Since becoming a “Senior Citizen” I have made much use of my free bus pass. This is a really good perk of getting old – one of the few, I think, but I have forgotten the rest. I mainly use it to do the Stirling Park & Ride and to catch the Citylink intercity bus to either Edinburgh or Glasgow.
As buses go the Citylink buses, Plaxton Panthers, are a serious piece of kit. Based on a Vovo B12 chassis they have a 12 litre 6 cylinder turbo diesel engine and with 420 hp and 2000 Nm of torque they are no slouches, and they are quite comfortable to boot.
Generally I hate diesel engines but these are not little weedy car engines but proper diesels suitable for the 3Bs which are the only terrestrial applications for these oilburners: namely buses, bulldozers and main battle tanks.
Today I went down to Glasgow to lunch with a friend and I was struck by the fact that nearly all the passengers don’t wear seat belts! I bet they think it’s not cool if they’re young or inconvenient if they’re old. I think it’s utterly stupid. I have no intention of goung through a bus windscreen like a cannon ball. When a seat belt is provided it’s only sensible to wear it!
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