North East Buses

6150 now in old fleet livery

(05 Jan 2026, 4:10 pm)WestDurhamSwift wrote [ -> ]6150 now in old fleet livery

2019 Fleet livery!? Wonder why. Do we think Saltmeadows haven’t got the new style of roadstripes yet?

Guessing they won’t have bothered with black window surrounds or headlight surrounds either?

(05 Jan 2026, 4:49 pm)ne14ne1 wrote [ -> ]2019 Fleet livery!? Wonder why. Do we think Saltmeadows haven’t got the new style of roadstripes yet?

Guessing they won’t have bothered with black window surrounds or headlight surrounds either?

Image from discord. The roadstripes are further forward than usual, image this is so they can update the livery with ease.

6151 next in the paintshop

Be interesting to see if it comes out in the New Livery.

(17 Jan 2026, 10:54 am)WestDurhamSwift wrote [ -> ]6151 next in the paintshop

Be interesting to see if it comes out in the New Livery.

Has came out in old livery

(21 Jan 2026, 10:24 am)NL62WVW wrote [ -> ]Has came out in old livery

Out today on the 58. Bus times has it down as the old livery but no photos tet.

(21 Jan 2026, 10:59 am)WestDurhamSwift wrote [ -> ]Out today on the 58. Bus times has it down as the old livery but no photos tet.

Bus times is correct, i drove it this morning

5372 now in fleet livery

(23 Jan 2026, 5:10 pm)WestDurhamSwift wrote [ -> ]5372 now in fleet livery

As is 5373

5360 now in Fleet livery

(26 Jan 2026, 9:05 pm)WestDurhamSwift wrote [ -> ]5360 now in Fleet livery

Seems a strange one to paint as I thought the Mercs would be going. Mind you it's nothing new for Go Ahead to repaint a vehicle and then dispose of it soon afterwards.

(28 Jan 2026, 11:11 am)ian foster wrote [ -> ]Seems a strange one to paint as I thought the Mercs would be going. Mind you it's nothing new for Go Ahead to repaint a vehicle and then dispose of it soon afterwards.

Possibly because they are dropping the  4 brand as they have the Drifter.

(28 Jan 2026, 11:11 am)ian foster wrote [ -> ]Seems a strange one to paint as I thought the Mercs would be going. Mind you it's nothing new for Go Ahead to repaint a vehicle and then dispose of it soon afterwards.

Let's hope they are not going for a while of being painted up there with one of the best types of buses GNE have had in recent years in my opinion absolute flying machines. Although I do appreciate they are ageing and becoming a bit more unreliable. Would rather travel on a merc any day of the week over a streetlite

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(29 Jan 2026, 2:34 pm)Swiny1 wrote [ -> ]Let's hope they are not going for a while of being painted up there with one of the best types of buses GNE have had in recent years in my opinion absolute flying machines. Although I do appreciate they are ageing and becoming a bit more unreliable.  Would rather travel on a merc any day of the week over a streetlite

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Looks like at the moment they're finishing off repaints on the vehicles allocated to Connections 4, Drifter 60, Country Ranger 8, East Gateshead Rider 58 and Voltra Q3 before they move onto doing Angel & X-Lines Streetdecks and CityRider 56's as they don't seem to have released anything else for repaint following entry into service of some of the new buses. 

I could see them using the East Gateshead Rider B9's once repaints are completed as a "Float Fleet" to cover Buses that then go for Repaint/Refurbishment in the coming months.

5375 now in fleet livery.

Apparently, Ex Angels and Xlines (basically all Streetdecks) and presumably CityRiders will be painted into 2026 fleet livery (same as new decks)..

5376 now in fleet livery (not sure if its the new variant or the old)

(09 Mar 2026, 6:34 pm)WestDurhamSwift wrote [ -> ]5376 now in fleet livery (not sure if its the new variant or the old)

So that marks the end for the Drifter brand then.
Surprised it never got a refreshed look in the 2020-2022 phase of when every brand got new looks.
So I guess they'll be moving onto the CountryRanger Lites next

the drifter brand might be dead but it is a shame really its been a brand for 20 years, maybe they might get it back witrh the E200MMC

That 56/20 were the flagship routes of deptford slowing sinking into forgotton routes like all none branded routes are

(10 Mar 2026, 9:29 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]the drifter brand might be dead but it is a shame really its been a brand for 20 years, maybe they might get it back witrh the E200MMC

That 56/20 were the flagship routes of deptford slowing sinking into forgotton routes like all none branded routes are

Despite what Stenning & others may say, the public want a simple, cohesive, unified bus system, not one that appears fragmented with different stupid names and garish colours for each route.

(10 Mar 2026, 10:31 pm)ne14ne1 wrote [ -> ]Despite want Stenning & others may say, the public want a simple, cohesive, unified bus system, not one that appears fragmented with different stupid names and garish colours for each route.

Except that there is proof that it works. Look at Reading Buses and Nottingham City Transport as prime examples. It only fails when the effort isn’t there.

(11 Mar 2026, 12:14 am)220631612 wrote [ -> ]Except that there is proof that it works. Look at Reading Buses and Nottingham City Transport as prime examples. It only fails when the effort isn’t there.

And countless more proof that a plain uniformed bus fleet does the job and it’s actually a cohesive, frequent, reliable & integrated experience the public is after, not an array of colours and names specifically? 

Worth noting both your examples are municipally owned and therefore ran for the public and not for profit.

(11 Mar 2026, 1:40 pm)ne14ne1 wrote [ -> ]And countless more proof that a plain uniformed bus fleet does the job and it’s actually a cohesive, frequent, reliable & integrated experience the public is after, not an array of colours and names specifically? 

Worth noting both your examples are municipally owned and therefore ran for the public and not for profit.

Tbf I could see the argument if the brands were unique and effectively replaced the route number or on corridors. 

Trent Barton for that are good as arguably remembering you need a Indigo bus to get home is arguably easier that the 205 or whatever 

When you start having multiple routes under one brand which go in opposite directions then it's pointless. 

The Leeds system is quite good with corridors aswell imo. Be handy in places in like Newcastle where you could have the 306/307/308/309/350/351 as the Coast Line and 30/31/35/43/44/45 as the Great North Line or whatever so people know what goes where but I don't believe the buses are branded though.

(10 Mar 2026, 9:29 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]the drifter brand might be dead but it is a shame really its been a brand for 20 years, maybe they might get it back witrh the E200MMC

That 56/20 were the flagship routes of deptford slowing sinking into forgotton routes like all none branded routes are

the E200MMC look like they are staying at Consett for the 78.

The classic Enviros are mostly all at Consett now, with the Red Kite B9s moving to Riverside.

6152 currently in for repaint.

(19 Mar 2026, 2:40 pm)WestDurhamSwift wrote [ -> ]6152 currently in for repaint.

So 2 more Riders left.
Wasn't the worst of liveries that came from the 2020-2022 phase of repaints.
Hopefully they start on some of the other B9's soon

(19 Mar 2026, 4:56 pm)X919 WGR wrote [ -> ]So 2 more Riders left.
Wasn't the worst of liveries that came from the 2020-2022 phase of repaints.
Hopefully they start on some of the other B9's soon

Imagine the Red Kite rangers will be next on the decker list.

This livery looks familiar. (note this isnt my photo and was taken from FB post)

(21 Mar 2026, 10:14 pm)WestDurhamSwift wrote [ -> ]This livery looks familiar. (note this isnt my photo and was taken from FB post)

I think that operator has had that livery floating around for a while.
Pretty sure its the same company that has the very same Euro 6 leaf design