(05 Jan 2017, 4:40 pm)South Tyne Lad Which hopefully wont happen, As all new vehicle order's bar Indigo's come with 2 Corporate Spare's per batch, -
As I don't see any sense in leaving a sole example of a different vehicle type remaining at a depot for a large amount of time without replacement when the main focus is Fleet Standization.
The amount of spare vehicles ordered is reviewed on a route-by-route basis.
I'm not sure where the figure of 'two spares per batch' has come from. Details below:
- Venture: PVR 10 - 2 Spares
- Citylink 58: PVR 12 - 2 Spares
- Fab Fifty Six: PVR 15 - 2 Spares
- Cobalt Clipper: PVR 15 - 2 Spares
- indiGo East Durham: PVR 12 - 2 Spares
- Red Kite / Coast & Country (Stanley): Combined PVR 15 - 1 Spare
- Coast & Country (Chester-le-St): PVR 7 - 1 Spare
- Connections4: PVR 11 - 0 Spares
- Drifter: PVR 8 - 0 Spares
- TEN: PVR 13 - 0 Spares
- Saltwell Park: PVR 8 - 0 Spares
- X66 Metrocentre: PVR 4 - 0 Spares
- Red Kite 47: PVR 4 - 0 Spares
Since then, the spares for Citylink 58 (5389/90/8335) are shared between both Citylink 58 (PVR 8) and Quaylink (PVR 22), a combined PVR of 30. A reduction from one spare in every 6 vehicles to one in every 10.
Likewise Cobalt Clipper, from one spare in every 7.5, to one spare in every 16. The increase in the number of Volvo B7TLs allocated to the Cobalt Clipper services arguably suggests that Percy Main would greatly benefit from an additional spare vehicle, should one ever become available.
When the operation of the Coast & Country services transferred to Chester-le-Street, their spares went from one in every 7 to one in every 13. The allocation of 'wrong specification' buses being allocated has increased, but I'd still say it's very rare, which suggests that a depot can cope with one spare for every 13.
The general trend seems to be that the number of spare vehicles is reducing.
