Great video! This change is a very interesting one. Funny how many times 217 has changed operator in the last few months Shame about the driver skipping you….
Thanks and yeah the Sullivan changes really made things interesting for north London. I still can't believe that the 389 and 399 were operated by Metroline for just one day!
I’m honestly surprised that Arriva even got the route in the first place & that NP didn’t just take it straight away. It was cool to see some EX GY DW’s on the route though like DW209,216,225 & 244 (iirc those were the ones that moved there) but those 4 will now be withdrawn, I think along with the ex 64/250 T’s.
@@MostlyBuses1 yeah I agree it’ll be interesting to see WVN’s/WVL’s on the 217. I think it’ll take the 230’s Ee’s though if NP retain it further after its 1 year contract.
wow this is one of my local routes. from sullivian buses to arriva now go ahead?! Thanks for informing us tho. do you know what bus will operate on the 217 now?
Np, and yeah the 217 and other ex Sullivan routes were never officially awarded to new operators which is why Arriva had such a short time running the route.
The 217 was quite nice under Arriva. It’ll be nice to see a much more consistent allocation with GAL though using the B9TLs and with proper blinds. I do hope NP reblind their EHVs and MHVs for the 217 but I doubt it. I think the 230’s Ees could go on the 217 which would still need an extra Ee or two if that were to happen which can be the spare 23 regs lying around on the 35 and 57 currently
I think it's like Stagecoach and the W9. It's great that Arriva stepped up to run the 217 and provided a service, and the buses / variety was great to see (except for the ex TH Ts which can't really cope on that route). However they just ran the route incredibly poorly. There were large gaps and frequent bunchings today and that's fair since Arriva didn't have time to prepare. And just like the W9, I'm looking forward to the new operator finally making things better (and using diesels too!)
You are my most favourite bus youtuber right now. All your videos are great dont think ur effort is unnoticed. Sorry about the driver at the end, that is messed up. If you cba to do the job why come in today?
@@LJ07EBP Thanks so much mate! And yeah that driver was just rude for no reason. I've noticed a lot of 217 drivers kicking everyone off at the second to last stop at Turnpike Lane too
@@LJ07EBP ikr. They just can't be bothered to stop at the bus station and just go to the bus stands. I get that the second to last stop is very close to the bus station but it's still annoying
@@transportenthusiasticboy Same but it looks like the days of them constantly going for 5 year contracts and replacing newish buses with new Ees are finally over, since they recently retained the 37, 434 and others on a 3 year contract with hybrids/old diesels
@@transportenthusiasticboy I'll miss the great variety of buses under Arriva but the actual service they provide is terrible (constant bunching and rude drivers with no buses having blinds which tbh is Sullivan Buses' fault
@@MostlyBuses1 Me too. Still I’ll be glad when 217 goes to GAL. T217, T218, T225 and sometimes T226 would be the last ex-W3’s at Wood Green when 217 does because this is the end of the road for 217 having Arriva London, two of my favourite ex-W3’s are T217 and T218, but good thing 217 lasted long with Arriva compared to the other routes. And I do remember having an LJ60 in North London, including Go Ahead London Gemini 2’s which the 217 could get tomorrow.
