Overall, I quite like the new ''Durham Diamond'' brand. I think it suits the Citaros quite well, although it's still incomplete with a few transfers due to be placed still. Looking forward to seeing how the ''Northern'' brand suits some of the Scania OmniDekkas. I still can't understand some people's opposition to the splitting of the 43/44/44A. Whilst I admit, the renumbering may seem illogical to some, but when you think about other services in the area (13/14/15/15A in Durham to go with the 16/16A), it makes perfect sense. Another point I'm seeing a lot of is that ''it's a long-established route''; granted, but it's comparable to the old Arriva X1/X2 in a way. Nobody is going to use it from end-to-end, as there is a quicker alternative, the 21. Similar with the 20 and the 50; both from South Shields to Durham, but the 50 is quicker. I think splitting the services will help with both reliability and punctuality, while some passengers might be frustrated at having to change, should they travel usually from one section of the route on one side of Stanley to the other, but in the long term, I think it will work.
Also, another point worth raising: 5284 and 5291 were the first two to be repainted, and now the first two to be branded. Coincidence?
