BT Volvo B7RLE Optimus

[daveeyh]

Noted V2252 in service tonight on an inbound 340.

Does anyone know how many more are currently on order?

[BrisBusBoy]

Noted V2252 in service tonight on an inbound 340.

Does anyone know how many more are currently on order?

Got pics of 2252 at about 3:58pm this arvo.. and i have it on good word that 2258 is in being built but not surewhat the cut off is for these.

[BrisBusBoy]

Brisbane Transport, Volvo B7RLE Volgren Optimus V2218 & V2252 seen at Wooloongabba busway station. 17/6/2016

[daveeyh]

2253 and 2254 and two others without decals parked at Volgren today.

[daveeyh]

V2260 (rego 310 WON) and two others without decals parked at Volgren today.

Assuming the two others are 2261 and 2262, this would take the Volvo B7 Optimus bus build count to 191.

[jonwil]

I recon the Volgren Optimus is one of the best looking bus bodies out there (now if only I could figure out how to model the thing in LEGO

[Lt. Commander Data]

I recon the Volgren Optimus is one of the best looking bus bodies out there (now if only I could figure out how to model the thing in LEGO

Agreed, Adelaide seems to be one of the only Cities not to have ANY Optimuses (Optimi?), very annoying. Hopefully we will get some in the future.

[daveeyh]

V2261 (rego 520 WON) parked at Volgren today.

[daveeyh]

V2264 (172 WQO) and V2265 (173 WQO) are now in service.

[maxy54]

Noticed that 2264 is not listed on brisbanetransport.info, with it’s details listed in 2268

[Maladjusted]

Lt Commander Data wrote:-

Agreed, Adelaide seems to be one of the only Cities not to have ANY Optimuses (Optimi?), very annoying. Hopefully we will get some in the future.

I didn't realise Adelaide was so forward thinking. Optimus may look impressive but as they say beauty is only as good as the make-up applied. Because there are a lot of problems under the paint.

[Lt. Commander Data]

Adelaide? Forward thinking? Are you feeling OK? The only reason we haven't for any is because the government has a contract with Scania and Custom Coaches. I have only heard rumours form drivers that we will be getting Optimi, about as reliable as an O-Bahn Scania (that is to say, not very reliable). I've heard the Optimi aren't too good to ride, but I'm sure they're not worse than a CB80.

[jonwil]

I have ridden many Optimus buses in my time (both in Perth and Brisbane) and as a passenger I cant find fault with them. They are nice inside (I prefer the interior of the BT Volgren buses to that of the Bustech buses Logan City and Surfside operate) and the ride feels good (better than some of the crap they still had in the Perth fleet last time I was over there)

[TransitBris]

From my perspective as a passenger, I have found that:
- The front seat and the back row of seats are extremely uncomfortable with little to no padding.
- The next stop buttons are too sensitive and can be set off easily by passengers grabbing them accidentally whilst trying to sit down. Does not happen in any other type of bus.
- The sticky/rough retarder in some of the 4 speed Voith units make stopping somewhat uncomfortable.
- The EXTREMELY bright white destos at night.

From an enthusiasts perspective, I find them boring sound wise.

[PoweredByCNG]

- The front seat and the back row of seats are extremely uncomfortable with little to no padding.

Agree.

- The next stop buttons are too sensitive and can be set off easily by passengers grabbing them accidentally whilst trying to sit down. Does not happen in any other type of bus.

Can't really agree. The buttons need to be easy enough to press for people with disabilities. Yes, people will accidentally hit them, but they will accidentally hit any given type of button and it's not really such a problem that it constantly annoys drivers or passengers.

- The sticky/rough retarder in some of the 4 speed Voith units make stopping somewhat uncomfortable.

Partially symptomatic of the Voith retarder being of the secondary type (you get a strong retarder even at low engine speeds), but also to do with gearbox programming.

- The EXTREMELY bright white destos at night.

Operator's preference, and IMO, there's no such thing as a destination display that's too bright, coming from the perspective of a person with limited vision.

From an enthusiasts perspective, I find them boring sound wise.

Manufacturers don't build buses for enthusiasts. Their number one priority for manufacturers is to build buses and bus chassis that their customers want to buy and that are acceptable for the travelling public. The travelling public, more than ever, do not appreciate any great level of noise.

=====

I should add that as a member of public who travels frequently on Volgren 'Optimus' bodied buses, there are more than a few issues that concern me. For example, you know you have a problem when you can hear body panels vibrating and causing a racket BEFORE getting onto a bus (and this is an extremely common occurrence). Furthermore, buses seem to develop faulty LED interior lights within days of delivery and exterior LEDs seem to be just as failure-prone. The interior finish feels like it is slapped together without so much as a thought given to driver's stress levels (due to unnecessary noise and vibration) as well as passenger's impressions. The fibreglass panels rub and scrape against each other causing all sorts of nasty noises and the area around the driver's cab including electrical access panels don't even fit correctly a lot of the time. Then you have the creaking noises coming from the fittings that we can't see, behind all the fibreglass reinforcement around the window and door frames. Then you have the cheap and nasty roof ducting that within weeks shakes itself to bits and is left to slap around and probably eventually fall off.

Yes, I'm frustrated, but there's nothing that I can do because I'm just a member of the public who catches these buses. What would I know?

[Lt. Commander Data]

Manufacturers don't build buses for enthusiasts. Their number one priority for manufacturers is to build buses and bus chassis that their customers want to buy and that are acceptable for the travelling public. The travelling public, more than ever, do not appreciate any great level of noise.

