(21 Jul 2019, 9:22 am)Michael Any fleet changes today due to service changes??

With the X31 moving to Consett there’s 3 additional boards to add. Might of thought that 5420, 5441 & 5442 might move from riverside. Iirc the 6/6A is down to 4 boards, wonder if the Mercs being released off the X30 when the new buses arrive will end up on the 6 ( if not needed back onto the scholars they came off)

(21 Jul 2019, 6:07 pm)L469 YVK So are these PVR's correct then:
- X31/X45/X46: 13
- X47/X70/X71: 9
- X5/X15: 3

So will this mean the following for the StreetDecks?
- 25x Consett (Main service)
- 3x Consett (Spares)
- 1x Crook/CLS (X21)
- 1x Crook/CLS (Spare)
- 1x float OM936 sample

Yeah I worked out that it would work out as :

X45-X31-X46 pvr 8

X46-X45 pvr 5

X70/X71-X47-X71/X70 pvr 9

X5/X15 pvr 3

Looking at the duty boards early mornings will see a fair amount of inter working between streetdeck routes and it seems as though the daytime X70/X71 buses will remain out on the late night X45/X46 and the late X70s will run off X45 daytime boards.

(21 Jul 2019, 5:37 pm)Stanleyone

With the X31 moving to Consett there’s 3 additional boards to add. Might of thought that 5420, 5441 & 5442 might move from riverside. Iirc the 6/6A is down to 4 boards, wonder if the Mercs being released off the X30 when the new buses arrive will end up on the 6 ( if not needed back onto the scholars they came off)

When Stanley was open, there was no school holidays PVR reduction, as all of the scholars buses were still used as taxis between Stanley Depot, Stanley Bus Station and Consett.

At Consett, those scholars buses aren't required for taxis anymore (other than one bus to operate the V11). Consett usually has a PVR of 55, but during the school holidays the depot now sees a PVR reduction down to 47 (including the X31), so plenty of buses to cope even without 5420/40/41.

Clearly it'll be a messy allocation pending delivery of new vehicles, but unavoidable really.

(21 Jul 2019, 9:22 am)Michael Any fleet changes today due to service changes??

Yes.

Consett:

- 647 & 648 to Deptford (although 647 is currently VOR and hence cannot transfer), due to the loss of services 30/30A.

- 697 to Riverside (number of spare minibuses can be reduced following the PVR reduction, and this bus should be allocated to the M6/M7/M8 along with the five branded Solos).

Deptford:

- 650 & 651 to Percy Main (although 651 is still currently on loan to Peterlee and won't transfer to Percy Main until 647 transfers in from Consett). This means that service 19 should be operated by 4x Optare Solo now.

- 6126, 6127 & 6129 to Riverside, resuming their usual duties.

- 5201 & 5215 withdrawn

The outstanding withdrawal of 4969 should have also taken place this weekend.

Riverside:

- 5250 to Chester-le-Street

- 5420 to Deptford (to operate service 33 along with the three Solos, following the extension of the route from Silksworth to East Herrington via Gilley Law and Farringdon, off-peak).

- 3968, 4938, 5216, 5217, 9072, 9073 & 9074 withdrawn

Washington:

- 5262 to Chester-le-Street

- 3962, 3963, 3964, 5487 to Deptford

Percy Main:

- 5267 & 5268 to Chester-le-Street

The outstanding withdrawal of 5205 should have also taken place this weekend.

Chester-le-Street:

- 4932 to Deptford

- 8297, 8298, 8299, 8300 to Riverside (although 8300 is still currently at Chester-le-Street while 5267 is repainted).

Go North East: 0697 / YJ59NNH by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Go North East: 5217 / NK54NVN by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Go North East: 8298 / NK09FUW by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

(21 Jul 2019, 7:08 pm)Dan

Yes.

Consett:

- 647 & 648 to Deptford (although 647 is currently VOR and hence cannot transfer), due to the loss of services 30/30A.

- 697 to Riverside (number of spare minibuses can be reduced following the PVR reduction, and this bus should be allocated to the M6/M7/M8 along with the five branded Solos).

