(02 Sep 2021, 5:43 pm)Washingtonian wrote [ -> ]That's fair enough and I can see where you are all coming from, particularly about new buses being replaced with much older ones not long after receiving an upgrade. I do think however it would be nice to see new buses that are bought being placed on a route and it lasting on that route for a decent period of time. I think the duration the buses have generally lasted on the 4 and X1 are about right, with upgrades every 10 years or so. That;s fair enough for the core routes really. Suppose that's just the way I am really as I get attached to certain buses and find it a bit sad when they move on. I was a bit disappointed when they moved the B9s on from the X1 as I always loved a ride on those.
I think it's more about downgrading rather than age. Like I live up Blyth way and we have the Gemini's and tbh they're perfectly fine and I have no problems with them. Now if you gave us brand new buses with tables which have a nicer interior etc. I wouldn't be too happy to then get the Gemini's back a year later while the other Blyth bus routes keep there brand new buses because they want to move them to Ashington for the X21/X22 instead while I still pay the same price as the other punters with their brand new buses (which would be actually more here because of Coastliner and Cramlington discounts).
Like in your case you didn't want the B9's to go but next year you probably wouldn't want them back either when you've had brand new Streetdecks for the past 2 year.
Also whoever mentioned the old Metrobuses/Olympians in the 00's they were mid 80's buses if I'm right so no older than the 03/04 plate Omnidekkas running around now.
(02 Sep 2021, 7:18 pm)Keeiajs wrote [ -> ]I would rather get 6334/5 over the 67' Plates ngl.
Nah, if given the choice I'd take one of the 67 plates. I rely on the 240v sockets too much and typically use my laptop to get some work done so the tables are pretty much essential, and I much prefer sitting backwards anyway!
6334/5 seem to have got worse since I last used them, I think it was 6335 I was on last and couldn't hear my self think because of the rattles!
(02 Sep 2021, 7:16 pm)streetdeckfan wrote [ -> ]I personally don't mind an older vehicle (say 15 years old) as long as it meets the specification promised on the route.
If I'm getting the X21, I expect to get a bus with high-back seats, WiFi, USB ports and tables as that is what is advertised. Anything less I consider to be false advertising.
If you go to McDonalds and order a Big Mac, and get given a saver menu hamburger, you wouldn't be happy. If they turn around and say "well, it's still food", you'd tell them to shove it. So why is it alright for an operator to turn around and says "it's still a bus" and that's the end of it?
As for the likes of the Olympians, the reason they're still 'solid as a rock' is because people will have spent far more than the vehicle is worth restoring them, and keeping them on the road!
Wouldnt it be the case of big macs arent available at the moment, so choose something else from the menu...
(02 Sep 2021, 7:43 pm)JP6004 wrote [ -> ]Wouldnt it be the case of big macs arent available at the moment, so choose something else from the menu...
No, that would be like not running the X21 at all and saying to get the Arriva 6
(02 Sep 2021, 7:47 pm)streetdeckfan wrote [ -> ]No, that would be like not running the X21 at all and saying to get the Arriva 6
No that would be like mcdonalds telling you to go to KFC
(02 Sep 2021, 7:43 pm)JP6004 wrote [ -> ]Wouldnt it be the case of big macs arent available at the moment, so choose something else from the menu...
There is a bit of a difference, you arn't promised a big mac they don't say there will always be big macs The X21 is advertsied as tables/wifi. BigMac doesn’t say always be avaialble.
With a bit jigging around, the allocations for the 47/47A and 25 could easily be 6x StreetDecks & 6x B9TLs.
(02 Sep 2021, 8:21 pm)L469 YVK wrote [ -> ]With a bit jigging around, the allocations for the 47/47A and 25 could easily be 6x StreetDecks & 6x B9TLs.
Hope the 25 gets double deckers as I think it does require them.
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(02 Sep 2021, 8:39 pm)big mac wrote [ -> ]Hope the 25 gets double deckers as I think it does require them.
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I don't think the 25 needs double deckers, Versa's are perfectly fine But they do need Euro 6.
(02 Sep 2021, 8:39 pm)big mac wrote [ -> ]Hope the 25 gets double deckers as I think it does require them.
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MG did say that the 25 would receive refreshed DD later in year
(02 Sep 2021, 8:44 pm)Keeiajs wrote [ -> ]I don't think the 25 needs double deckers, Versa's are perfectly fine But they do need Euro 6.
They really do, in rush hour sometimes the Versa's get completely full. IMO it would be the best if they brought back the 16 plate Streetdecks onto the 25.
(02 Sep 2021, 9:06 pm)transportintyneandwear wrote [ -> ]They really do, in rush hour sometimes the Versa's get completely full. IMO it would be the best if they brought back the 16 plate Streetdecks onto the 25.
In rush hour, that is the same for many services. Don't go upgrading all them to double deckers.
(02 Sep 2021, 7:16 pm)streetdeckfan wrote [ -> ]I personally don't mind an older vehicle (say 15 years old) as long as it meets the specification promised on the route.
If I'm getting the X21, I expect to get a bus with high-back seats, WiFi, USB ports and tables as that is what is advertised. Anything less I consider to be false advertising.
If you go to McDonalds and order a Big Mac, and get given a saver menu hamburger, you wouldn't be happy. If they turn around and say "well, it's still food", you'd tell them to shove it. So why is it alright for an operator to turn around and says "it's still a bus" and that's the end of it?
