(05 Feb 2016, 3:51 pm)S813 FVK wrote Why do you feel the need to state that you do not like the Green Arrow and indiGo brands everytime the subject of branding is brought up? Like you said to Davie in the service suggestions (or similar):

We get it, you do not like the Green Arrow and indiGo brands.

Just me who doesn't really care that much what the branding looks like? So long as I can identify the routes they are branded for, I'm not really bothered what they look like so much, I'm like "there is a Pronto" not "there is a bus with crap branding that makes it look like a menu for a pizza shop"

(05 Feb 2016, 4:01 pm)Michael wrote Not the only one... its mentioned every time someone makes a suggestion or GNE launch a new brand, or new styled brand - example the Red Arrows. 

I have my favorites and the ones i don't like but i don't mention it all the time.

I thought that GNE liked to copy brands, I would of expected that the service 57 citarios would of been branded bluestar, I wonder if the X21 would become bluestar brand

(05 Feb 2016, 2:15 pm)Dan wrote Note the additional stop served - Low Fell, The Cannon.

Well that's the reliability gone.

(05 Feb 2016, 2:16 pm)LeeCalder wrote The new Red Arrow looks much better than other recent attempts of Green Arrow and indiGO.

However, I'm dissapointed to see nothing is being done about the 82/82A's reliability....

I agree with Green Arrow and IndiGO, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

(05 Feb 2016, 4:42 pm)DanPicken wrote Well that's the reliability gone.

How? Although registered to go a number of different ways between Chester-le-Street and Gateshead, the X21 service goes via Durham Road most of the time at present anyway. There are bus lanes on Durham Road which help to keep the bus moving, and it's the cars that get stuck in traffic. Surely this change just provides passengers in Low Fell with an express bus to Chester-le-Street and Durham, given that their only express option at the moment is Arriva's X12?

If you look at the timetable, you can also see that each bus will have a hefty layover at Bishop Auckland Bus Station, which will increase the PVR to 7 during the day. Surely this will improve reliability, as stated on Go North East's website?

(05 Feb 2016, 5:06 pm)Dan wrote How? Although registered to go a number of different ways between Chester-le-Street and Gateshead, the X21 service goes via Durham Road most of the time at present anyway. There are bus lanes on Durham Road which help to keep the bus moving, and it's the cars that get stuck in traffic. Surely this change just provides passengers in Low Fell with an express bus to Chester-le-Street and Durham, given that their only express option at the moment is Arriva's X12?

If you look at the timetable, you can also see that each bus will have a hefty layover at Bishop Auckland Bus Station, which will increase the PVR to 7 during the day. Surely this will improve reliability, as stated on Go North East's website?

The added stop at Low Fell can also increase patronage.

(05 Feb 2016, 4:01 pm)Dan wrote Marcus only thinks this because he didn't get to launch the indiGo buses, and a young lad called Peter Witham did!

I sympathise for the boy to an extent. He was merely used by a company for marketing, and the fact is, Peter was just used to get a bit of publicity, which to me, is cringeworthy. 

Cynical moi?

(05 Feb 2016, 5:20 pm)R852 PRG wrote I sympathise for the boy to an extent. He was merely used by a company for marketing, and the fact is, Peter was just used to get a bit of publicity, which to me, is cringeworthy. 

Cynical moi?

You wouldn't think it was cringeworthy if you were Go North East's VIP.

(05 Feb 2016, 5:21 pm)Dan wrote You wouldn't think it was cringeworthy if you were Go North East's VIP.

I'd refuse, based on the fact that I'd be wise enough to understand that I was just being exploited.

(05 Feb 2016, 5:23 pm)R852 PRG wrote I'd refuse, based on the fact that I'd be wise enough to understand that I was just being exploited.

You weren't saying this when the buses were being launched, pet!

#jealousy

(05 Feb 2016, 5:06 pm)Dan wrote How? Although registered to go a number of different ways between Chester-le-Street and Gateshead, the X21 service goes via Durham Road most of the time at present anyway. There are bus lanes on Durham Road which help to keep the bus moving, and it's the cars that get stuck in traffic. Surely this change just provides passengers in Low Fell with an express bus to Chester-le-Street and Durham, given that their only express option at the moment is Arriva's X12?

If you look at the timetable, you can also see that each bus will have a hefty layover at Bishop Auckland Bus Station, which will increase the PVR to 7 during the day. Surely this will improve reliability, as stated on Go North East's website?

