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Seems like a bargain, but £180,000.00 original price tag? Really?
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When the new Routemaster bus entered service for TfL last February, the equivalent price of a 'normal' double decker was quoted as £190,000.
The new Routemaster bus costs £1.4 million each.
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As a rule, buses and coaches in route service clock up a star-ship mileage.
Also, I'd not mind betting the vehicles aren't compliant with the current pollution regulations in the London LEZ, or anywhere else that is playing that game.
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I remember my father looking into one of these when I was a lad. He had an interesting discussion with the authorities regarding his driving licence.
The local chief constable agreed it wasn't an HGV, so an HGV licence wasn't needed. And as has wasn't going to use it for hire/reward, a PSV licence wasn't needed either. SO they concluded it would be fine for him to drive on his car licence.
I don't know what licence would be needed today.
Last edited by: Tigger on Sun 3 Feb 13 at 08:09
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"Also, I'd not mind betting the vehicles aren't compliant with the current pollution regulations in the London LEZ, or anywhere else that is playing that game."
Unless you register it as a fairground vehicle and airbrush some gold and crimson fleur de lis on the sides. ;)
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Funnily enough - job coming up at the local CAB managing a mobile Bureau - the mobility comes courtesy of a coach - Council say that drivable by a car licence as long as course/assessment is undertaken via them.
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If you;re using it for private use then I am pretty sure you would need an HGV licence. I believe one of the few buses you could drive on a normal car licence was the routemaster if you passed before 1997. It is all due to weight.
£12,000 is very cheap for that type of bus, they will be low floor at least Euro II standard. They are probably all 1998-2000 models so not that old.
Sometimes bus companies have a clause in the sale agreement that local bus firms can't buy them, but of course there is nothing the next person from selling them on to a local firm.
I have seen much older buses in service, only in 2011 I travelled on a 1984 double decker bus in Anglesey!
No doubt these buses in question will probably mostly used for school runs, unless Firstbus finally decide to modernise their fleet!!
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Rob be careful with this, as the rules changed in 1997. My dad for example could drive a lighter coach but I cannot. I cannot even tow a caravan without passing another test. I think a 3.5T Transit is the heaviest vehicle I am allowed to drive.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Sun 3 Feb 13 at 12:48
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Isn't there some anomaly that allows 17-year-olds to drive horse boxes?
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>>I cannot even tow a caravan without
>> passing another test.
You can if you choose carefully:
www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/driving-licence-rules-and-what-you-can-tow
I didn't know about the January 2013 changes. It seems to amount to a slight relaxation in that the maximum 100% weight ratio limit doesn't apply any more for a Cat B only licence.
This apparently is to do with an EU Directive!
Driving licence rules and what you can tow
The rules on what you can tow are different depending on when you passed your driving test.
Licences issued from 19 January 2013
From 19 January 2013, drivers passing a category B (car and small vehicle) test can tow:
small trailers weighing no more than 750kg
trailers weighing more than 750kg, where the combined weight of the towing vehicle and the trailer isn’t more than 3,500kg
If you want to tow a trailer weighing more than 750kg, when the combined weight of the towing vehicle and trailer is more than 3,500kg, you’ll have to pass a further test and get B+E entitlement on your licence.
You’ll then be able to tow trailers up to 3,500kg.
Licences held from 1 January 1997
If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can drive either:
a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500 kilograms (kg) Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM (with a combined weight of up to 4,250kg in total)
a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as it is no more than the unladen or ‘kerb’ weight of the towing vehicle (with a combined weight of up to 3,500kg in total)
For anything heavier you need to take a category B+E driving test.
Licences held before 1 January 1997
If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes MAM.
This is the weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely when it’s being used on the road.
You also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM.
Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 3 Feb 13 at 13:44
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1x owner, £12,000 - suitable for LARGE families - ToMoCo
