HartlepoolPost Forum

Politics => Local Issues and Matters => Topic started by: Lucy Lass-Tick on September 07, 2018, 05: PM

Title: Rifty bus
Post by: Lucy Lass-Tick on September 07, 2018, 05: PM
Does anyone know what happened to the Rifty bus?
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: crisstw on September 07, 2018, 05: PM
Isn't it buried under the transport interchange with the hope and aspirations of a whole town....
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Inspector Knacker on September 07, 2018, 05: PM
The bus in question was re-registered with Northern Ireland plates and looks like one of the commuter Leyland Olympians used by the National Bus Company on routes into London starting in the early to mid 80's.
It was apparently to be used as a 'health bus', what exactly does that mean? The vehicle must have been past it's sell by date then.
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: fred c on September 07, 2018, 06: PM
Clapped Out is I believe, the technical term.
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: mk1 on September 07, 2018, 07: PM
I believe the reason for the failure was they could not con  recruit enough people to volunteer/drive/man the bus and do all the work whilst the gruesome twosome sat back and basked in the glow of all the good work (i.e how to put condoms on bananas) 'they' were doing. When they discovered they would have to shift their own  fat ar*ses and do a bit of graft they quickly binned the whole idea.
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: kevplumb on September 07, 2018, 07: PM
Quote from: fred c on September 07, 2018, 06: PM
Clapped Out is I believe, the technical term.
who the SCABS the bus  or both  ;D
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: mk1 on September 08, 2018, 12: AM
Before they got their grubby hands on the bus it was the Hartlepool Families First Playbus.   Leyland Olympian/ECW SIL2838


(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/2RLSiQ.png) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn2RLSiQp)





Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: mk1 on September 08, 2018, 12: AM
The Mail article announcing this brilliant bus  'Vision' was 12th March 2012  and it came crashing to earth a mere 8 months later in Nov 2012 .
Seems about the norm for anything these two clowns get involved in.

(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/6MM60B.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm6MM60Bj)
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: crisstw on September 08, 2018, 07: AM
Quote from: mk1 on September 08, 2018, 12: AM
The Mail article announcing this brilliant bus  'Vision' was 12th March 2012  and it came crashing to earth a mere 8 months later in Nov 2012 .
Seems about the norm for anything these two clowns get involved in.

(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/6MM60B.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm6MM60Bj)

Looks like it was just a front for them to get some money...
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 03: PM
So how much did they pay for the bus?
How often was it used?
What would be the value of a 26 year old vehicle?
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 04: PM
SIL 2838 was Hartlepool Families First Playbus for 8 years before suffering major mechanical problems in 2010 and taken out of service. The Mail publicised a campaign for a replacement vehicle in October 2010 and as a result a 'new' bus (N 803 TPK) was purchased to replace SIL2838.
Was SIL 2838 repaired ? If so, I assume it can't have been cheap as HFF saw a new vehicle as their option?
What was the status of SIL 2838 during the period from it's withdrawl in 2010 to it's purchase as an health bus ?
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: mk1 on September 08, 2018, 06: PM
Quote from: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 04: PM
SIL 2838 was Hartlepool Families First Playbus for 8 years before suffering major mechanical problems in 2010 and taken out of service. The Mail publicised a campaign for a replacement vehicle in October 2010 and as a result a 'new' bus (N 803 TPK) was purchased to replace SIL2838.
Was SIL 2838 repaired ? If so, I assume it can't have been cheap as HFF saw a new vehicle as their option?
What was the status of SIL 2838 during the period from it's withdrawl in 2010 to it's purchase as an health bus ?

Could the  Cranney Clan be involved? With no oversight it would be easy to pay over the odds for an item just to give a mate his 'wedge'.
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 07: PM
Did the vehicle take to the road as an Heath bus ?
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: mk1 on September 08, 2018, 07: PM
Note where it is.  Next to the mattress mountain.

(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/921/jmSCqd.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pljmSCqdj)


Here it is during its brief existence. Is the backgound building part of Cranneyland?

(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/dSypD5.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/podSypD5j)
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 08: PM
I can't understand why a bus with a mechanical defect so serious the previous owners decided their best option was to buy a replacement was bought? Did they have an ace mechanic who could do the mechanical equivalent of giving the kiss of life to a frozen chicken.?
Why were the photo's taken in such depressing location, wouldn't it have presented a much better image to be driven or towed to a more photogenic local beauty spot?
Damp matress mountains and industrial tin sheds lack that essential class for a launch.

Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Lucy Lass-Tick on September 08, 2018, 08: PM
Quote from: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 08: PM
I can't understand why a bus with a mechanical defect so serious the previous owners decided their best option was to buy a replacement was bought? Did they have an ace mechanic who could do the mechanical equivalent of giving the kiss of life to a frozen chicken.?
Why were the photo's taken in such depressing location, wouldn't it have presented a much better image to be driven or towed to a more photogenic local beauty spot?
Damp matress mountains and industrial tin sheds lack that essential class for a launch.

Was it driveable at that point? Parked or dumped?
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: mk1 on September 08, 2018, 08: PM
Quote from: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 08: PM

Why were the photo's taken in such depressing location, wouldn't it have presented a much better image to be driven or towed to a more photogenic local beauty spot?
Damp matress mountains and industrial tin sheds lack that essential class for a launch.

The mattress mountain was the result of a failed Keven Cranney business. He set up a mattress recycling company but it appears he just took the money (you paid to get rid of your mattress) and let them pile up in his yard until one day he declared himself bankrupt and just walked away with all the cash whilst leaving the mattress mountain for someone else to deal with.
You have to ask what was the bus doing in a location owned  by Cranney. I suspect the bus was bought cheap and sold dear with a third party acting as a screen to hide where the 'Charidee'  really money went.
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 09: PM
Did the bus ever leave Matress Land?
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Lucy Lass-Tick on September 08, 2018, 09: PM
Quote from: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 09: PM
Did the bus ever leave Matress Land?

Mattress Land was sold a few years ago ... presumably a clapped out bus didn't feature in the sales brochure ...  ::)
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: kevplumb on September 08, 2018, 10: PM
Quote from: Lucy Lass-Tick on September 08, 2018, 09: PM
Quote from: Inspector Knacker on September 08, 2018, 09: PM
Did the bus ever leave Matress Land?

Mattress Land was sold a few years ago ... presumably, a clapped out bus didn't feature in the sales brochure ...  ::)
probably finished up in concrete eddies yard
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: Inspector Knacker on September 09, 2018, 07: AM
Looking at the photo of the bus with 'Stan' and 'Jack' centre stage,  it's had a bit of red paint slapped on it's weary bodywork, but are there any photo's  of it actually out on the road ?
As the film theme goes, 'It's a great life on the Buses', for some!
Title: Re: Rifty bus
Post by: jawsbbc on September 09, 2018, 09: AM
Quote from: Inspector Knacker on September 09, 2018, 07: AM
Looking at the photo of the bus with 'Stan' and 'Jack' centre stage,  it's had a bit of red paint slapped on it's weary bodywork, but are there any photo's  of it actually out on the road ?
As the film theme goes, 'It's a great life on the Buses', for some!
PLEASE TELL ME 5 GRAND WAS NOT SPENT ON THAT
https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/councillor-s-relief-as-name-cleared-1-3876142