fleet if there is a safety recall.
John, That was thought also, great looking color combo and design. Almost kind of retro with the side scallop.
Paul
Somewhat old news, Greyhound has purchased some several hundred of those Prevost and the new style paint scheme. WiFi equipped in some markets.
The mix of equipment may be lingering pieces of bought up fleets, and some trial buses purchased earlier to try them out. Whatever deals it took to keep it going in whichever market area.
Greyhound Canada bought a handful of H3 45 a few years back, trailer hitches for freighters and must have liked the support.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Wait till ya see the S417 SETRA's! They bought! (200 of them I'm told!) ;D BK ;D
Must be checking out reliability factor not cheap, cheap issues! LOL! ;D
Wouldn't Greyhound have enough purchasing clout to be able to return test buses they don't like so they don't end up with a mishmash of bus models?
Bk, if they are buying S417's I may start riding the bus lol.
Setra is not playing fair being the only bus with the 60 series a 5% fuel saving in a fleet will be a huge saving to GreyHound.
I know people with the D-13 Volvo engine in their Prevost and they are not happy campers .
good luck
Greyhound has been on the verge of bankruptcy for the last 20 years, only with their purchase by the British are they getting a cash infusion to re-capitalize the fleet.
Dealing with them has been risky business for a long time.
It might be suggested that in the volumes of equipment of a company like Greyhound, mixing the fleet lets you go next door more easily, and keeps your finger on the pulse across the manufacturers.
Single sourcing backfires if/when the vendor starts to squeeze back, knowing you are trapped.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
BW, I agree, it's not good to put all of your eggs in one basket. They have more clout to keep the competition in line for bidding purposes. As far as parts, I don't think that's a big worry, it's the support that is important.
Bottom line is what is important and has the least impact.
Paul
Nothing negative here, I like the look and I think the graphics are the best I've seen in years, the retro classic look is a refreshing change. Is one brand better than another, that's yet to be seen, we have a lot of Prevost Coaches traveling in my part of the country and I've never seen one parked on the roadside.
Somewhat old news, Greyhound has purchased some several hundred of those Prevost and the new style paint scheme. WiFi equipped in some markets.
It may be old news to some but after traveling 10,000 miles over the last 6 months I have only seen only two. You cant miss them with that paint job and look.
Your wrong if you think that Greyhound will limit themselves to several hundred. The ties between the UK and Canada will put Prevost in the drivers seat.
John
John, I doubt that will come into play GreyHound has to many partners in their operations 2 I know of PeterPan and Trailways of New York and looking for more.
I know they have approached Arrow Stage Lines for the Midwest and Southwest routes so all the buses your are seeing don't all belong to Greyhound.
And if I am not mistaken the 200 Setras BK was talking about will belong to Arrow Stage Lines and the inter city bus service is not something First Group is into they like school buses that is the reason Greyhound is a separate co from First Group
good luck
Cliff.
I have only seen two both running together in the Chicargo area.
John
John, I see the Greyhound X3 model Prevost on I 40 about everyday along with few new MCI's and Van Hools plus a few rags still in service I don't have any idea who owns the buses.
And they have very few passengers aboard when they stop at Needles.
good luck
Clifford I could be wrong, But I was told by a man @ Setra that a # of the S417 Hounds were all ready in service running the Southeast up and down I-95 mostly in SC, GA & FL! I can't prove this, but that is what we were told when we went to the training class in Utah back in May! (also several in Canada!) FWIW
;D BK ;D
You are correct. We saw several Greyhound Setras on the Interstates on our trek through GA and FL last month. I noticed because the first one was a bit of a surprise.
I am glad to see that they are mixing it up with different manufacturers.
Nothing like a little friendly competition to keep your prices down.
I also like the new logos/design as I lean to the retro look anyway.... ;)
Cliff