Deptford:

- 650 & 651 to Percy Main (although 651 is still currently on loan to Peterlee and won't transfer to Percy Main until 647 transfers in from Consett). This means that service 19 should be operated by 4x Optare Solo now.

- 6126, 6127 & 6129 to Riverside, resuming their usual duties.

- 5201 & 5215 withdrawn

The outstanding withdrawal of 4969 should have also taken place this weekend.

Riverside:

- 5250 to Chester-le-Street

- 5420 to Deptford (to operate service 33 along with the three Solos, following the extension of the route from Silksworth to East Herrington via Gilley Law and Farringdon, off-peak).

- 3968, 4938, 5216, 5217, 9072, 9073 & 9074 withdrawn

Washington:

- 5262 to Chester-le-Street

- 3962, 3963, 3964, 5487 to Deptford

Percy Main:

- 5267 & 5268 to Chester-le-Street

The outstanding withdrawal of 5205 should have also taken place this weekend.

Chester-le-Street:

- 4932 to Deptford

- 8297, 8298, 8299, 8300 to Riverside (although 8300 is still currently at Chester-le-Street while 5267 is repainted).

(21 Jul 2019, 7:22 pm)Michael Thanks for the info Dan.

Quite a few buses withdrawn, have 3962, 3963, 3964 moved to Deptford for the Metro replacement?

No - some work is being carried out to the building facilities at Washington, which means some of the buses which are primarily allocated to their school contracts (and peak-time duplicate runs) need to transfer out temporarily.

(21 Jul 2019, 7:31 pm)Dan

No - some work is being carried out to the building facilities at Washington, which means some of the buses which are primarily allocated to their school contracts (and peak-time duplicate runs) need to transfer out temporarily.

(21 Jul 2019, 7:08 pm)Dan

Yes.

Consett:

- 647 & 648 to Deptford (although 647 is currently VOR and hence cannot transfer), due to the loss of services 30/30A.

- 697 to Riverside (number of spare minibuses can be reduced following the PVR reduction, and this bus should be allocated to the M6/M7/M8 along with the five branded Solos).

Deptford:

- 650 & 651 to Percy Main (although 651 is still currently on loan to Peterlee and won't transfer to Percy Main until 647 transfers in from Consett). This means that service 19 should be operated by 4x Optare Solo now.

- 6126, 6127 & 6129 to Riverside, resuming their usual duties.

- 5201 & 5215 withdrawn

The outstanding withdrawal of 4969 should have also taken place this weekend.

Riverside:

- 5250 to Chester-le-Street

- 5420 to Deptford (to operate service 33 along with the three Solos, following the extension of the route from Silksworth to East Herrington via Gilley Law and Farringdon, off-peak).

- 3968, 4938, 5216, 5217, 9072, 9073 & 9074 withdrawn

Washington:

- 5262 to Chester-le-Street

- 3962, 3963, 3964, 5487 to Deptford

Percy Main:

- 5267 & 5268 to Chester-le-Street

The outstanding withdrawal of 5205 should have also taken place this weekend.

Chester-le-Street:

- 4932 to Deptford

- 8297, 8298, 8299, 8300 to Riverside (although 8300 is still currently at Chester-le-Street while 5267 is repainted).

Go North East: 0697 / YJ59NNH by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Go North East: 5217 / NK54NVN by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Go North East: 8298 / NK09FUW by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

5267 has already been re-painted

(21 Jul 2019, 7:08 pm)Dan

Yes.

Consett:

- 647 & 648 to Deptford (although 647 is currently VOR and hence cannot transfer), due to the loss of services 30/30A.

- 697 to Riverside (number of spare minibuses can be reduced following the PVR reduction, and this bus should be allocated to the M6/M7/M8 along with the five branded Solos).

Deptford:

- 650 & 651 to Percy Main (although 651 is still currently on loan to Peterlee and won't transfer to Percy Main until 647 transfers in from Consett). This means that service 19 should be operated by 4x Optare Solo now.

- 6126, 6127 & 6129 to Riverside, resuming their usual duties.

- 5201 & 5215 withdrawn

The outstanding withdrawal of 4969 should have also taken place this weekend.

