North East Buses

(22 Jul 2015, 5:47 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]Doing a Dales & District outing tomorrow where I will head to Beadle, Leyburn, Northallerton, Richmond and Ripon.

Is there anything I should be looking out for in these areas or any suggestions, I know there is the Ripon Town Service operated by Shaun's hopefully I will get a photo of the Optare Tempo Hybrid.

Unfortunately to fit as many buses and areas in as possible I've had to squeeze as much in as I can which has resulted in some small times in some locations, annoyingly I only have 25 minutes in Ripon and annoyingly it seems I will miss some things but it was spend either 25 minutes or somewhere between 2-3 hours which I didn't want to do. May try to do Ripon again at some point.

It's always good to see some of the more unusual stuff that serves Richmond Schools at kicking out time

On Wednesday I took a trip to Middleton In Teesdale from Gateshead and back via Durham and Bishop Auckland using GNE and Scarlet Band Buses. My first bus of the day was GNE 6037, a Plaxton bodied Volvo B7 on the 8.45 X21 from Gateshead. The bus arrived on time and there were no issues with the journey. The bus was painted in Pronto livery and was starting to show its age of 15 years. None the less, we arrived in Durham bus station on time. I was hoping for one of the demonstrators but this was not to be.

I alighted at Durham and spent about half a hour spotting and getting some photographs. In addition to the usual GNE and Arriva stock, there was a healthy presence of independents in the form of Scarlet Band and Stanley Travel. I was pleased to see a number of Darts from GNE operating East Durham services and was able to get some decent photos of them near the bus station. It is interesting to contrast the Darts with Arriva’s new vehicles operating the Sapphire services to see how the style of bodywork has evolved since they first entered service. I also noted a number of mini and midi buses from Witton Gilbert based Colors Taxis.

At 9.55, I boarded GNE 6041, for the next stage of my journey from Durham to Bishop Auckland on the X21. This bus is in a similar condition to 6037 and also operates in Pronto livery. The journey was OK, but the driver was going a bit too fast between Coundon Gate and Bishop Auckland which caused peoples’ belongings to go all over the floor when he braked suddenly. There were no other concerns over the journey. We passed the site of the former OK travel headquarters in Bishop Auckland which is now completely demolished. I had enjoyed many interesting visits to this garage in the 1980s and 1990s. The OK staff were always helpful and used to let me look around.

On arrival at Bishop Auckland I was pleased to see vehicles from a variety of independent operators. These were S & B, Scarlet Band, Weardale Motor Services, Eden and Durham County Council. I was able to get some good photos of all of these operators’ vehicles. I also got some good photos of Arriva and GNE stock, including GNE’s OK branded Darts. GNE’s Dennis demonstrator also arrived on the next X21 and I was able to get a good set of photos. I enjoyed my time at Bishop Auckland greatly and would have stayed longer if possible.

At 11.05 I boarded a very busy Scarlet Band 85 service to Barnard Castle. The vehicle was 28 seater Optare M880, NX55FFS. The bus left slightly late due to the heavy loading and the friendly driver trying to find the option for my Explorer ticket on his machine. By the time we reached the outskirts of Bishop Auckland it was standing room only. A number of passengers alighted at the supermarket at Tindale Crescent. The bus remained full for the remainder of the journey with all seats taken. The driver was able to make up time on the quiet country roads. It had been a number of years since I last travelled this route, so I sat back and enjoyed the beautiful countryside of the Gaunless Valley.

We passed the depots of Eden at West Auckland and Watsons at Staindrop. The last time I spotted at Staindrop, I visited the premises of the now defunct Stirks Coaches, which used to be based near the village green. There were a number of Watsons vehicles present at the operating centre at the village edge. Scarlet Band also have a small outstation in Staindrop. The bus also gave excellent views of the magnificent Raby Castle, ancestral home of Lord Barnard. The only disappointing aspect of the journey was passing the site of the former United depot at Bishop Auckland which is looking very forlorn.

