(16 Nov 2013, 12:03 pm)busmanT wrote I don't think there is a plan to replace all the Olympians before January, and if the 15 year life for a bus that GNE usually work to is still right then the Trident still have a couple of years at least to go.

Not before January, but I was under the impression that the Cobalt B9s were expected to go into service at some point in January? This is when cascades will allow all SPDs and Olympians to be withdrawn.
Of course, I'm guessing plans have changed for the Olys, if the Whey Aye Solars aren't destined to replace them any longer?

As for the Lolynes, I guess we also have to consider that the vehicles are not DDA compliant - unless there is a role (ie scholars) that they can still perform?

Can't remember if it has been mentioned amongst everything else, but Saltwell Park Versas appear to be unbranded or in the process of

Dragging back to debate on Boxing Day. I think the provision of festive and new year services are appalling.

These drivers are in a service industry. They know what they signed up for and they are paid well for it.

Daniel, Liam, Can we have a separate area to discuss anything about boxing day or Xmas holiday bus services please as im starting to yawn

(16 Nov 2013, 1:13 pm)cbma06 wrote Daniel, Liam, Can we have a separate area to discuss anything about boxing day or Xmas holiday bus services please as im starting to yawn

There is a thread about it with limited posts on the chat and discussion areas, but I hate all this wrong thread stuff it's about GNE's provisions of Boxing Day services why not discuss them here?

(16 Nov 2013, 12:58 pm)gtomlinson wrote Dragging back to debate on Boxing Day. I think the provision of festive and new year services are appalling.

These drivers are in a service industry. They know what they signed up for and they are paid well for it.

There's an alternative way to look at Boxing Day services and that's not to do any at all, as some operators don't do anything & not reading any moans in the Arriva section !

(16 Nov 2013, 1:47 pm)busman101 wrote There's an alternative way to look at Boxing Day services and that's not to do any at all, as some operators don't do anything & not reading any moans in the Arriva section !

Just had a big groan and moan in there - just for you busman :p

(16 Nov 2013, 1:47 pm)busman101 wrote There's an alternative way to look at Boxing Day services and that's not to do any at all, as some operators don't do anything & not reading any moans in the Arriva section !

If people don't want to read certain posts then simply skip them. It's hardly enforced reading isn't it?

As for Arriva, well busman, Arriva's attitude is frankly appalling in 2013.

(16 Nov 2013, 11:53 am)Michael wrote How many CityLink Versa's are in service now?

There was 2 out Yesterday, They were 5378/79, The Rest should out on Monday

Olympian 3833 has been transferred to Stanley from Gateshead.

(16 Nov 2013, 1:47 pm)busman101 wrote There's an alternative way to look at Boxing Day services and that's not to do any at all, as some operators don't do anything & not reading any moans in the Arriva section !

And the alternative way to look at that is that your suggestion stinks of the "I'm going home and taking my ball with me" attitude. Go North East may do the most out of operators up here, but it's still not meeting the demand of the public. You are still a service aren't you?

All these Saturday and Sunday services on normal working days don't help either, when people have to start work at 7am or 8am for example.

(16 Nov 2013, 1:47 pm)busman101 wrote There's an alternative way to look at Boxing Day services and that's not to do any at all, as some operators don't do anything & not reading any moans in the Arriva section !

And the alternative way to look at that is that your suggestion stinks of the "I'm going home and taking my ball with me" attitude. Go North East may do the most out of operators up here, but it's still not meeting the demand of the public. You are still a service aren't you?

All these Saturday and Sunday services on normal working days don't help either, when people have to start work at 7am or 8am for example.