@@GMDpowerman11 some of the older ones look old inside but they age so well (especially with the amazing black paint/styling that was sadly removed on most refurbishments). The Gemini 2 design is probably one of the most well ageing designs made (in my opinion)
@@MostlyBuses1 hopefully they don't leave london anytime soon. These buses are so great, imo they look so much better than the new electric buses we see, they all look super weird for some reason
Those are quite common now. I remember being shocked when I saw the first Electroliner 267 on lvf since TUK are really strict (they put an MMC on it a few days ago though)
Yeah electrics have pretty much become a daily appearance on the 68 whether it’s E400EVs or Electroliners. The first 68 that had an electric was in spring 2023 when the U5’s 22 reg E400EV were temporarily allocated to the route to release LTs to the H32. Once the 111 converted to Electroliners, the LTs went to the H32 and (some are now on the 211 too) whilst the 68 got its LTs back from the H32 and the E400EVs sent back to the U5 which was using the 111’s 72 reg Electroliners. Electroliners have become very common on the 267 and happen almost daily nowadays too. The H91 often sees a lot of Gemini 3s on the route and sometimes a Gemini 2 itself
@@zfs.59 oh yeah I do see LT154 (ex TF) on 159 quite a number of times. its front bumper is slightly painted wrongly. For WL I'm not really familiar with the fleet there
@@Jeff0069yeah NRMs do appear sometimes on the 111 but very rarely and mostly in the nights to sub in for an Electroliner needing to be recharged for the next morning run out. The 133 still does see NRMs on a weekly basis sometimes daily but it doesn’t happen so often as there’s enough conventionals and Electroliners for the route as the 133 still doesn’t have enough Electroliners due to a few of them being on the U5 currently whilst DH are modifying their chargers to better suit for the E400EVs. Garages like RM and PD are also modifying their chargers to better suit the E400EVs too. It is a shame that no conventionals have done the 159 for nearly 2 years as all the MMCs are blinded for the route. QB should be putting out conventionals on both the 159 and 415 at least and keep the 24/27/211 fully LT at the very least as the 415 currently only sees conventionals
I'm guessing the ex TH E400s will get withdrawn but the LJ61s could stay as rail replacement buses like they were before. The Gemini 2s and Gemini 3s weren't allocated to the 217 anyway iirc
the 200 has gotten a lot more of its Mes back rather than the initial 4 Mes (Me14-17 that came back). The 57 is temporarily fully Ee for god knows how long so 8 of its allocated Gemini 3s will be supplementing the 131 as they already do so as well as also supplementing the 163, 200 and 280. The 200 getting more of its Mes back means that the 11 reg WVLs are able to go on the 131 too
@@TrainsAndBusesAroundNELondon Exactly! That wasn't filmed on the last day so I guess he might not have seen an enthusiast before. But still though, there was another person at Empire Parade who told me she waited 30 minutes for the 217 that drove past (and would have to wait another 15 in the end).
@@MostlyBuses1yeah and the 57’s WHVs will supplement the 131’s allocation and since more Mes have returned to the 200, the 200’s LX11 WVLs are also able to supplement the 131’s
@@zfs.59 Me13 returned to service today so it looks like all of them are slowly returning (except for Me12, obviously). They still can't last a full day though but I'm still hoping that GAL will retain the 200 with the Mes instead of replacing them in 2026. I'm still trying to avoid Mes whenever I ride the 200 since the WVLs & WVNs are great
Arriva never officially operated the 217, they just took on a portion of Sullivan’s contract and stepped in to run the 217 by providing a fleet of buses on the route as well as the drivers with TFL paying Arriva to do so
@@thelondoner614 I will be reporting him which will make me feel better (and don't worry. I'm not one of those people who complains all the time. This will be my first one)
Sorry about all the transition errors. Skip to the end for a very rude driver.
I went on that DW about a week ago very funny it has 66 blinds still in it. & yh that driver was very rude for skipping you & other passengers.
@@AB-ii5pi I went on some DWs on the 217 today and I think 2 or 3 still have 66 on the back blind
Do a Q&A video
Great video! This change is a very interesting one. Funny how many times 217 has changed operator in the last few months
Shame about the driver skipping you….
Thanks and yeah the Sullivan changes really made things interesting for north London. I still can't believe that the 389 and 399 were operated by Metroline for just one day!
I’ll miss 217 with Arriva. When the 217 goes to GAL, the only ex-W3’s left on Wood Green would be mostly T217, T218, and sometimes T225.
Why Is Has Full Of Hybrid Gemini 3
@kellyogieriakhi6805 because those are the new allocation
And T226
I’m honestly surprised that Arriva even got the route in the first place & that NP didn’t just take it straight away. It was cool to see some EX GY DW’s on the route though like DW209,216,225 & 244 (iirc those were the ones that moved there) but those 4 will now be withdrawn, I think along with the ex 64/250 T’s.
Yeah it was great to see the variety of buses on the 217. I'm glad NP are getting it with ex First buses too
Ye can agree also
Your vids are the best!
@@MostlyBuses1 yeah I agree it’ll be interesting to see WVN’s/WVL’s on the 217. I think it’ll take the 230’s Ee’s though if NP retain it further after its 1 year contract.
@@DanielIstet thanks!
The 217 change happening tomorrow is the same day of my birthday
Cool
wow this is one of my local routes. from sullivian buses to arriva now go ahead?! Thanks for informing us tho. do you know what bus will operate on the 217 now?
Np, and yeah the 217 and other ex Sullivan routes were never officially awarded to new operators which is why Arriva had such a short time running the route.