The bus arrived at Barnard Castle on time and I alighted outside Teesdale School. I then took a path through the school grounds and passed the premises of Teesdale Community Resources. This charity operates a single minibus on a non-profit basis. The path brought me out on Harmire Road near the swimming pool. It was a short walk to Stephen Maude’s depot. Maude’s run an interesting fleet of 10 vehicles ranging from midi buses to full size coaches. There are no longer any deckers in the fleet.

Mr Maude was very friendly and had no problems with me looking around the premises. I was able to get some really good photos, the majority of the fleet being present. Mr Maude invited me into the office and showed me his family’s photo album. This had pictures of Maude’s vehicles from the 1930s onwards. It was fascinating to see how much bus design had changed over of the years. What I also found very interesting was how the styles of clothing and fashion varied with time. The album gave a good indication of the changing vehicle policies of an independent rural centred operator. I thanked Mr Maude and his staff for a most enjoyable visit and continued on my way.

My next stop was Figgy Bus which is a relatively new minibus operator at Barnard Castle. They have a small fleet of smartly presented minibuses. This was the first time I had ever spotted their vehicles. The owner was working in her garden and I was able to get some good photos of the minibuses. I then walked to Barnard Castle town centre. Being market day, the town was very busy. I was able to get some photos of Scarlet Band, Hodgsons and Arriva vehicles. I also visited the main car park which had a number of touring coaches parked up along with more Scarlet Band vehicles. I then had a good look around the market and shops.

I was waiting for the bus to Middleton In Teesdale when Cumbria Classic Coaches 1959 Bristol Lodekka 627HFM arrived on the 572 service from Kirkby Stephen. The bus was full with market day shoppers and I was able to get some good photos. The bus tried to park in the main coach park but this was full, I therefore was able to get photos of it perilously reversing up the town’s narrow back streets in search of an alternative parking space.

My next bus was Scarlet Band MX55WCZ (another Optare) which I took straight to Middleton In Teesdale using the 95 service. The bus was branded for the service 20 Neasham – Sadberge. This was a good journey through beautiful villages. I had drunk in many of the small country pubs along the way years ago and was glad to see they were still all open. The countryside in Upper Teesdale is really lovely and I had a great view of the rugged hills in the distance.

We arrived at Middleton In Teasdale on time and I alighted at Chapel Row. I visited the premises of Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services Limited (UTASS). This charity runs a minibus service on a Thursday evenings for people wishing to travel into Middleton In Teesdale for social and leisure activities. They also do a great deal of work with the isolated farming community in Upper Teesdale. The charity runs a single Ford Transit on a Section 19 Permit. Next I visited the former garage Of Teesdale Coach Services (Jewitts). This former partnership used to be one of largest bus operators in Teesdale, working scholars and local stage services as part of the former Rural Ride network. It was a shame to see that the depot is now derelict and that the garage building has been demolished.  

I then took a slow walk to Alston Road and visited the premises of Tallentire which operates a small minibus fleet. Ian Tallentire is one of the trustees of UTASS. Finally I visited Hodgsons' small outstation in the former railway station yard after a nice walk over the fields and across a footbridge. You can walk most of the way from Barnard Castle to Middleton In Teesdale along the former railway which is now footpath and cycleway. There was a single coach present at the outstation. It was now lunch time so I ate my packed lunch on the village green and explored the rest of the village. Middleton In Teesdale is a lovely place and is well worth a visit.

Scarlet Band Optare NX55FFR to took me back to Barnard Castle at 13.27. The bus was sparsely used with only 7 passengers (including myself) during the entire length of the journey. We arrived at Barnard Castle on time and I decided to get some photos of the Bowes Museum. After a short walk I arrived at this stunning building and got some great external shots. There was an exhibition of Yves Saint Laurent’s work and life on at the museum. I’m glad my partner was not aware, or she would have spent all day in there! I then walked back into the town centre via Barnard Castle School. I was able to photograph the school’s small minibus fleet which runs on a Section 19 Permit.    