Always thought that the X21 should have stopped at Low Fell, The Cannon as it gives people a more direct bus service to Durham than the 21 or Arriva X12. At least with this new timetable there shouldn't be any need to have to keep swapping buses around over the course of the day to allow the X21 to continue to depart Bishop Auckland Bus Station on-time if the return from Newcastle arrives back late like what often happens now.

Bit unsure how the Red Arrows Volvo B9TL's branding will work if advert frames are indeed kept on there as if there is branding half the time the adverts will be covering the branding. It does look like there is a faint outline which looks like an advert board frame in the picture Michael uploaded earlier.

(05 Feb 2016, 5:24 pm)Dan wrote You weren't saying this when the buses were being launched, pet!

#jealousy

I'll not bother voicing my thoughts further, as the boy does allegedly view the forum, but I stand by what I say; he was just used by a company for some attention. Regardless of what people try and say, that's just it.

(05 Feb 2016, 5:29 pm)R852 PRG wrote I'll not bother voicing my thoughts further, as the boy does allegedly view the forum, but I stand by what I say; he was just used by a company for some attention. Regardless of what people try and say, that's just it.

The poor lad.
Using his initiave and not brown-nosing his way in, nor massaging ego's and he enda up 'exploited' in a cynical marketing ploy as GNE 'fixed it for him' and made his dreams come true...

Let's just hope the penny doesn't drop when Arriva's robot reads the thread!
Mind in hindsight, I am just glad neither Jim or the BBC fixed it for me!

Once again, a point I make has been took way out of proportion!

The comment I made was POSITIVE for christs sake!

Get a grip...

Nice shot across the bow at the X12 from GNE.

Though...more buses on that Durham Rd corridor? Might assist the 21 loadings a bit too.

Did wonder if the X21 might have been given a peak stop off in Birtley to firmly pull arriva off.

Only reason I can think to choose the X12 is it's much cheaper but I doubt the average punter knows that

Also the X21 will have brand new buses soon, which will also help reliability

(05 Feb 2016, 2:15 pm)Dan wrote Note the additional stop served - Low Fell, The Cannon.

Due to not stopping there, it's been able to go via Dryden Road to avoid queues on Durham road, in the past.

(05 Feb 2016, 3:53 pm)Dan wrote The main calling points of the X1: Newcastle, Gateshead, Washington Galleries and Houghton.


The argument against the "indiGo" brand is that the colour of the bus is not indigo: it's pink. The outline of the indiGo wording is indigo in colour, though, and really the main idea behind the name is the pun 'indiGo to here, indiGo to there'...

As I've said countless times - the eye-catching pink buses stand out in areas where there are competing services. If it's increasing passenger numbers on these services, it's a job well done.

Well, they're mauve, not pink, but they do stand out and look good. The MPDs they replaced did really look scruffy.

Talking of MPDs - Hexham now has at least two MPDs with blue roofs - are these 'keepers'?
(Hexham is to receive Solos 'soon' that are expected to replace (some of) the MPDs.)

IMO the blue roof makes the (ageing) MPDs look 'tacky' (like a lesser operator's 'hand-painted' livery).
I believe that the Solos will have blue roofs as part of a new Tynedale Links livery.

(05 Feb 2016, 8:00 pm)G-CPTN wrote Talking of MPDs - Hexham now has at least two MPDs with blue roofs - are these 'keepers'?
(Hexham is to receive Solos 'soon' that are expected to replace (some of) the MPDs.)

IMO the blue roof makes the (ageing) MPDs look 'tacky' (like a lesser operator's 'hand-painted' livery).
I believe that the Solos will have blue roofs as part of a new Tynedale Links livery.

That is the intention, I believe.

And yes, the contrast roof looks a lot better on solos. Helps that the colour can be carried down the front, as on the venture solos. The OK way MPDs look lovely, though - it's a slightly old fashioned livery and the white roof carries down to the bottom of the windows - it's not a lot of white paint, but it does look a lot more balanced, as visually, it's half and half. I think that would have been a better move for the Hexham MPDs that are to remain.

