Vehicle Details
Registration: NL63 XBZ
Chassis: Volvo B9TL
Bodywork: Wright Eclipse Gemini 2
Depot: Percy Main
Livery: Cobalt & Coast
Year new: 2013
Vehicle History
June 2020
Go North East
From Monday 1 June 2020, in line with guidance from the government, Go North East's bus services will start returning to what can be considered a 'normal' level of service on weekdays (albeit still reduced on weekends), also with some minor changes which had originally been planned to take place from 17 May 2020. The depots which were temporarily 'mothballed' for the duration of the crisis have now re-opened, except for Saltmeadows Road, which is where most of the National Express coaches are stored. The central works facility remains open as usual. Therefore, this vehicle has now transferred from Riverside Depot to Percy Main.
May 2020
Go North East
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With an expectant announcement from the government this weekend that some 'lockdown' restrictions could be relaxed, there may be an increase in demand for bus services. Therefore, some services are going to be operated by larger vehicles, to allow greater social distancing on-board buses, and Go North East will deploy up to 10 'hot spare' vehicles at key bus stations over the morning and evening peaks. As such, this vehicle has been reinstated at Riverside.
May 2020
Go North East
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With an expected announcement from the UK Government on Sunday 10 May to relax some of the current "lockdown" restrictions in the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which could lead to an increased number of passengers travelling on Go North East's bus services, further re-allocations and service allocation revisions are being made, in order to increase social distancing on-board Go North East's bus services. This will include double-deck buses being allocated to services ordinarily allocated single-decks, and single-deck buses being allocated to those services which had been temporarily allocated minibuses for the duration of the crisis. Therefore this vehicle has been reinstated at Riverside Depot.
April 2020
Go North East
Further service changes have taken place due to the reduced demand for bus services as a result of the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. As such, this vehicle has been taken out of service. It is expected to be formally delicensed closer to the end of the
month, in order to allow the company to claim a tax refund.
March 2020
Go North East
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On March 23 2020, Boris Johnson placed the country on "lockdown", enforcing rules on people only leaving the house to shop for necessities, to exercise once a day, for medical needs or to provide care, or to travel to and from work (if they can't work from home). Shops, pubs, restaurants and theatres have all been closed, as well as mass gatherings being banned, schools being closed, and sporting events being cancelled. Therefore, further changes were made to bus timetables from Saturday 28 March, reflecting a mass reduction in customer demand for buses. As part of these timetable revisions; Chester-le-Street, Percy Main and Washington Depots were temporarily 'mothballed' with services operated out of key depots Consett, Deptford (including Peterlee outstation) and Riverside (including Hexham outstation) only. Therefore, this vehicle has transferred from Percy Main Depot to Riverside.
November 2019
Go North East
In partnership with North Tyneside Council; this vehicle has received exhaust modifications, increasing the Euro standard of this bus from Euro 5 to Euro 6.
September 2019
Go North East
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Following the fitment of the new "Cobalt & Coast" branding internally and externally, this vehicle has returned to service at Percy Main. Externally, this example carries the variant of the branding in the advertisement frames to show an artistic representation of the route.
September 2019
Go North East
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This vehicle has returned to Go North East following internal refurbishment and repaint into a two-tone silver and blue base livery. It is currently undergoing preparation for service at Saltmeadows Road Depot prior to returning to service at Percy Main.
July 2019
Go North East
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This vehicle has been temporarily withdrawn from service at Percy Main Depot and released for internal refurbished and repaint at Bus & Coach World, Blackburn. The extensive refurbishment work includes, but is not limited to, external repaint; deep cleaning of the interior of the vehicle; renewal of floor coverings; cleaning all seat frames and re-trimming seats into leather with USB sockets on the back of every seat; fitting blue accent lighting underneath seats to provide extra light on the gangway; installation of tables on the upper saloon with wireless charging pods, and upgrading the 'next stop' audio-visual announcement equipment.
October 2018
Go North East
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Following completion of repaint, this vehicle has received a further promotional livery for Go North East's "Big Days Out" campaign. This example has a space theme for the Centre for Life, in line with a number of events at the museum which are ongoing from now and through next year that have a space theme. Customers who buy a £10 Family Day Ticket on a Go North East bus are eligible for free child admission at the Life Science Centre with every full-paying adult.
October 2018
Go North East
The promotional livery on this vehicle focused on "Dino Jaws", an amazing exhibition from the Natural History Museum featuring life-size animatronic dinosaur heads. This event ended at the Centre for Life back in April, so the opportunity is being used to refresh the current bus and receive a further promotional livery to support the "Big Days Out" campaign. As such, this vehicle has now been repainted into a navy blue base livery.
October 2017
Go North East
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This vehicle has been stripped of "Cobalt Clipper" branding and has received a promotional livery for Go North East's "Big Days Out" campaign. The campaign, which was originally introduced in the summer of 2017 but will now be ongoing for the foreseeable future, has seen Go North East partner up with a number of attractions and businesses to bring its customers some great family offers. Customers who buy a £10 Family Day Ticket are eligible for discounts at venues involved in the partnership. This bus is one of four which will receive a promotional livery for the campaign - each example is different, with this one promoting the Centre for Life. The livery intends to raise awareness of this campaign and the company's Family Day Ticket, which permits travel for up to two adults and three children under 16 in all zones. The introduction of this campaign has also seen the ticket price reduce from £13 to £10 on-bus (matching the cheaper price previously on the mobile app).
March 2014
Go North East
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This vehicle has entered service at Percy Main Depot on "Cobalt Clipper" service 309 (Newcastle - Blyth) and 310 (Newcastle - North Shields).
January 2014
Go North East
Ahead of its entry into service, this vehicle has received "Cobalt Clipper" branding.
January 2014
Go North East
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This vehicle, which carries a silver base livery, has arrived into the Go North East fleet. It is currently being prepared for service at Saltmeadows Road Depot. Due to a shortage of storage space at Saltmeadows Road, this vehicle is subject to being stored indoors at the new Gateshead Riverside Depot. Representing an investment of approximately £3,400,000, Go North East has ordered a batch of seventeen Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 double-deck buses to be launched on the “Cobalt Clipper” 309/310 services at Percy Main Depot. These brand new buses feature Esteban Civic V3 seating; free passenger Wi-Fi; power sockets with USB connections, and ‘Next Stop’ audio-visual announcements.
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April 2009
Go North East
This vehicle has received "Coaster" branding, with sub-branding for service 1 (Gateshead - Whitley Bay).
April 2017
Go North East
This vehicle has gained an allover rear advertisement for the Dalton Park shopping centre on the outskirts of Murton.
April 2007
Go North East
This vehicle has been repainted into a purple cream base livery, and has also received "The Drifter" branding, for services 60 (Sunderland - Seaham - Parkside) and 61 (Sunderland - Murton).
April 2017
Go North East
This vehicle has transferred from Deptford Depot to Peterlee, on temporary loan, to alleviate vehicle shortages.