The 15.43 Scarlet Band service took me back to Bishop Auckland using NX55FFS again. The service was well used and I enjoyed the return journey. At West Auckland Eden’s garage was open and I was able to spot their preserved Bristol LH and Leyland Leopard. Next it was back on GNE 6041 working the 16.37 X21. Again I hoping for one of the demonstrators but my luck was not in. This bus arrived at Durham on time.

I decided to take a break at Durham and got some tea. I then did a bit spotting by the bus station. My final bus of the day was GNE 6069 working the 17.26 service 21 to Newcastle. This journey was on time and passed off without incident. It was a good trip and I enjoyed visiting places that I had not been to in a long time. All the buses were on time, there were no drunken passengers and I did not injure myself. I would definitely do this journey again. If I could make a change, I would attempt to reach Hodgson’s garage which is located on a farm about 2 miles from Barnard Castle. Guess I’ll need my walking boots and map for that visit when I get round to doing it.

Charles

(24 Jul 2015, 10:36 am)Charles41 wrote [ -> ]At 11.05 I boarded a very busy Scarlet Band 85 service to Barnard Castle. The vehicle was 28 seater Optare M880, NX55FFS. The bus left slightly late due to the heavy loading and the friendly driver trying to find the option for my Explorer ticket on his machine.

Great review.

You were lucky to actually use an Explorer ticket on the 85 from Bishop Auckland as I think the Explorer ticket is not actually valid on the Bishop Auckland - Cockfield section of this route which I think is something to do with this section of the route being commercial with the Cockfield - Barnard Castle section being supported by Durham County Council I think. May be wrong on that but I think it's been said before.

It's nice that a fair few people seem to be using the Scarlet Band 85, the 1700 85 Barnard Castle - Bishop Auckland last night carried a decent amount of passengers with many of them being fare paying passengers to.

Today, I had an adventure to kill some boredom. Last year, I found that despite planning on making the most of available days during the summer holidays, I ended up just losing motivation to go out, and wound up doing nothing. With the new ''indiGo'' Solos at Saltmeadows Road depot arriving, I decided I would aim to head down to Saltmeadows for some photographs. Here is how the day played out...

#36 – Chester-le-Street Durham County Cricket Ground to Houghton-le-Spring Church – (09:48 --- 10:10) – Go North East 4942 – Scania L94UB/Wright Solar
I left the house at 09:35, aiming to catch the 09:50 36 service from my local stop to Houghton-le-Spring, then onto the ''Red Arrows'' X1 to Washington. I was hoping for a red Wright Renown; having seen quite a lot of them on the service recently. Also, I'm getting a bit tired of the corporate liveried Solars. I couldn't tell you the last time I had a gold Citaro on the 36. Must just be my luck. After getting to the stop for 09:45, I only had five minutes to wait until it was due. Surprisingly, I saw it coming down Ropery Lane a couple of minutes early. I boarded and asked for a Get Around; the driver seemed pleasant, however I was annoyed at how the ticket came out. It happens once in a blue moon, but it's just irritating; where the ink doesn't fully print, and it just looks like some messed up code on the ticket. Fortunately, I know how to read them in this state; but it just drives me crackers. There were two others on board; who alighted in Great Lumley. I had the bus to myself all the way up to Avenue Vivian, where two elderly women boarded. One then jumped off at the next stop, while the other alighted in Houghton-le-Spring with me. I couldn't fault the mechanics of this Solar; it offered a smooth ride, and was better than my last Solar on the 36, 4936, which had a very annoying ''hissing'' noise every few seconds...

#X1 – Houghton-le-Spring Church to Washington The Galleries Bus Station – (10:19 --- 10:35) – Go North East 6013 – Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President
After waiting for a while, I saw a corporate liveried Plaxton President coming in the way the X1 does. It was indeed on the ''Red Arrows'', covering for a branded vehicle, and it was 6013. I once had this from Washington to Heworth on the 82/82A. The driver had his blazer around the seat, while I was waiting to board; I noticed he had a few Tyne and Wear PTE driver badges on his blazer; possibly an enthusiast? He was a rather old looking driver, possibly late fifties. Rather than head upstairs, I decided to sit at the rear. One big flaw in the Volvo Presidents, for me, is the layout downstairs. With the stairwell towards the back, it means a few seats are lost. I noticed how many OAPs were forced to stand along the Washington Highway; speaking of which, it really struggled on that fast-paced section of the route. When we did get to the Galleries, I was quite pleased to be off. I had a brief walk into the shopping centre to kill some time, as I watched a ''Connections4'' branded Citaro depart for Heworth, just in front of us, as we came to a halt. Speaking of which, that was to be my next move. 