They'd look better still with the blue on the bottom half, but then they'd look like the bus equivalent of Minions

I'd rather the additional X21 stop had been Birtley Town Centre rather than Low Fell. Stopping at all the stops on the 21 between Birtley and Newcastle takes ages. Yes Arriva X12 provides the link but no good if using buzzfares and the smartzone card is yet to be introduced in Gateshead. Which to be honest proably never will as the only stagecoach and arriva services are x12 and x34 so no point in smartzone for Gateshead.
But faster expresses between Birtley and Newcastle please GNE

(05 Feb 2016, 9:44 pm)ifm001 wrote I'd rather the additional X21 stop had been Birtley Town Centre rather than Low Fell. Stopping at all the stops on the 21 between Birtley and Newcastle takes ages. Yes Arriva X12 provides the link but no good if using buzzfares and the smartzone card is yet to be introduced in Gateshead. Which to be honest proably never will as the only stagecoach and arriva services are x12 and x34 so no point in smartzone for Gateshead.
But faster expresses between Birtley and Newcastle please GNE

Having no choice but to trundle through Birtley at 20mph would reduce reliability. Heck, you already have 10 buses an hour to Newcastle via Durham Road - and the 21 doesn't take much longer than the X12. I'd understand the want for more express buses if the time difference was 10-15 minutes, but it's not. It's half that.

(05 Feb 2016, 9:44 pm)ifm001 wrote I'd rather the additional X21 stop had been Birtley Town Centre rather than Low Fell. Stopping at all the stops on the 21 between Birtley and Newcastle takes ages. Yes Arriva X12 provides the link but no good if using buzzfares and the smartzone card is yet to be introduced in Gateshead. Which to be honest proably never will as the only stagecoach and arriva services are x12 and x34 so no point in smartzone for Gateshead.
But faster expresses between Birtley and Newcastle please GNE

Problem with that would be the additional journey time it would take. I'd hate it if the X21 route was made much longer. At least the one extra stop Low Fell doesn't really add much time onto the route, Low Fell would probably add at least 5 extra minutes onto the route, you don't really want the route taking the same length of time or longer than Arriva's competing X12 service.

OK I got it wrong in post #2322 when I speculated that 15 minutes would need to be added to the X21 running times so that Streetwrecks could cope - it's only 5 min northbound and 6 min southbound and I suppose 1 min of that will be for the new Low Fell stop; nothing wrong with stopping there, but it would make a mockery of the service to go through Birtley. Hopefully "Pronto" has gone, but I suppose it's too much to hope that my long suggested "OK Express" will take its place.

I suppose "Angel Express" has a logic to it.

What about timetables fo the 19 thats getting updated in march

(05 Feb 2016, 11:23 pm)dannygee wrote What about timetables fo the 19 thats getting updated in march

GNE will put the March changes on soon.

Could be next week for those ones.

(05 Feb 2016, 10:31 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Having no choice but to trundle through Birtley at 20mph would reduce reliability. Heck, you already have 10 buses an hour to Newcastle via Durham Road - and the 21 doesn't take much longer than the X12. I'd understand the want for more express buses if the time difference was 10-15 minutes, but it's not. It's half that.

Outside of peak traffic at a crawl, not a single bus adheres to 20mph through Birtley.

At peak the X12 is a lot quicker purely because of heavy loadings through Durham Rd. The 7.30 X12 takes me about 15 mins to Gateshead. Normally the 21 is at least 30 minutes. X12 is 60p cheaper too.

Ironically most X21s seem to happily trundle through Birtley though that may change once western bypass works are complete.

I don't think Low Fell necessarily needs faster links to Durham. It's an odd one, I can on,y see it as a shot at Arriva/money to be made from low fell, which I guess makes commercial sense

(05 Feb 2016, 4:10 pm)Jimmi wrote Just me who doesn't really care that much what the branding looks like? So long as I can identify the routes they are branded for, I'm not really bothered what they look like so much, I'm like "there is a Pronto" not "there is a bus with crap branding that makes it look like a menu for a pizza shop"

^^ the best description of Pronto branding I've read 

(05 Feb 2016, 12:51 pm)Michael wrote Along with the changes GNE have relieved the new "Red Arrows" Branding.

Uploaded a pic but its blurry 

-------

Interestingly the new X21 timetable is in the rubbish style.. keeping the new branding under wraps for the time being?

Nobody seems to have noticed the additional sticker next to the wifi symbol.

New buses such as the Streetlites have three stickers - wifi, usb charging and plug sockets...

(06 Feb 2016, 5:58 pm)Andreos1 wrote Nobody seems to have noticed the additional sticker next to the wifi symbol.

New buses such as the Streetlites have three stickers - wifi, usb charging and plug sockets...

Its a sticker to indicate that the service has Next Stop Announcements, the Red Kite and C&C Streetlites had this sticker added not too long ago.