Riverside:

- 5250 to Chester-le-Street

- 5420 to Deptford (to operate service 33 along with the three Solos, following the extension of the route from Silksworth to East Herrington via Gilley Law and Farringdon, off-peak).

- 3968, 4938, 5216, 5217, 9072, 9073 & 9074 withdrawn

Washington:

- 5262 to Chester-le-Street

- 3962, 3963, 3964, 5487 to Deptford

Percy Main:

- 5267 & 5268 to Chester-le-Street

The outstanding withdrawal of 5205 should have also taken place this weekend.

Chester-le-Street:

- 4932 to Deptford

- 8297, 8298, 8299, 8300 to Riverside (although 8300 is still currently at Chester-le-Street while 5267 is repainted).

Go North East: 0697 / YJ59NNH by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Go North East: 5217 / NK54NVN by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Go North East: 8298 / NK09FUW by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Will 9072/73/74 be reinstated next weekend for the Sunderland Airshow?

(21 Jul 2019, 5:34 pm)streetdeckfan I wouldn't be surprised if they've hidden it to push people towards the day tickets because there's basically no mention of single or return tickets

Basically any fare under £2 has increased by 10p, returns are still available but are now capped at the price of a day ticket so you will get better value from a day ticket if it is the same price, also QR codes have been removed from return tickets to stop people using them more than they should, basically giving those who were doing it a cheap day ticket as they were not cancelled by the ticket machine after scanning them and could be used again on another vehicle between the same points

(21 Jul 2019, 10:26 pm)N1cholas

Basically any fare under £2 has increased by 10p, returns are still available but are now capped at the price of a day ticket so you will get better value from a day ticket if it is the same price, also QR codes have been removed from return tickets to stop people using them more than they should, basically giving those who were doing it a cheap day ticket as they were not cancelled by the ticket machine after scanning them and could be used again on another vehicle between the same points

I did notice an Arriva driver on the 57A (Northumbria) doing the usual 'rip' on a return ticket after Arriva got ticketers installed.

On another note, could the QR codes not be setup to reject the ticket after use?

(21 Jul 2019, 10:26 pm)N1cholas

Basically any fare under £2 has increased by 10p, returns are still available but are now capped at the price of a day ticket so you will get better value from a day ticket if it is the same price, also QR codes have been removed from return tickets to stop people using them more than they should, basically giving those who were doing it a cheap day ticket as they were not cancelled by the ticket machine after scanning them and could be used again on another vehicle between the same points

So that means the X21 from Bishop to Tindale is now 20p more than the Arriva as they kept their cheaper tickets the same price

I never understood why the QR code was on the return tickets, it did seem a bit out of place

(21 Jul 2019, 5:25 pm)OrangeArrow49

I noticed that. I think it's just temporary. GNE told me recently return fares will be online to inform customers, as I asked if return fares were being scrapped and they said any changes will be on the website. Some return fares are increasing. I think returns for longer journeys are being replaced with the new better value day tickets.

Shorter single/return fares are increasing, though longer ones are staying the same. So Arnison centre or Durham city centre to salutation remains £1.40 on Arriva but will go up from £1.60 to £1.70, I think, on GNE.

At least the family day tickets are still a tenner. Probably the only fare I request that hasn't increased.

(21 Jul 2019, 11:16 pm)BusLoverMum

Shorter single/return fares are increasing, though longer ones are staying the same. So Arnison centre or Durham city centre to salutation remains £1.40 on Arriva but will go up from £1.60 to £1.70, I think, on GNE.

At least the family day tickets are still a tenner. Probably the only fare I request that hasn't increased.

Arriva did the opposite by freezing the short fares and increasing the longer ones, which I think was a good move. I don't usually say nice things about Arriva, but their fares are starting to look a bit more attractive now they're quite a bit cheaper than GNE, it's getting to the point where I think I would consider travelling Arriva.

(21 Jul 2019, 10:37 pm)L469 YVK

I did notice an Arriva driver on the 57A (Northumbria) doing the usual 'rip' on a return ticket after Arriva got ticketers installed.

On another note, could the QR codes not be setup to reject the ticket after use?

I'd imagine it would be difficult  because I don't think that the QR codes aren't stored centrally to validate them on scan, but merely contain an encrypted expiry date within the QR code.