#4 – Washington The Galleries Bus Station to Heworth Metro Interchange – (10:47 --- 11:06) – Go North East 5366 – Mercedes 0530N/Mercedes Citaro
This Citaro came into sight just as a ''Red Arrows'' was preparing to leave, there was about ten others waiting for the 4, and I was one of the last to board. We left the Galleries with about fifteen seats taken; I sat on the final row, resting my arm against the thing where another seat could be, on the driver's side. I don't know what it's called, but I hope you know what I mean. The seats were extremely comfortable; I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I don't think any other Citaros in the fleet can match how nice the ones on the ''Connections4'' are. A couple of chavs boarded in Concord; which is a magnet for them, worse than Stanley. The Next Stop Announcements on the 4 are also some of the best in the fleet; it shows how Go North East have improved them over time, I recall quite a few people were initially peeved with the ones on the ''Angel'' 21 when they first entered service. Now, looking at the NSAs on the ''Coast & Country'' and the ''Red Kite'', it's obvious that improvements have been made and feedback has been noted.

#94 – Heworth Metro Interchange to Saltmeadows Road Bus Depot – (11:08 --- 11:17) – Go North East 5223 – Scania L94UB/Wright Solar
After alighting the 4, I walked across to the other side of the Interchange, and located the stand that the ''Loop'' services depart from. Looking at the timetables, it would appear the 94, which would take me to Saltmeadows the quickest, was due in a moment. From Gateshead, the 93 goes almost direct along Saltmeadows Road, where the depot is located, then to Heworth, and around the Team Valley before returning to Gateshead. Whereas, the 94 goes to the Team Valley first, then around to Heworth and returning to Gateshead via the Saltmeadows Industrial area. Having never done this section of the route before, I was on the edge of my seat; as I know Saltmeadows is easy to miss if you're not watching out for it. Fortunately, I found it with no problems, and alighted. While I took my photos of the unbranded Optare Solos, citaro5284 shouted hello. Him and Dan were sorting out some destinations, when he came up to the gates to chat with me for a while, he said they were sorting out the destination in 5302, which had just been repainted and was due to go back to Deptford soon. I'm assuming Dan was too busy to come over and talk to me............ citaro5284 then disappeared back towards the new buses, and I got some more photos before I heard the 94 coming along the road. 

#94 – Saltmeadows Road Bus Depot to Gateshead Transport Interchange – (11:36 --- 11:44) – Go North East 5221 – Scania L94UB/Wright Solar
The driver was obviously in a rush, I was too preoccupied with the goings on at Saltmeadows to realise he was running late. He opened the doors; closing them before I had even showed him my Get Around, quickly nodded, and pulled away. As it was available, and it was just a short journey, I decided to sit behind the cab in the single seat. The passenger numbers were decent, with about twenty seats occupied. I didn't pay much attention to this journey, although I did note that roughly half of the passengers alighted on Jackson Street in Gateshead. When we got to the Interchange, I walked across into the main section; there was a ''Blaydon Racers'' branded Citaro at it's stand, with the 49B to Winlaton. I thought, seeing as I'd taken some photographs at Saltmeadows Road, that a trip to Riverside was in order. 

