(20 Apr 2020, 3:01 pm)col87 How many of the Wright solar are left in operation or where before lockdown. They always seemed decent buses to ride on whenever I used to get the old X35 from Hartlepool.

(20 Apr 2020, 3:05 pm)Dan 8 - all allocated to Deptford and used on service 35.


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(20 Apr 2020, 3:17 pm)cbma06 I heard a rumour don’t know how much is true that when new streetdecks arrive for the X45 sequence, the RK streetlites arrive at deptford, there be going on the 55 with the citarios going on the 35?


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(20 Apr 2020, 3:31 pm)col87 I can't see 55 working very well with streetlites.  I would make so most journey are double Deckers.  In fact the 55 is quite a strange service considering the 23 gets to Sunderland a lot quicker and can't see many people from Hartlepool needing to go to Doxford Park.

(20 Apr 2020, 3:05 pm)Dan 8 - all allocated to Deptford and used on service 35.


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(20 Apr 2020, 3:39 pm)cbma06 55 doesn’t warrant double deckers, the 55 is not in direct competition with Arriva 23 between Hartlepool and Sunderland, should bring back the X6/X7 Hartlepool/Oakerside to Sunderland and disconnect it with the X20, and extend the X5/X15 from Durham to Sunderland replacing the X20


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(20 Apr 2020, 8:23 pm)stagecoachbusdepot Is the 35 one of the most downgraded routes in the network?  I remember when it was the Laser with new Mercs....can't remember now but did the downgrade to Solars coincide with the loss of the Shields section, or something else?  Presume the route that remains is (in normal times - not re Covid) not lucrative hence the downgrade if so?

(20 Apr 2020, 8:52 pm)Andreos1 It was a mixed allocation at one point. Not enough Mercs, so they stuck Solars on to make up the PVR. 
All downhill from there. There's been all sorts of changes and variations to what was (apparently) a very popular, money making group of services.

The Mercs went to other depots, the route was reduced in frequency and now it is entirely made up of Solars - bar a few boards which run on to contracted runs.
Not sure if it was an intentional downgrade or simply a consequence of the eminox upgrade contract specs.

(20 Apr 2020, 8:23 pm)stagecoachbusdepot Is the 35 one of the most downgraded routes in the network?  I remember when it was the Laser with new Mercs....can't remember now but did the downgrade to Solars coincide with the loss of the Shields section, or something else?  Presume the route that remains is (in normal times - not re Covid) not lucrative hence the downgrade if so?

(20 Apr 2020, 9:41 pm)JP6004 They did try to sort allocation out by proposing 35 being curtailed at Sunderland and increasing frequency of the 20. All the citaros were to be allocated to 35 and the remaining L94 to make up PVR increase on 20.

However customers rejected the proposal in consultation. The exhaust modifications not long followed, so they had to be allocated to Sunderland services. Same as the Green Arrow L94 had to be allocated to Gateshead services

The original proposed changes were implemented in 2014 possibly? Then obviously the Streetlites came in 2016. As the solars had to remain at Deptford as per contract, I believe the citaros were shipped out to upgrade other services.

Correct me if wrong peeps but think that was general jist

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Angel was just as downgraded prior to B5s being received in 2012...

(20 Apr 2020, 8:52 pm)Andreos1 It was a mixed allocation at one point. Not enough Mercs, so they stuck Solars on to make up the PVR. 
All downhill from there. There's been all sorts of changes and variations to what was (apparently) a very popular, money making group of services.

The Mercs went to other depots, the route was reduced in frequency and now it is entirely made up of Solars - bar a few boards which run on to contracted runs.
Not sure if it was an intentional downgrade or simply a consequence of the eminox upgrade contract specs.

(20 Apr 2020, 9:41 pm)JP6004 They did try to sort allocation out by proposing 35 being curtailed at Sunderland and increasing frequency of the 20. All the citaros were to be allocated to 35 and the remaining L94 to make up PVR increase on 20.

However customers rejected the proposal in consultation. The exhaust modifications not long followed, so they had to be allocated to Sunderland services. Same as the Green Arrow L94 had to be allocated to Gateshead services

The original proposed changes were implemented in 2014 possibly? Then obviously the Streetlites came in 2016. As the solars had to remain at Deptford as per contract, I believe the citaros were shipped out to upgrade other services.

Correct me if wrong peeps but think that was general jist

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Angel was just as downgraded prior to B5s being received in 2012...

(20 Apr 2020, 10:37 pm)L469 YVK Reasons the Angel got downgraded was as follows:

- Extra B7TL Geminis required for the X9/X10.

- Split allocation of single & double decks didn't work so Omnicities were swapped for Percy Main's lolynes.

(20 Apr 2020, 10:34 pm)stagecoachbusdepot Was that when they stupidly went for Omnicities for the busiest corridor on the network?  Or the arrival of the Vykings and other ex London tat?

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I forgot about the mixed allocation with the Solars operating alongside the Mercs on the Laser for a good while.

It's odd to think the 35 was one of the first of the 'Gold Standard' services to look at what it's now become.

(20 Apr 2020, 9:41 pm)JP6004 They did try to sort allocation out by proposing 35 being curtailed at Sunderland and increasing frequency of the 20. All the citaros were to be allocated to 35 and the remaining L94 to make up PVR increase on 20.

However customers rejected the proposal in consultation. The exhaust modifications not long followed, so they had to be allocated to Sunderland services. Same as the Green Arrow L94 had to be allocated to Gateshead services

The original proposed changes were implemented in 2014 possibly? Then obviously the Streetlites came in 2016. As the solars had to remain at Deptford as per contract, I believe the citaros were shipped out to upgrade other services.

Correct me if wrong peeps but think that was general jist

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Angel was just as downgraded prior to B5s being received in 2012...

(21 Apr 2020, 9:47 am)Andreos1 Yeah, I think that's about right from what I understand. 
Notice they still went ahead with the Shields extension for the 20 a couple of years later. Mind, that was after the shambolic consultation event in Park Lane.

(21 Apr 2020, 9:51 am)JP6004 But to be fair, the route between Shields and Sunderland was practically identical. I didnt see an issue between curtailing 35 at Sunderland and increasing the frequency of the 20

(21 Apr 2020, 10:02 am)Andreos1 Suppose it depends where people are going to and from. 
Direct links to the hospitals were lost, retail (the big Tesco as an example) too.

It will be OK for some to change buses and potentially pay more for their journey in the form of a day ticket, rather than singles/returns.
Not for others though.

(21 Apr 2020, 10:10 am)JP6004 Think there was only a handful of journeys a day where people went to hospital from shields to Sunderland section. Sure there was something said in the media at the time. But I think with the new ticketing system, travel patterns etc will provide huge insight which will allow service changes to meet the needs of the majority of people. I think this is why the changes that have been introduced haven't been on such a large scale and tend to be more timetable amendments

(21 Apr 2020, 11:09 am)Andreos1 I agree that the new machines will provide all sorts of data, unavailable or more accurate than the machines of yore. Even if a sample of data is used, it will be a lot more accurate than previous. 

Quite how they determined there was just a handful of people using that stretch and felt that that data was accurate enough to make the changes they did, is anyones guess. Particularly with the knock-on effect it had on services like the 35.