Rifty bus

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Does anyone know what happened to the Rifty bus?

[crisstw]

Isn't it buried under the transport interchange with the hope and aspirations of a whole town....

[Inspector Knacker]

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.

[fred c]

Clapped Out is I believe, the technical term.

[mk1]

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.

[kevplumb]

Clapped Out is I believe, the technical term.

who the SCABS the bus  or both 

[mk1]

Before they got their grubby hands on the bus it was the Hartlepool Families First Playbus.   Leyland Olympian/ECW SIL2838

[mk1]

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.

[crisstw]

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.

Looks like it was just a front for them to get some money...

[Inspector Knacker]

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?

[Inspector Knacker]

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 ?

[mk1]

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'.

[Inspector Knacker]

Did the vehicle take to the road as an Heath bus ?

[mk1]

Note where it is.  Next to the mattress mountain.




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

[Inspector Knacker]

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.