#49B – Gateshead Transport Interchange to Handy Drive, Riverside Bus Depot – (11:46 --- 12:05) – Go North East 5281 – Mercedes 0530N/Mercedes Citaro
I boarded; the driver smiled at me and seemed quite pleasant. About ten passengers were already sat down, the majority were OAPs. Two teenage girls sat at the quadrant, with their feet on the seats facing the rear; opposite the side-ways facing seats. I'll admit, trying to compare the view from the seat I sat in on 5366; it was obvious the seating was a lot ''tattier''. Also, the floor didn't seem to have been cleaned recently. Even though I decided to listen to my music through my earphones; I could hear the engine. It wasn't pleasant. Nowhere near as nice as the ''Connections4'' branded Citaro I had rode earlier in the day. Although, having said that; you can't example a bus of eight years of age to be on par with one that is only two. A couple of passengers disembarked in Dunston, with the majority seeming to stay on until the MetroCentre. However; I jumped off outside of Riverside. Walking along the perimeter of the depot, taking photos as I went, I saw the ''Pride Quaylink'' branded Optare Versa, which I was quite pleased to photograph, rather than have to hunt down. Also, two Olympians (3819 and 3824) were parked up and I got photos. I sighted 3818 parked up in Gateshead when I boarded the 49B. When I was done, I walked back to the bus stop for the first thing back to Gateshead. A bus driver was also waiting here for the X66 to Gateshead, which appeared a few minutes later. 

#X66 – Handy Drive, Riverside Bus Depot to Gateshead Transport Interchange – (12:23 --- 12:33) – Go North East 5393 – Wright Streetlite DF/Wright Streetlite Micro-Hybrid
Only about half a dozen seats were remaining when I boarded, I ended up sitting just below the step up to the rear. I noticed these seats had a plush head cushion, as opposed to the plastic hand bars that the other seats have. We went along the Centrelink for this run, as opposed to Askew Road. When I alighted in Gateshead Interchange, I was tempted to stop and get some photographs. However, I noticed a few Nexus staff were on patrol, so threw that idea out of the window. I made my way across to the stand for the 21, 52, X21, etc. and waited for the next Chester-le-Street bound service. I waited, and waited, and waited; then something made my day...

#X21 – Gateshead Transport Interchange to Chester-le-Street Red Lion – (12:48 --- 13:09) – Go North East 9109 – Dennis Trident 2/ADL Enviro400MMC
Noticing the sleek new-looking blue livery, I realised I was looking at the demonstrator Enviro400MMC within seconds. I quickly went to flag it down, bringing it to a stop. The driver seemed a happy chap, and greeted me as I boarded. I couldn't believe my luck, today being the last day for this demonstrator, I didn't think I was going to get another opportunity to ride it. It was still very impressive, with no rattles or squeaks that I could note. I would have thought, having been on the X21 for nearly two weeks, it might have met the consequences of such a demanding route. When we got to Chester-le-Street; I noticed Pat Armstrong was Point Supervisor, so I briefly exchanged greetings with her. She asked the driver to pull forward or something, as there was a group of enthusiasts waiting to board. One of them, I recognised. When I went to the Lillyhall open day back on 23 May; he said something to Dan about taking photographs in Workington Bus Station. He then shouted ''thanks Pat!'' followed by a cheer from the others. I couldn't quite understand what the deal was, but he then shouted that it was ''quality''. 6063 was my ride home, on the 21.

It was a great little outing, I'm pleased that I peeled myself out of bed and decided to have a day out. I got some good photos at Saltmeadows and Riverside too, which I'll upload to my Flickr this evening. I think the plan for tomorrow is an outing with Adrian. We're going to make our way from Durham to Seaham, taking photos of the ''East Durham'' MPDs. I still need a few for haulage, as well as photographs. From there; to Sunderland for photos of the Airshow shuttles. We've found out that Stagecoach are putting double deckers on all of their shuttles. I'm going to say it's fair to suspect that we may see some of the recently acquired Enviro400s, possibly some of the R-reg Alexander Olympians, and possibly even some of the Teesside based ALX400s. It should be a good day, I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for reading the review of today.

Marcus

The hard worker of the duo ( ) was far too busy to stop and chat; profiling and re-programming the destination on 5302 (with great difficulty compared to 5298-5300), likewise on the most recent Solos to arrive, obtaining unit numbers on the new Solos for one of our systems, and conducting an audit of what had yet to be salvaged from withdrawn vehicles in terms of destination sizes. All of this while responding to e-mails from my phone - who said men couldn't multi-task?!