The 217 is going to use ex 131 & 262 Gemini 2s (which was in the first bit of the video btw)
@@MostlyBuses1 ah i see
@@MostlyBuses1 is that go ahead or arriva
@@transport_dude GAL
The 217 was quite nice under Arriva. It’ll be nice to see a much more consistent allocation with GAL though using the B9TLs and with proper blinds. I do hope NP reblind their EHVs and MHVs for the 217 but I doubt it. I think the 230’s Ees could go on the 217 which would still need an extra Ee or two if that were to happen which can be the spare 23 regs lying around on the 35 and 57 currently
I think it's like Stagecoach and the W9. It's great that Arriva stepped up to run the 217 and provided a service, and the buses / variety was great to see (except for the ex TH Ts which can't really cope on that route). However they just ran the route incredibly poorly. There were large gaps and frequent bunchings today and that's fair since Arriva didn't have time to prepare. And just like the W9, I'm looking forward to the new operator finally making things better (and using diesels too!)
You are my most favourite bus youtuber right now. All your videos are great dont think ur effort is unnoticed. Sorry about the driver at the end, that is messed up. If you cba to do the job why come in today?
@@LJ07EBP Thanks so much mate! And yeah that driver was just rude for no reason. I've noticed a lot of 217 drivers kicking everyone off at the second to last stop at Turnpike Lane too
@@MostlyBuses1 No problem. Dangg.. that is just weird.
@@LJ07EBP ikr. They just can't be bothered to stop at the bus station and just go to the bus stands. I get that the second to last stop is very close to the bus station but it's still annoying
@@MostlyBuses1 yea, like you signed up for the job so do it properly why you doing it lazy like u didnt choose the job
I’m actually gonna miss 217 with arriva it feels like now go ahead is taking over London
@@transportenthusiasticboy Same but it looks like the days of them constantly going for 5 year contracts and replacing newish buses with new Ees are finally over, since they recently retained the 37, 434 and others on a 3 year contract with hybrids/old diesels
@@transportenthusiasticboy I'll miss the great variety of buses under Arriva but the actual service they provide is terrible (constant bunching and rude drivers with no buses having blinds which tbh is Sullivan Buses' fault
@ohhh I seeee
@ but sorrry about the rude driver
@@transportenthusiasticboy It was ok. I got more DWs on the 217 today
I LOVE THE LOUD EX 64 E400 TFL HAS KILLED ME
If you want a similar experience then ride the 150 before it gets its Hybrids
@@ahuman9143 i live near turnpike lane lol
@@MrBaldiRobloxI'll miss all the 217 buses, especially the DWs and HVs
@@MostlyBuses1 SAME
@@MostlyBuses1 Me too. Still I’ll be glad when 217 goes to GAL. T217, T218, T225 and sometimes T226 would be the last ex-W3’s at Wood Green when 217 does because this is the end of the road for 217 having Arriva London, two of my favourite ex-W3’s are T217 and T218, but good thing 217 lasted long with Arriva compared to the other routes. And I do remember having an LJ60 in North London, including Go Ahead London Gemini 2’s which the 217 could get tomorrow.
Sad that arriva is leaving 217 as it was my favourite operator.
good news is that Gemini 2 will be fully implemented on this route 👍
@@GMDpowerman11 yeah I'm sad too but it's amazing that B9TLs are staying for longer at NP!
@MostlyBuses1 G2 still feels too new to be withdrawn idk
@@GMDpowerman11 some of the older ones look old inside but they age so well (especially with the amazing black paint/styling that was sadly removed on most refurbishments).
