Snap on Sunday

Despite operating a very modern fleet of Coaches, Stotts choose to operate quite a few of their public bus services using Mercedes 709Ds, and I can't say I blame them for doing so! Of course from an enthusiast's point of view, the 709D is far superior to the alternative Solo, but even from the operators point of view the 709D has clear benefits. For one, it uses a noticeable amount less fuel, all the more important with the reduction in BSOG. The 709D has always been renowned for how robust and dependable they are, and indeed in times gone by, operators have switched back to 709Ds after trying the Vario, a testament to their design. When things do go wrong, 'cheap' parts from scrapyards are readily available  and the mechanics of the 709D are far simpler than the computer controlled whatnot found on the Solo. They're also often able to fit in places you couldn't even get a Solo through, particularly helpful down some of the very narrow roads in Yorkshire! And despite N266 JUG's 16 year vintage, she looks very tidy and presentable! And she's certainly lasted longer than the what the South West's readers will remember of the N-JUG registration, the Dennis Lances, the last of which were retired from service 4 if not 5 years ago now!