Obviously I cannot forget how much I was admiring 3823 on Robert's behalf...

Tempted to get photos of the Sunderland Air Show shuttles tomorrow but I have little knowledge of my way round the area where the Air Show is on at, so has anyone got any advice on where I could maybe get photos at?

Might just get some of the shuttles on Fawcett Street then jump on a shuttle up to where the air show is on at.

(24 Jul 2015, 4:26 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]Tempted to get photos of the Sunderland Air Show shuttles tomorrow but I have little knowledge of my way round the area where the Air Show is on at, so has anyone got any advice on where I could maybe get photos at?

Might just get some of the shuttles on Fawcett Street then jump on a shuttle up to where the air show is on at.

The Air Show is at Seaburn. Quite busy (as you would expect) with it being a major event. Provides some decent photo opportunities will vehicles you wouldn't expect to see over in Sunderland in Sunderland.

As for 3823 Dan, as long as it is kept safe alongside 3813 (of which i assume it is still at the back of Stanley depot?) i'm not bothered what happens to it

(24 Jul 2015, 4:31 pm)S813 FVK wrote [ -> ]The Air Show is at Seaburn. Quite busy (as you would expect) with it being a major event. Provides some decent photo opportunities will vehicles you wouldn't expect to see over in Sunderland in Sunderland.

And full of chav's.... can't forget that!

(24 Jul 2015, 3:05 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]The hard worker of the duo ( ) was far too busy to stop and chat; profiling and re-programming the destination on 5302 (with great difficulty compared to 5298-5300), likewise on the most recent Solos to arrive, obtaining unit numbers on the new Solos for one of our systems, and conducting an audit of what had yet to be salvaged from withdrawn vehicles in terms of destination sizes. All of this while responding to e-mails from my phone - who said men couldn't multi-task?!

Obviously I cannot forget how much I was admiring 3823 on Robert's behalf...

I will be doing my hard work between 7pm and 3am at Riverside on Saturday night....so it was your turn today!

(24 Jul 2015, 4:33 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]I will be doing my hard work between 7pm and 3am at Riverside on Saturday night....so it was your turn today!

Updating all of the destinations ready for the changes to kick in? Good look 

(24 Jul 2015, 4:34 pm)S813 FVK wrote [ -> ]Updating all of the destinations ready for the changes to kick in? Good look 

Next Stop Announcements certainly don't update themselves either: 5377 - 5390 and 8310-8318/8328-8338 all have to be re-programmed! Bit of a pain to say the least - the older vehicles aren't fitted with easy access fly leads - so panels have to come down, the lot!

As we regularly say - you would not believe how much goes on behind the scenes to get a bus on the road with everything working hunky-dory...

(24 Jul 2015, 4:36 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Next Stop Announcements certainly don't update themselves either: 5377 - 5390 and 8310-8318/8328-8338 all have to be re-programmed! Bit of a pain to say the least - the older vehicles aren't fitted with easy access fly leads - so panels have to come down, the lot!

As we regularly say - you would not believe how much goes on behind the scenes to get a bus on the road with everything working hunky-dory...

Why do the Citylink ones have to be re-programmed?

(24 Jul 2015, 4:36 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Next Stop Announcements certainly don't update themselves either: 5377 - 5390 and 8310-8318/8328-8338 all have to be re-programmed! Bit of a pain to say the least - the older vehicles aren't fitted with easy access fly leads - so panels have to come down, the lot!

As we regularly say - you would not believe how much goes on behind the scenes to get a bus on the road with everything working hunky-dory...

For Quaylink, we have decided to try the line plan for the Next Stop slides.....any views?

(24 Jul 2015, 5:02 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]For Quaylink, we have decided to try the line plan for the Next Stop slides.....what is your views?

Looks incredibly smart!

(24 Jul 2015, 5:02 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]For Quaylink, we have decided to try the line plan for the Next Stop slides.....what is your views?

That looks absolutely fantastic...certainly going up in the world with technology now.

