(26 Aug 2017, 7:30 am)mb134 I don't think this would be an issue. Stagecoach Bluebird and East Scotland both use Elite i's on intercity service work, serving bus stations with no real issue at all.

(25 Aug 2017, 11:52 pm)RBZ 5459 Services by such operators are not normal stage-carriage services or if they are, are more limited stop than the likes of X9/X10. Limited stop ones in particular will use a bus station, with a DDA coach only being able to use it's electric wheelchair lift at a select few bus stops safely, like bus stations. A low entrance vehicle like the new B8RLE Leopard would be the closest choice to a 'coach' with the current setup of the Tyne Tees Xpress services, or some other Interdecker like the Elite i, but that's quite an overkill and sizeable investment.

(26 Aug 2017, 8:06 am)Dan I don't think Eldon Square Bus Station can be compared to many of the bus stations in East Scotland - I agree with the OP that large coaches serving Eldon Square would be a recipe for disaster. Peterlee should be alright, albeit a tight squeeze, as National Express services use this bus station.

If ever there was a contest for the most badly designed bus station...

(26 Aug 2017, 8:10 am)Dan One of the things being promoted is the fact that the new B5TLs have a marginally higher capacity than the current allocation - the extra few seats on the Volvo B5TLs are desirable at peak times.

(25 Aug 2017, 10:24 pm)Malarkey How many elderley and disabled people on a daily basis across the country use the likes of National Express, National Holidays, Megabus, JH Coaches, Oxford Tube, Greenline, Shearings which are all coach operated?

Answer to that question is "Thousands" without any complaints, why should the X9/X10 be an exception to the above.

Go North East has just withdrawn a batch of Caetano Levantes after 9 Years on National Express, so clearly if coaches were purchased they would be allocated to the X9/X10 for quite some time.

(26 Aug 2017, 8:06 am)Dan I don't think Eldon Square Bus Station can be compared to many of the bus stations in East Scotland - I agree with the OP that large coaches serving Eldon Square would be a recipe for disaster. Peterlee should be alright, albeit a tight squeeze, as National Express services use this bus station.

If ever there was a contest for the most badly designed bus station...

(26 Aug 2017, 9:13 am)mb134 I agree that Eldon Square is not a well designed bus station in the slightest, though I assumed the steering rear axle of larger coaches would help massively when turning at the bottom of the bus station?

I'm not at all sure how long the DAF coaches that Arriva used on the 685 were, but I can't imagine them being massively shorter?

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I was surprised at how many seats there seem to be downstairs on the B5TLs, they seem to be slightly longer than the current B9TLs? I assume this longer length, and therefore additional overall capacity, allowed Go North East to improve the overall specification of the bus in terms of installing tables without reducing capacity from the current allocation?

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(26 Aug 2017, 5:02 pm)omnicity4659 Seems like a lot of spares to be honest, maybe another route will be upgraded with some of those listed?

(26 Aug 2017, 3:10 pm)Michael When is the first Citaro for the X84/X85 due back from Blackburn?

Guessing the Citaro's which have a 10 reg go in to a spare role, this is how i can see them allocated:


Current allocations: 

Blaydon Racer – 5275, 76, 78, 79, 82.
Citylink 57 – 5277, 80, 81, 83, 93-97
X5 – 5285- 91
X84/X85/Tynedale – 5298-5303
35 – 5305-5309, 5325-27
27 – 5310-5322
5358 – 5368 – Connections 4
 

Current spares:

5283 – Riverside (12/12A)
5284 – Riverside (27)
5292 – Deptford (X5)
5323 – Riverside (57)
5324/37/38 – Washington (4, 50/50A)
 
Extra spares after refurbishment:
 
5328/29/30 – Deptford – 35/X5
5531, 32, 33, 34 – Riverside – 12/12A/27/57
5304, 5335/5336 – Hexham – X84/X85/Tyndale
 
Means at least every depot has extra spares for its Citaro’s routes, replacing Scania’s, basically I've gone for Depot Standardisation.

(26 Aug 2017, 5:16 pm)Malarkey Could replace the Scania L94's at Riverside on the Green Arrow 97/97A/X97 thus upgrading the service, alternatively they could be used replace the Scania L94's on the Black Cats 38/61 therefore all vehicles within the brand have the same features (Wifi, NSA's, Leather Seats).

(26 Aug 2017, 6:05 pm)Jamie M Aren't the 97 solars protected with some obscure council agreement?

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(26 Aug 2017, 7:36 pm)cbma06 Same as the solars on service 20 and X35, and those services ended up with streetlites and citarios.


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(26 Aug 2017, 7:54 pm)South Tyne Lad Probably because the Citaro's were fitted with the AVID E-Fan, A Emission's saving device just through other part's of the bus instead of the Eminox and Exhaust Traps fitted to the Solar's.

Streetlite's obviously are fitted with there Micro-Hybrid system aswell as the E-Fan, So both on a whole were more environmentally friendly than the Eminox fitted Solar's they replaced, Which were Euro4 upon modifying while the Citaro's and WrightLite's were Euro5.
Don't know if this was a result of all Private Investment or if there replacements are still funded by the council, however if it was all private then I'm sure the Council wouldn't complain!

There was discussion a while back about certain buses recieving eminox mods and it being funded by various local authorities. At the time, the query was whether those vehicles were to spend time within the same LA. As an example :- DCC fund mods to 5216 - it stays on routes that go in to Co Durham. 20 and then X35/X5.

I have no idea if it was ever confirmed what rules applied to the funding and if the vehicles were obliged to work in a specific area.

(26 Aug 2017, 8:29 pm)Andreos1 There's been a bit of discussion in the past about the mods.
Quite a few of us have our own specific niche interests. It could be allocations to Deptford, blobs on buses, Renowns, or the mechanical side of things.
One of mine is Public Funds being used to benefit the purse of a private PLC.

When GNE sell these vehicles, the potential to increase the sale value is going to be higher - if only because of the support of the LA's.

Anyway, I've found a quote from earlier this year.

It might be worth looking to see where the old purple Solar's ended up...
DCC contributed a big chunk of money to install the Eminox mods on them.

(26 Aug 2017, 9:17 pm)South Tyne Lad Never thought of it that way to be honest, But yeah most of them ended up at Chester-Le-Street, Which is obviously in County Durham.

If the same logic goes towards the rest that were treated that would limit the Green Arrow's/Loop's to routes serving Gateshead Council area for the rest of there time here, Fast Cat's/Prince Bishops to County Durham or Sunderland City Council's area, So majority of Solar's wont stray too far from where there operating for the rest of there working lives.

(26 Aug 2017, 8:35 pm)Ambassador Jesus, had 2 Waggonway solarss today, no ID I'm afraid. But the geaebox and suspension on them was absolutely ruined. Surely, considering the reliability and pvr issues of the 28, the Solar can't have long leftv