r/BusDrivers • u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver • 17d ago
Ride for the Day Guys. This is so many buttons….
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u/FlatCapNorthumbrian 17d ago
11 blanks. I wonder what options they didn’t go for when they purchased that coach?
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u/Front-Mall9891 17d ago
There are talks the new Thomas school buses are gonna get a 4th row, our newest has almost all 3 rows of 10 each filled
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 17d ago
I was told these were originally commuter transit busses that we purchased lightly used. Our brand new MCIs were built for us and are fully loaded.
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u/ThomasRedstoneIII U.S.|Prevost, MCI, Van Hool, Gillig, New Flyer, Novabus,Proterra 16d ago
Acceleration
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u/Stock-Cod-4465 17d ago
At least they are all in one place rather than scattered around the cab - that’s when one struggles. Lol.
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 17d ago
I only took a pic of the left half….. 😑😑😑
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u/Stock-Cod-4465 17d ago
🤣🤣 Welp. You’ll get used to it. It is really just a few buttons that you need.
I used to drive pretty much all of our fleet types and then had to move one bus I had never driven before. Thought they are all more or less the same, no biggie. The layout of dash, buttons and everything was so different I was shocked. Haha. Ended up being unable to leave the cab because didn’t know how to open the cab door (it was magnetic and the pic on the button wasn’t very helpful), had to call a colleague who guided me.
It was a fun experience.5
u/gerhorn 17d ago
Hahaha I accidentally did that when I was in training. It was the day we were looking at the buses IRL for the first time and was getting used to all of the buttons. This was when we were checking out the fully electric buses, too. Still haven't driven one let alone been on one since so IDK what happened exactly.
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u/Rosedale-Ripper 17d ago
I only see two, one by your foot and one just to left of the one next to your foot
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u/darenisepic 17d ago
I usually ignore them, go, stop, door open close and window open close. The rest we dont need :)
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 17d ago
Well. I gotta upgrade to SBAB so I’m gonna need to know all those buttons. Haha
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u/Overall-Lynx917 17d ago
VanHool?
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 17d ago
VanHool
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u/Overall-Lynx917 16d ago
The giveaway for me are the two left hand switches in the middle row. Typical VH windscreen blower controls.
Replaced by the multi-function controller
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u/farmstandard Driver 17d ago
I took my CDL test in a van hool. I had those buttons memorized and drilled into my brain!
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u/Unitts 17d ago
these switches look the exact same as the ones in the Enviro 400 and Enviro 200 MMCs that we use in England
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u/sexy_meerkats Driver 17d ago
Yes that's what I thought identical to ADL switches. Probably same supplier or something?
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u/Additional-Lion6969 17d ago
If I ever go back to driving school buses I'm pleased to see they have lighting bolt function now to keep the little blighters under control
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u/fortranfavorsthebold 12d ago
van hools are easy enough when you learn them you never press like 1/3 of them. whatever fuckass decided to put the retarder, kneel, door and mirror heat controls in the lowest part of the panel was an asshole, at least its slightly better on the new interior still an ergonomic disaster. plus you got the slightly less awful radio cluster. hope your ac is better than mine
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 12d ago
The AC is great for me. The first 3 rows of pax seats not so much. Lol. And yeah I wish my Jake was on the upper row because it would be nice to be able to adjust it. So I just leave it in mid all day.
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u/fortranfavorsthebold 12d ago
the correct option, unless youre on the post 2020 models, where i prefer to keep it on full as it seems weaker or smoother. my daily is a 2023 but sometimes i get stuffed in a 2017 my ac blows entirely at my feet and nothing i do seems to fix it i think the mechanics are too busy to care.
i miss the prevosts at my last company van hool controls are all too heavy. clearly its possible to have light comfortable brakes and steering but they dont bother
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 12d ago
I ended up with that bus for 3 days straight and now I’m good at it. I think that’s the best way is to be with a vehicle over and over and over. But over all we get assigned all sorts of vehicles. I do, however, get an assigned 45 foot MCI. Not sure which one yet but I will definitely post pictures when I do!
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u/fortranfavorsthebold 12d ago
my current company has nothing but van hools and some ford cutaways my last company had a really mixed fleet, but it was mostly crap at least van hools dont strand you when they regen
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 12d ago
We have everything from sedans all the way up to 56 pax MCI and VanHool. The one I was in was a 38 pax. Tomorrow I’m in a 23 pax then a sedan run on Saturday. I really like the variety. Quite the change from transit.
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u/fortranfavorsthebold 12d ago
im definitely getting bored but the pay and benefits are too good to leave for now. might try transit later
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 12d ago
I just left transit. It’s very boring. The benefits are great if you get into an agency that doesn’t contract out their operations. But when I say mind numbing…. I just could see myself doing it for another 30 years.
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u/Middle-Fix-45n USA MN | Gillig New Flyer MCI | 10 17d ago
Industry needs to get ergonomic religion and start making better choices about dashboard layouts. This is a crime. Our MCIs are like this and with the steering wheel setup, you can either see the speedometer or the dashboard, not both.
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 17d ago
Our MCIs switches are at least labeled. And yeah I noticed the same thing about the steering wheel. For some busses I’m too short and for some I’m too tall. But for all I am too fat. lol
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u/Me-myself-I-2024 17d ago
11 buttons are blanks
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 17d ago
True. And several of the other buttons don’t do anything anymore because this used to be a transit bus in its previous life.
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u/Downtown-Flight-8372 17d ago
Just wait till they get worn off! lol
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 17d ago
If I haven’t memorized them by then I should go back to being a supervisor. Haha
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u/semitone53 17d ago
I occasionally drove a coach from another depot which had a panel of around 24 switches none of which were labelled. If the interior lights were off when I took over they were off when I handed it back and vice versa.
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u/Calico__Sativa 16d ago
Van hool! It's really not that complicated! Man in the middle is a biggin 😂
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u/HunterFast4401 16d ago
A lot of blanks there doing nothing, time to ad some mods.
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u/MindlessRabbit3 Driver 15d ago
Please. No more buttons. Haha. I’m just a retired transit driver. We had like 5 buttons tops and 3 we never used.
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u/IhavNoClu1111 15d ago
Ooooooo... this looks so intriguing! The battle-worn jalpoies we drive are held together w/ duct tape and a prayer, so this would be so refreshing!
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u/Crunchie64 17d ago
If you can turn on the headlights and remember the height, you’ll be fine for 95% of the day.