(24 Jul 2015, 5:02 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]For Quaylink, we have decided to try the line plan for the Next Stop slides.....what is your views?

I like it. I don't know if it's within the realms of possibility, but it'd be nice for the 'next stop' to change to 'bus stopping' if a bell is pressed. Even if it's just visual, rather than a voice announcement.

(24 Jul 2015, 5:02 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]For Quaylink, we have decided to try the line plan for the Next Stop slides.....what is your views?

That looks great!

(24 Jul 2015, 4:42 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]Why do the Citylink ones have to be re-programmed?

(24 Jul 2015, 5:02 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]For Quaylink, we have decided to try the line plan for the Next Stop slides.....what is your views?

This is the reason why.

Currently, vehicles fitted with Next Stop Announcements are only programmed with the relevant announcements for the service for which the vehicle is branded. As such, if 5389/90 were allocated to the "Quaylink" services (which they regularly will be), they would have shown the generic "Citylink" slide. If the vehicles are re-programmed, we can get them to show the announcement regardless of the brand of the bus. If any of these vehicles are allocated to a service which does not feature Next Stop Announcements, I believe they will show a generic Go North East slide instead of a branded slide. There have also been some minor changes to the "Citylink" slides in general so that they look similar to those on the Quaylink, minus the line plan.

I really like the line plan; not only does it look very professional, but it provides another element of assistance to passengers on-board. Lothian Buses have used the line plan on their Next Stop Announcements for a while now, and what I particularly like about their announcements is that they give approximate journey times (based on the timetable) below the upcoming stops. As citaro5284 said; we are just trying this out for the first time, but if it works as well as we anticipate, there's no reason why we can't look into implementing this on other services with Next Stop Announcements, and using the technology to its full extent by adding things such as approximate journey times, promotional slides in between stops which are of a long distance, and suchlike.

You wouldn't have dreamt of this sort of technology ten years ago... Imagine what it'll be like in 2025!

(24 Jul 2015, 5:18 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]This is the reason why.

Currently, vehicles fitted with Next Stop Announcements are only programmed with the relevant announcements for the service for which the vehicle is branded. As such, if 5389/90 were allocated to the "Quaylink" services (which they regularly will be), they would have shown the generic "Citylink" slide. If the vehicles are re-programmed, we can get them to show the announcement regardless of the brand of the bus. If any of these vehicles are allocated to a service which does not feature Next Stop Announcements, I believe they will show a generic Go North East slide instead of a branded slide. There have also been some minor changes to the "Citylink" slides in general so that they look similar to those on the Quaylink, minus the line plan.

I really like the line plan; not only does it look very professional, but it provides another element of assistance to passengers on-board. Lothian Buses have used the line plan on their Next Stop Announcements for a while now, and what I particularly like about their announcements is that they give approximate journey times (based on the timetable) below the upcoming stops. As citaro5284 said; we are just trying this out for the first time, but if it works as well as we anticipate, there's no reason why we can't look into implementing this on other services with Next Stop Announcements, and using the technology to its full extent by adding things such as approximate journey times, promotional slides in between stops which are of a long distance, and suchlike.

You wouldn't have dreamt of this sort of technology ten years ago... Imagine what it'll be like in 2025!

Ah right, good idea with 5389/5390 showing the Quaylinks too. Cheers Dan.

Only a short outing today but at least it was a varied one.........

I start off my day at my local bus stop on Perth Avenue in Brockely Whins knowing that the board for the 88 im catching was a Versa operated board..
And im sure everyone will know now that I hate all the Versas on the 88 apart from 8294 well something different came...

Journey 1 Brockely Whins Perth Avenue - Jarrow Bus Station Scania L94UB Wright Solar GNE 4961

Well at least a Versa didn't turn up! This Scania will be covering for 8298 which as usual is VOR. The bus was 8 mins late and because of that the driver didn't hesitate in shutting the doors and pulling off before I showed him my Pop card. This service had quite a good load and id say was about 15 seats taken .
One thing that I did notice is that its ZF Gearbox was slipping Changing gear too early in the first 3 gears. Apart from that the journey was smooth and a OAP had her minute rant at the driver for missing her stop, One mistake I done was not getting off at the stop before the bridge over the Bus Station and catching the 27 from there.....
Yes I missed the 27 but of course it had to be a B10, 4915 to be exact.

