Recorded on 23/12/22. Click the timestamp below to skip to the dual carriageway section:
1:03 - Start of dual carriageway

This is a video of Volvo B8RLE Eclipse 778 (BD65 EWK) spending its second day on The Threes. It was running 35 minutes late, likely due to an influx in Christmas shoppers. 778 was purchased in 2015 to be used solely on The Two. However, earlier this year, the service dropped in frequency from every 10 minutes to every 15. Therefore, four less vehicles were required for the route.

Three of these Volvo Eclipses (778, 779 and 780) were rumoured to be refurbished for Skylink Express. But in December 2022, The Threes was reaching crisis point. Many of the Versas were off the road, awaiting parts from Optare. On 19th December, the situation was so bad that the majority of the timetabled journeys were cancelled and only 5 of the 18 branded vehicles were operating. So, something had to be done. Trent Barton responded by taking these Eclipses out of storage and branding them as short-term vehicles for The Threes.

As for the bus itself, this was the first time I've filmed an Eclipse 3 for the channel but it was my second time on board one. I went on 779 (BD65 EWL) back in July, when it was still branded for The Two.

This experience was not too dissimilar to my previous one. The bus is quite smooth and has a nice, subtle ZF sound. However, this Eclipse is quite whistle-y when decelerating. Crucially, this is the first time we get to see a Trent Barton Eclipse 3 dual carriageway thrash. I can safely say that it tackles the A611 with ease. Unfortunately, there is no Wi-Fi on board and most of the USB power sockets are broken. Nevertheless, it was a great journey and I would rather travel on one of these any day over an Enviro 200 MMC!

My final observation is that there is a heavy use of orange on the exterior and yet the interior feels no different to a de-branded The Two Volvo B8RLE Eclipse. I understand this is a temporary vehicle, but one of the sister Volvos (780 - BD65 EWM) has a The Threes welcome sticker at the side of the driver's cabin, while this does not. Small touches like these really make a difference to me.

As of 30/10/23, 778 returned to service on The Two.

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