(14 Feb 2022, 9:42 pm)V514DFT wrote I reckon a few ALX300's will be on the 'dead' list this year

(14 Feb 2022, 10:22 pm)peter wrote You'd think the withdrawal of the 18, 32/32A and 35 will see off the remaining 54 reg examples

(14 Feb 2022, 10:48 pm)Dan wrote Only if Stagecoach don’t win these contracts back! I’d imagine they’ll be bidding competitively.


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(14 Feb 2022, 11:09 pm)peter wrote Oh! I assumed because they had cancelled them on VOSA that was that and that someone else must have got them!

(15 Feb 2022, 6:38 am)Dan wrote Nope - they’ll need to re-register them if they win them back. Go North East have similarly registered its cancellations for all their affected services and if they win any services back they will also have to re-register them.

Tender results due to be awarded on 28 February so nothing will be registered until at least then, and in reality it will probably be closer to the end of that week.

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(15 Feb 2022, 12:43 pm)Bazza wrote Am I the only one uncomfortable with this system?

Maybe if the operator who has decided not to run the unprofitable trips is ruled out of tendering for public money, or better still, the local authority puts all trips for that route throughout the day (with any profits going back into the public purse) for tender, it may focus the minds within the various companies who decide that putting their hand out is the  easy option.

Bazza [b wrotepid='271828' dateline='1644929019']Am I the only one uncomfortable with this system?[/b] 

Maybe if the operator who has decided not to run the unprofitable trips is ruled out of tendering for public money, or better still, the local authority puts all trips for that route throughout the day (with any profits going back into the public purse) for tender, it may focus the minds within the various companies who decide that putting their hand out is the  easy option.

(15 Feb 2022, 1:58 pm)Andreos1 wrote Nope. You're not.
To think an operator may just not break even, but is more than happy running it under subsidy shows how broken the system really is.

They're not bothered about passengers. They're not bothered about the tax payer.
Because if they were, I'd argue that this whole process wouldn't exist in the first place.

Theres been many an example of an operator running something courtesy of their begging bowl, to then suddenly decide that very same service is commercially viable once someone else wins the tender.

(15 Feb 2022, 2:40 pm)Rob44 wrote  More recently the 29 which used to be secured then GNE took it commercially as GCT were though to have had a good chance to run it.

Also going back i while i remember the 44b being run by OK travelo as a conection from newcastle to dinnington via hazlerrig when Northumbria changed the 44 to hazlerigg to whitlybay.  It made so much money the ok travel took it on commercially. Go ahnead then took them over and it disappeared.

(15 Feb 2022, 2:50 pm)Dan wrote It proves how infrequently this happens when we still cling onto the 29 as an example of this happening. Wasn’t this 5+ years ago now?


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(15 Feb 2022, 12:43 pm)Bazza wrote Am I the only one uncomfortable with this system?

Maybe if the operator who has decided not to run the unprofitable trips is ruled out of tendering for public money, or better still, the local authority puts all trips for that route throughout the day (with any profits going back into the public purse) for tender, it may focus the minds within the various companies who decide that putting their hand out is the  easy option.

(15 Feb 2022, 2:50 pm)Dan wrote It proves how infrequently this happens when we still cling onto the 29 as an example of this happening. Wasn’t this 5+ years ago now?


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(15 Feb 2022, 11:00 pm)busmanT wrote And if we are using the 44B as an example we are going back almost to the dawn of time!!

At least to a different era, before out of town retail parks, out of town business parks and Sunday trading.

We're in a completely different place now, with passenger numbers c25-30% below pre covid but with bus operating costs about 106% of pre-covid (driver wage increase plus extra cleaning costs). Many operators have yet to feel the increase in fuel cost as they are hedged, but that will be the next big cost increase.

(15 Feb 2022, 3:42 pm)Rob44 wrote Very true but as you know dan its one of the services i am sometimes forces to use...... so it is relevant to me......... and TBH it seemed to be more reliable when it was secured!

(15 Feb 2022, 3:42 pm)Rob44 wrote Very true but as you know dan its one of the services i am sometimes forces to use...... so it is relevant to me......... and TBH it seemed to be more reliable when it was secured! 

(16 Feb 2022, 1:46 pm)Andreos1 wrote It would be interesting to compare the before and after stats for reliability, but I reckon the financial claw backs were a factor when it was secured!

(16 Feb 2022, 1:58 pm)Dan wrote Didn’t it run with a brand new Solo (which the contract would have paid for) at the time, and now runs with a 12 year old Versa?


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(21 Sep 2022, 6:13 pm)Andreos1 wrote Didn't get a proper look, but saw an Alx300 being towed along the A66 in Middlesbrough today.
It had the X47 still showing on the blind.

Any ideas?

(21 Sep 2022, 9:22 pm)Lollist wrote Well stockton are meant to be getting all the ALX300S moved down in exchange for some batch of something, might of been coming down here but may of broken down on the way or it may be 22064 went out for a test and broke down

(21 Sep 2022, 6:13 pm)Andreos1 wrote Didn't get a proper look, but saw an Alx300 being towed along the A66 in Middlesbrough today.
It had the X47 still showing on the blind.

Any ideas?