So I for the next 27 which was operated by a Citaro....

Journey 2 Jarrow Bus Station - Gateshead Interchange  Evobus O530 Mercedes Benz Citaro GNE 5318?

I get on the bus show my Pop Card and take my seat at the back on the Engine, I was expecting a ZF scream when the driver done a really powerful kickdown to get through the traffic lights just in time but no, The engine was so loud ( louder than any other Citaro ) I could barely hear the ZF Gearbox.
The driver was very rough on the pedal, keep putting his foot to the floor and a second later taking it off and the repeating again and again and again.......
But apart from that it was a good journey , driver was friendly but it was really busy with most seats taken by the time I alight at Gateshead Interchange.

I have a look round the bus station to find a B7 Vyking pulling into the resting stand in the middle of the station, It was showing A2 park and ride presumably for the Airshow
I also see my favourite Scania L94 arrive 5220, If anyone has had a ride on it youll no what I mean.....its a beast!

Journey 3 Gateshead Interchange - Metrocentre Interchange  Scania L94UB Wright Solar GNE 5227

Like 5220, this Scania has a hell of a god ZF gearbox with the whining being heard from the other end of the bus station before arriving on its stand
I decide to sit right at the back on the engine and gearbox to get the full experience. We got heald in a traffic from the bus station all the way to Lobley Hill.
A brief encounter with my stalker 4967 at Lobley Hill roundabout and where off and up Lobley Hill, I have to say the Scania struggled a bit up the Hill but not a lot
I have to say for being on this service for around 3 years, They have done really good for being on this very challenging route and are still in good condition.......
Not like the Prince Shitops don't get me started on them!!!
Overall a very packed journey but that was made up by the quality of this built to last Scania, The last buses Built to last?

I run up the escalators to get a packet of crisps and run back down to find a Venture Solo on the 44A ( Possibly covering a late working and would get replaced at Stanley)
I see 4899 on the 96 but was full to the brim with chavs so decided against it and caught the X66......

Journey 4 Metrocentre Interchange - Gateshead Interchange  Wright Streetshite GNE 5393

The bus was full and standing with me wishing the Bendys would come back and whisk me away comfortably to Gateshead but that was not the case...
We picked up around 6 or 7 Drivers from Riverside and that was it, Straight down the Centrelink and in Gateshead in 10 mins....
And of course it was a Streetshite so everyone will know how much I enjoyed this. laugh laugh laugh laugh.........

A quick dash to the Metro Station to find what I though was my train departing but no I was going to South Hylton today not South Sheilds so I was relived...
I needed to get the metro to Shields today...

Journey 5 Gateshead Metro - South Shields Metro   Metrocar 4018 and 4038

Just a normal metro ride, Packed........ A far cry from when I was young and was surprised to find 10 people on the metro!
But then what do you expect from a bustling city like Newcastle and its surrounding suburbs ( Gateshead , Wallsend , North Sheilds ETC )
There was a strange OAP on this metro eyeing up girls which made me uncomfortable, actually he did look like Jimmy Saville....It makes me sick mentioning his name but anyways.....
By Jarrow the Metro was quieter than usual and 10 mins later I reach Shields and go and meet my Dad in Subway for a Sub and a Coke....
And then my Mam picks me and my Dad up and we go home and that is todays Outing........

Didn't go far today cause I had to be home early today to get ready for my holiday to America tomorrow, and because of that I will probably not be posting for a while though I will try and find the time to look at NEB and all of your posts.     I will be the first person to read NEB on Clearwater Beach and the top of the State of Liberty!!

its also been nearly 2 months since I first posted on NEB and id like to thank you all for making me welcome and correcting me if I post something which isn't right  

Anyways thanks for reading  

See yous in 18 days!!