Dottingham

Dottingham is reputed to have the highest levels of public transport use and accessibility outside London...

Recently and for the first time ever, as an adjunct to a business trip, I got my chance to ask for a “second class return to Dottingham”. This follows the memorable, classic 1970s blocked nose Tunes-make-you-breathe-more-easily TV adverts. The young railman behind the plate glass looked at me very curiously but issued said ticket with little hesitation. With my ticket and a shortish train ride, what might I find? Of particular interest were six unusual Scania single decks...

Dottingham City Transport has three all-Scania OmniLink 14m integral buses on its Citylink 1, running alongside conventional 12m Scanias on that route. Tri-axle, the three are the first oversize service buses in Britain (as opposed to coaches).

The six-wheelers look terrific but are not terrifying. A steering trailing axle means that the driver notices little difference when compared to a 12m when negotiating the tighter radii in the city centre. Progress is therefore almost as good for both. The suburban sections see sweeping curves and wide roads that cause no problems whatsoever.

The tri-axles seat 53 passengers, eight more than those of 12m. To think that the Bristol RE of the 1960s seated up to 53 and the Leyland National of the 1970s up to 52, both in 11m form. On the 14m Scania, there were just 12 forward facing seats on the low floor section, plus a further six tip-ups. Other passengers needed to negotiate up to three steps.

If you want to experience these oversize buses for yourself, you have till August when Citylink 1 becomes all double deck, less than 2½ years since the six wheelers arrived.

Multi-coloured destination displays set the Ecolink buses apart

DCT was the first operator in Britain to power some of its vehicles by ethanol. Used on the three per hour Pink Line Ecolink 30, the livery chosen is green, not pink. The choice was again the Scania OmniLink. This follows a grant from the city council for three vehicles and a fuel system. Though the buses’ rears trumpet the reduction in CO2, the ethanol fuelled vehicles seemed considerably noisier than their pure diesel counterparts, or so they seemed. On the evidence I had, a reduction in pollution in one area noticeably resulted in an increase in another—noise.

A trip to Dottingham wouldn’t be complete without reference to Dunn Motor Traction’s new Your Bus. Though competing squarely with the Dottingham Express Transit tram, from what I saw, I don’t think DET should be unduly worried by the newcomer.