(10 Jun 2015, 3:58 pm)cbma06 wrote fleet number 666 is and has been used on quite a number of buses with bus companies (east Yorkshire, Nottingham etc... etc....)

(10 Jun 2015, 4:44 pm)Tom wrote When the East Durham gets new buses, will the 238 be included in it as well?

(10 Jun 2015, 5:10 pm)Michael wrote Glad they're keeping the Olympian's in service  

(10 Jun 2015, 8:08 pm)Jackamcardle wrote My favourite MPD 

(10 Jun 2015, 10:38 am)Andreos1 wrote The roughly 10mins late rule, seems to be the norm, at least when I have been on it or seen it on the western portion of the route.
No idea where the issue lies though. Although I haven't used or witnessed the section east of the galleries since the changes earlier this year.

When the 82/83 ran, there were often delays, but the combined '15min' frequency, meant that the chances of one of them turning up was greater - even if they ran together for portions of the route.

Now, it has got to the stage where I daren't run the risk of going for it and choose to drive instead.

(10 Jun 2015, 9:55 pm)Diamond One wrote i feel like a slipknot song coming on
i'm thinking No nearest it goes is Houghton-le-Spring
glad also but for how long? 

my favorite MPD is 569 which is a Percy Main one it performed good when i rode it in Christmas 2013 on 17A service during the Xmas Jumper Day

(10 Jun 2015, 10:03 pm)Malarkey wrote I think issue is purely down to the routing of the Service around Birtley, Think of how many Minutes you could cut off the current route around Birtley by doing the following route: Note the Timetable says it takes 14 Minutes to go from Portobello Board Inn to Northside, so that is 28 Minutes their and back.

So I would do: Barley Mow - Portobello - Portmeads - Fell Bank - Harras Bank - Birtley Town Centre - Northside - Portmeads - Portobello - Barley Mow
I would imagine this would cut around 7/8 Minutes off the Journey Time altogether possibly more.

(10 Jun 2015, 10:14 pm)LeeCalder wrote That then means that the people of Fell Bank couldn't get a bus from there to Galleries. I got told by a driver that I couldn't get on at Moulders to go to Galleries and he charged me £1.50 to go down a bank and then a further £1.50 for the rest of the journey.

(10 Jun 2015, 10:03 pm)Malarkey wrote I think issue is purely down to the routing of the Service around Birtley, Think of how many Minutes you could cut off the current route around Birtley by doing the following route: Note the Timetable says it takes 14 Minutes to go from Portobello Board Inn to Northside, so that is 28 Minutes their and back.

So I would do: Barley Mow - Portobello - Portmeads - Fell Bank - Harras Bank - Birtley Town Centre - Northside - Portmeads - Portobello - Barley Mow
I would imagine this would cut around 7/8 Minutes off the Journey Time altogether possibly more.

(10 Jun 2015, 10:26 pm)Malarkey wrote Of course they would, they would simply get on the other side of the road and go up Northside then back out towards Washington at no extra cost, cuts journey/waiting time and improves reliability of the service, how else are going improve the service around Birtley as I cant see any other way. 

(10 Jun 2015, 10:34 pm)Andreos1 wrote It shouldn't take the same from Northside to Portobello, as it does going in the opposite direction, by virtue of missing out Birtley town centre.
The initial 82/82A will have been similar.

The fact it misses out the town centre on the way back, makes the extension upto Northside pretty much pointless anyway. Residents can get the bus home from Birtley, they just can't get one down...

(10 Jun 2015, 10:41 pm)Malarkey wrote Yeah I hadnt thought about that, safe to say GNE have complicated things for themselves route wise and in trying to improve reliability also.

(11 Jun 2015, 1:58 pm)Acky81 wrote Strange looking x7 display on the wear tees express the number is so small hardly readable 

(11 Jun 2015, 6:29 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote Are anymore Fab 56 / Cobalt B9's due to get flywheel's fitted? Is 6104 still away?

(11 Jun 2015, 6:31 pm)Dan wrote Yes, 6104 is still at Telford.

With it being the first example to be done, I suspect this one will be away for quite some time for testing etc (hence why 3858 is being reinstated when required).

(11 Jun 2015, 2:05 pm)citaro5284 wrote Its the same as what is on the X84 and X85 at Hexham.

(11 Jun 2015, 6:51 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote How does the flywheel work then? Does it work in the same fashion as the Streetlite (a.k.a powering all electrical systems and little engine power on pull off) or like the Volvo Parallel system in the B5LH? 

(11 Jun 2015, 6:59 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote Does anyone know if any euro 5 Mercedes citaros were built as dealer stock and are ready for sale? cuase I have a idea which involves them.
i will post the idea in service suggestions later.

(11 Jun 2015, 7:00 pm)aureolin wrote Built to order I'd imagine, otherwise they wouldn't have come to the GNE standard inside.

(11 Jun 2015, 6:51 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote How does the flywheel work then? Does it work in the same fashion as the Streetlite (a.k.a powering all electrical systems and little engine power on pull off) or like the Volvo Parallel system in the B5LH? 

The innovative Gyrodrive system is based on Formula One race technology developed in the UK. It will help increase the efficiency of each bus by using less fuel and thereby reducing carbon emissions.
This same technology helped Audi’s R18 e-tron win at Le Mans in June this year.

The system uses a high speed flywheel made of carbon fibre to store the energy generated by a bus as it slows down to stop. [using a traction motor operating as a generator]
It then uses the stored energy to power an [the] electric motor which helps accelerate the bus back up to speed, generating fuel savings of more than 20 per cent.

(11 Jun 2015, 7:33 pm)Michael wrote Does anyone know what buses will be used on the shuttles for the England - New Zealand one day cricket match?

(11 Jun 2015, 8:37 pm)nk55 wrote Its operated from chester, it'll be tridents/B7s