The Gemini 2 design is probably one of the most well ageing designs made (in my opinion)
@@MostlyBuses1 hopefully they don't leave london anytime soon. These buses are so great, imo they look so much better than the new electric buses we see, they all look super weird for some reason
@@GMDpowerman11 I don't think they'll leave London soon tbh. They were just bought by iSquared but they've been investing in electrics
I spent 12 hours on this route today just to be in none of these clips 🙄
Saw an Electroliner on the 267 and a Gemini 3 on the H91 today
2 days ago there was also an Electroliner on the 68
Those are quite common now. I remember being shocked when I saw the first Electroliner 267 on lvf since TUK are really strict (they put an MMC on it a few days ago though)
Yeah electrics have pretty much become a daily appearance on the 68 whether it’s E400EVs or Electroliners. The first 68 that had an electric was in spring 2023 when the U5’s 22 reg E400EV were temporarily allocated to the route to release LTs to the H32. Once the 111 converted to Electroliners, the LTs went to the H32 and (some are now on the 211 too) whilst the 68 got its LTs back from the H32 and the E400EVs sent back to the U5 which was using the 111’s 72 reg Electroliners. Electroliners have become very common on the 267 and happen almost daily nowadays too. The H91 often sees a lot of Gemini 3s on the route and sometimes a Gemini 2 itself
@@zfs.59 oh wow. do NRMs still occasionally run on the 111 and 133? plus what's the status of LT998 which crashed few months back
@@zfs.59 oh yeah I do see LT154 (ex TF) on 159 quite a number of times. its front bumper is slightly painted wrongly. For WL I'm not really familiar with the fleet there
@@Jeff0069yeah NRMs do appear sometimes on the 111 but very rarely and mostly in the nights to sub in for an Electroliner needing to be recharged for the next morning run out. The 133 still does see NRMs on a weekly basis sometimes daily but it doesn’t happen so often as there’s enough conventionals and Electroliners for the route as the 133 still doesn’t have enough Electroliners due to a few of them being on the U5 currently whilst DH are modifying their chargers to better suit for the E400EVs. Garages like RM and PD are also modifying their chargers to better suit the E400EVs too. It is a shame that no conventionals have done the 159 for nearly 2 years as all the MMCs are blinded for the route. QB should be putting out conventionals on both the 159 and 415 at least and keep the 24/27/211 fully LT at the very least as the 415 currently only sees conventionals
will G2 b5lh and e400 and g3 b5lh get transferred
I'm guessing the ex TH E400s will get withdrawn but the LJ61s could stay as rail replacement buses like they were before. The Gemini 2s and Gemini 3s weren't allocated to the 217 anyway iirc
What is the 131 gonna use then?
@@cooldude12-q9b what it already uses (basically anything spare at AL).
the 200 has gotten a lot more of its Mes back rather than the initial 4 Mes (Me14-17 that came back). The 57 is temporarily fully Ee for god knows how long so 8 of its allocated Gemini 3s will be supplementing the 131 as they already do so as well as also supplementing the 163, 200 and 280. The 200 getting more of its Mes back means that the 11 reg WVLs are able to go on the 131 too
@@zfs.59 Me13 entered service today too.
What was going through the 217 driver's mind? Just because it's the last day of 217 operating at arriva doesn't mean you can do anything you want
@@TrainsAndBusesAroundNELondon Exactly! That wasn't filmed on the last day so I guess he might not have seen an enthusiast before. But still though, there was another person at Empire Parade who told me she waited 30 minutes for the 217 that drove past (and would have to wait another 15 in the end).
u forgot to mention the transferred LJ60 E400s with the LJ10s(yh idk why im making this a big deal)
Oh yh sorry
Don't take WVN5 away from DS... That unit has a lovely ZF gearbox
I think it'll be mainly the ex 131's buses since they can do the 1 year contract
@@MostlyBuses1yeah and the 57’s WHVs will supplement the 131’s allocation and since more Mes have returned to the 200, the 200’s LX11 WVLs are also able to supplement the 131’s
@@Jeff0069 oh and I forgot to mention. WVN5 was the bus I used on the 651 and I accidentally went back to DS on that!
@@MostlyBuses1 seems like for DS WVL293/294 and WVN12-16 are going
@@zfs.59 Me13 returned to service today so it looks like all of them are slowly returning (except for Me12, obviously). They still can't last a full day though but I'm still hoping that GAL will retain the 200 with the Mes instead of replacing them in 2026. I'm still trying to avoid Mes whenever I ride the 200 since the WVLs & WVNs are great
Damn Arriva losing a lot of routes lately.
Arriva never officially operated the 217, they just took on a portion of Sullivan’s contract and stepped in to run the 217 by providing a fleet of buses on the route as well as the drivers with TFL paying Arriva to do so
nice video SL7 video please
@@djtfire ok
Time to veg tomorrow
Yes
At 2.7k now yh yh
Which buses will 217 use for go ahead london
Gemini 2s from the 131 and other routes
@shubhamuprit it's in the video
Sorry about the bus driver
@@thelondoner614 it's fine. I've now been on a few more DWs on the 217
@@thelondoner614 I will be reporting him which will make me feel better (and don't worry. I'm not one of those people who complains all the time. This will be my first one)