Has anyone told Scania/Custom Coaches that? The level of noise on some 5-year old Scania K280/CC CB80 buses in Adelaide is riddiculous.

I should add that as a member of public who travels frequently on Volgren 'Optimus' bodied buses, there are more than a few issues that concern me. For example, you know you have a problem when you can hear body panels vibrating and causing a racket BEFORE getting onto a bus (and this is an extremely common occurrence). Furthermore, buses seem to develop faulty LED interior lights within days of delivery and exterior LEDs seem to be just as failure-prone. The interior finish feels like it is slapped together without so much as a thought given to driver's stress levels (due to unnecessary noise and vibration) as well as passenger's impressions. The fibreglass panels rub and scrape against each other causing all sorts of nasty noises and the area around the driver's cab including electrical access panels don't even fit correctly a lot of the time. Then you have the creaking noises coming from the fittings that we can't see, behind all the fibreglass reinforcement around the window and door frames. Then you have the cheap and nasty roof ducting that within weeks shakes itself to bits and is left to slap around and probably eventually fall off.

Some of those problem aren't exculsive to Optimus buses, CB80s have extremely similar issues. I was on a CB80 once where one side of interior lighting only worked when the bus hit a bump, resulting in an intermittent flash. Just as well there were no epilectic people on board. I'd be interested to see how the supposedly rattley Optimi go on Adelaide's piss-poor roads.

Do Optimus artics have the issue where the pannel on top of the door becomes loose and rattles around all the time? Most CB80 artics I've been on have that issue, at least the turntable doesn't squeak like on CB60 and CB60 Evo II artics though.

Most of the Volgren buses in Adelaide are pretty good with rattles, only a few, and only when going over bumps (which is actually quite often, but anyway...). We only have CR222, CR224 and CR228s though.

[PoweredByCNG]

Some of those problem aren't exculsive to Optimus buses, CB80s have extremely similar issues. I was on a CB80 once where one side of interior lighting only worked when the bus hit a bump, resulting in an intermittent flash. Just as well there were no epilectic people on board. I'd be interested to see how the supposedly rattley Optimi go on Adelaide's piss-poor roads.

I was reminded of how superior competing bodybuilders' products are on a recent two-week trip to Sydney for the Bus Show. Having experienced the Custom 'CB80' and Bustech VST/CDi on roads even worse than those found in Adelaide, I can honestly say that the noises produced by the worst of either in Sydney on their notoriously poor roads only made as much noise as a good Volgren on Perth's good roads. The reasoning becomes apparent once one assesses the quality of materials used and the way everything is fitted together.

Do Optimus artics have the issue where the pannel on top of the door becomes loose and rattles around all the time? Most CB80 artics I've been on have that issue, at least the turntable doesn't squeak like on CB60 and CB60 Evo II artics though.

All of the Volgrens have this and it is a major annoyance as these doors vibrate when the bus is at idle and bang when the bus is in motion. Turntable squeak isn't really a bodybuilding issue, rather a maintenance / lubrication issue.

Most of the Volgren buses in Adelaide are pretty good with rattles, only a few, and only when going over bumps (which is actually quite often, but anyway...). We only have CR222, CR224 and CR228s though.

How's this for nastiness for a near-new bus on generally smooth roads:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxzjL7R6n9M

[daveeyh]

Was on V2283 this evening and this bus is fitted with USB Charge Points for mobile phones.

image1.JPG (20.22 KiB) Viewed 17912 times

image2.JPG (23.82 KiB) Viewed 17912 times

[moreton]

Has anyone noticed how many are going back to the Volgren site for repairs? So there is always a few things that don't always stay together on the roads pot holes, speed bumps etc, add to the workout of any vehicle. When loaded the aluminum frame tends to flex quite a bit over rough roads and adds to the bouncy smoother ride in some cases. I think the Brisbane ones are leased so they probably go back to Volgren for updates and repairs warranty service. Some things work well and some things don't. The latest Optimus have some sort of locking device the bus cannot open the doors unless the handbrake is on. The passengers have to wait until the locking device engages and the doors to open. Some of the doors are very slow to operate on front and back doors and the passengers run into them as they open very slowly. They tend to lag at bus stops longer waiting for the doors to open and close. Moreton

[tonyp]

I have used the Optimus body regularly in Wollongong and Perth and I'm sorry to hear that it has maintenance issues (in some places, but I know not in Wollongong at least) because in terms of functionality as a citybus they're the best of a poor bunch in Australia. The internal layout is better than competitors and it minimises the disadvantage of having a high floor at the rear with the most comfortable steps compared to CC and certainly Bustech which should be by rights completely out of the count because of steps at the centre door.

There are new Optimus being delivered to Skybus in Melbourne on the Scania N series chassis which have a completely low floor (gangway). Nobody local beats this at the moment.

[markadarlo611]

Do the latest B7's have a Voith or ZF Ecolife gearbox?

[PoweredByCNG]

Do the latest B7's have a Voith or ZF Ecolife gearbox?

ZF-EcoLife.

[daveeyh]

Noticed tonight that E2110 has white destos fitted.

[BrisBusBoy]

Noticed tonight that E2110 has white destos fitted.

2110 has been fitted with white desto for 1 week 3 days now.


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[Skyblue1]

Just seen 344XHM on an unnumbered New volvo on test from Volgren.