As for the likes of the Olympians, the reason they're still 'solid as a rock' is because people will have spent far more than the vehicle is worth restoring them, and keeping them on the road!
I understand what you are saying about the specification of a bus matching the expectations of a route and getting what's advertised and I never said anything to suggest otherwise! However, some people seem to be a bit obsessed with saying "this service needs new buses because it's currently using buses that are 10 or 11 years old etc". And I'm sure people on here have said stuff like the Versas need withdrawing because the are 09 plates. That's just ridculous! Those buses have plenty of life in them and cost a lot of money to buy in the first place so theres nothing wrong at all with them being in service for around 20 years or so. Of course every bus company needs to upgrade it's vehicles every so often, but not as often as some people suggest.
Not trying to be funny here but going off your second point most GNE buses have high backed seats, WiFi, USB ports etc. Even the older buses have had upgrades to accomodate such things, such as the Versas that have gone onto the Sunderland District Berries.! So what does the age matter and why are people so obsessed whether a bus is new or not? Go North East have always looked after their fleet very well with regular repainting (as we all know!), regular refurbishments and regular maintainence etc. As well as the stuff you already mentioned, as long as the buses provided are clean, tidy, smart, well maintained, safe, warm and comfortable what does the bus's age matter? Buses that do tend to look untidy in the fleet tend to be the ones they are planning on withdrawing very soon and rarely turn up on the major routes from what I can see.
As for your point about the Olympians, some of them were still in service with the likes of Refearn Travel and Herbert's travel as recently as 2018 so they must be solid!
(02 Sep 2021, 7:32 pm)Storx wrote [ -> ]I think it's more about downgrading rather than age. Like I live up Blyth way and we have the Gemini's and tbh they're perfectly fine and I have no problems with them. Now if you gave us brand new buses with tables which have a nicer interior etc. I wouldn't be too happy to then get the Gemini's back a year later while the other Blyth bus routes keep there brand new buses because they want to move them to Ashington for the X21/X22 instead while I still pay the same price as the other punters with their brand new buses (which would be actually more here because of Coastliner and Cramlington discounts).
Like in your case you didn't want the B9's to go but next year you probably wouldn't want them back either when you've had brand new Streetdecks for the past 2 year.
Also whoever mentioned the old Metrobuses/Olympians in the 00's they were mid 80's buses if I'm right so no older than the 03/04 plate Omnidekkas running around now.
Yeah as I mentioned in my earlier post I can understand why people would be annoyed to have new buses taken off their service when they've not been on there long etc. I don't deny that must be frustrating. If a bus is bought new for a service it should be bought to last on that service for a decent period of time. To be honest the age of a bus has never bothered me personally at all just and It's more the way vehicles are presented that I look for. To be honest I love getting on an older bus when it is kept immaculate. I personally am more satisfied when I see bus companies take real pride in their fleet. Weardale are very much like this as were OK Travel. The likes of Redby on the other hand were the total opposite most of the time. That was a company that bought a lot of knackered and untidy vehicles and they could never seem to decide on their livery until nearer the end of their days!
The last A-reg Metrobuses GNE hadwould have been aorund 23 years old I think when they were withdrawn. I think it was around mid to late 2006 when they left the fleet. The last Nationals were getting on for 30 year old as some of them were V and W regs, so they would have been around 26/27.
Change the 55 to 36, it follows the route from Sunderland basically then goes to Peterlee, and I don't really like the number 55. 36 just seems nicer.
(03 Sep 2021, 1:19 am)Washingtonian wrote [ -> ]I understand what you are saying about the specification of a bus matching the expectations of a route and getting what's advertised and I never said anything to suggest otherwise! However, some people seem to be a bit obsessed with saying "this service needs new buses because it's currently using buses that are 10 or 11 years old etc". And I'm sure people on here have said stuff like the Versas need withdrawing because the are 09 plates. That's just ridculous! Those buses have plenty of life in them and cost a lot of money to buy in the first place so theres nothing wrong at all with them being in service for around 20 years or so. Of course every bus company needs to upgrade it's vehicles every so often, but not as often as some people suggest.
Not trying to be funny here but going off your second point most GNE buses have high backed seats, WiFi, USB ports etc. Even the older buses have had upgrades to accomodate such things, such as the Versas that have gone onto the Sunderland District Berries.! So what does the age matter and why are people so obsessed whether a bus is new or not? Go North East have always looked after their fleet very well with regular repainting (as we all know!), regular refurbishments and regular maintainence etc. As well as the stuff you already mentioned, as long as the buses provided are clean, tidy, smart, well maintained, safe, warm and comfortable what does the bus's age matter? Buses that do tend to look untidy in the fleet tend to be the ones they are planning on withdrawing very soon and rarely turn up on the major routes from what I can see.
As for your point about the Olympians, some of them were still in service with the likes of Refearn Travel and Herbert's travel as recently as 2018 so they must be solid!
I don't think I was disagreeing with you (was I? I can't remember).
As I've said before, if they upgrade an Omnidekka to X-lines spec, I'd have absolutely no issues with them running it on the X21.
Would I be happy if they complete replaced the 67 plate B5s with 15+ year old Omnidekkas?
Definitely not, but at least they'd be keeping to the specification promised!
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So since service 59 and 204/204A won’t be under the Peterlee Purples brand, which depot going to operate these services, unless Peterlee are keeping at least 1 cooperative colours solo? For these services
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