16 Jul 2017, 8:12 am
#146
(15 Jul 2017, 10:56 pm)MrBoyt Hello all,
So, I'll be starting training with GNE at Riverside soon enough. What kind of (presumably old) vehicles will I have the pleasure of driving?
Predominantly Wright Solar bodied Scania L94s (52 plates) - though there are a small number of coaches and one or two Wright Cadet bodied DAF SB120s also being used at present.
Fleet list:
http://northeastbuses.co.uk/fleet/list.p...o=Fleet+No.®=Registration&chassis=Chassis&bodywork=Bodywork&depot=driver+train&livery=Livery&year=Year&euro=Euro&operatorF=2&priorityF=all&soldF=
(15 Jul 2017, 11:14 pm)Andreos1 The question was about why the vehicles are now suited to NE ops as opposed to Brighton.
If they're good enough for the North East, then surely they're good enough for Brighton?
Whilst I get why assets are shifted about (at a cost), the regular acquiring of second hand deckers (which has gone on for years and shows no sign of abating) indicates to me that something is up with operations here in the North East and it isn't just roadwork's or the economy (as is the excuses provided to shareholders).
I appreciate passengers can't just appear with a click of a finger, but why aren't numbers growing? Why aren't we seeing 35x new Streetdecks appearing? Why do we see a constant supply of second hand vehicles? Whilst a sister company is displacing 6 year old vehicles on to secondary routes.
It could also coincide with the nature of what a large number of double-deck vehicles here in the North East are allocated to.
Double-deck buses in Brighton are allocated to their own commercially-operated services - most of their services, as we know, have loadings which justify double-deck vehicles. Up here, aside from the commercially-operated services, Go North East also runs a sizeable amount of double-deckers which are allocated to scholars services, special events and closed contracts (which do not have to be registered) including Private Hire.
It goes without saying that scholars services do not make enough money to justify a brand new vehicle - especially given the fact these contracts only ever tend to last one year, and there is a risk that any operator would lose a sizeable number of contracts the next year. Just look at what has happened this year: Go North East has lost a large number of services, and the likes of Stanley Travel have picked up the contracts instead. What did Stanley Travel acquire? A handful of ex-London double-decks!
When it comes to tendered work, there is a much more competitive environment up here, and that's why there is a need for low value double-decks. Clearly for Go North East, these are readily available at London and Brighton & Hove. I would imagine, in the next few years, Go North East will be seeking to replace these Scania OmniDekkas with newer vehicles.