Can anyone advise the current paint status of 569 please? I've done a quick search of recent posts and seen the details for 566-8 and 570 but not found anything for 569. Is it still in WSS livery?
Thanks if you can help[/size][/font]

(16 Nov 2013, 4:24 pm)chrisnorthern wrote Can anyone advise the current paint status of 569 please? I've done a quick search of recent posts and seen the details for 566-8 and 570 but not found anything for 569. Is it still in WSS livery?
Thanks if you can help[/size][/font]

Green. Will be heading to Percy Main tomorrow all being well, but an engineer told me that it wasn't feeling too well so wasn't out in service today. Think it's been off for a couple of days now, in fact.

Has anyone been noting the Lumiere stuff? I was there last night but was several bottles worse for the wear to do it

(16 Nov 2013, 4:46 pm)gtomlinson wrote Has anyone been noting the Lumiere stuff? I was there last night but was several bottles worse for the wear to do it

3865, 6040, 6036, 3868, 3983, 3879 present today.

2 Notes from Yesterday Evening

I was the 18:10pm X1 Last Night from Newcastle back to Washington and the X3 was on the Stand in Eldon Square also, and there were only 3 Passengers on Board. How is this Journey let alone the X3 itself a Viable route for GNE.

The other note was for Wheyaye50 Scania 4926 which was running late and left the Galleries at 7pm heading as far Chester le Street, I think a Engineer needs to take a look at this Bus as not only did sound worse for ware and smelt smokey inside, worse than a SPD I would say, the Brakes were also rather squealy.

(16 Nov 2013, 5:44 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote 2 Notes from Yesterday Evening

I was the 18:10pm X1 Last Night from Newcastle back to Washington and the X3 was on the Stand in Eldon Square also, and there were only 3 Passengers on Board. How is this Journey let alone the X3 itself a Viable route for GNE.

The other note was for Wheyaye50 Scania 4926 which was running late and left the Galleries at 7pm heading as far Chester le Street, I think a Engineer needs to take a look at this Bus as not only did sound worse for ware and smelt smokey inside, worse than a SPD I would say, the Brakes were also rather squealy.

I could ask the same about services such as the M2/M3. On many occasions I've seen those services running with very few passenger numbers - at peaks and non-peaks.
I used to use that X3 journey daily in the summer, and it was always quite full. With it being winter now, I don't use it anymore. I wonder if others are the same? Cold, dark nights... I don't want to be out in Newcastle at that time, returning to Sunderland!

I'm sure Go North East know what they're doing - if any journeys were so bad that they were making a loss, they wouldn't exist.

Saw 5259 on the 1 today. It's carrying an identical blue base coat to the Coasters & Drifters

(16 Nov 2013, 5:56 pm)Adam wrote Saw 5259 on the 1 today. It's carrying an identical blue base coat to the Coasters & Drifters

So much so, I actually mistook it for a Coaster that hadn't been branded yet...until I realised how thick I was being.
Might be able to get a photo on for you all tonight, but if I don't, I'm sure someone else will put one on Flickr.

(16 Nov 2013, 5:49 pm)Dan wrote I could ask the same about services such as the M2/M3. On many occasions I've seen those services running with very few passenger numbers - at peaks and non-peaks.
I used to use that X3 journey daily in the summer, and it was always quite full. With it being winter now, I don't use it anymore. I wonder if others are the same? Cold, dark nights... I don't want to be out in Newcastle at that time, returning to Sunderland!

I'm sure Go North East know what they're doing - if any journeys were so bad that they were making a loss, they wouldn't exist.

M2/M3 varies throughout the Day though, as I use it daily some journey will be packed and some won't while others might run empty, the main influx in Passenger is between Washington Galleries and Birtley without doubt, Passenger Numbers between Washington and Heworth pale in comparison.

As for the X3 I have rarely seen it packed to be honest and it's the same with the X36, and it doesn't whether I am standing taking photos at Park Lane - Heworth - Gateshead or Newcastle either, Passenger Number are still low in my opinion, Maybe GNE should consider using the Newcastle to Sunderland via Washington Corridor again as it was very well used before they chopped it in the place of the 2A/2C and the X1 Every 10 Minutes.

(16 Nov 2013, 5:49 pm)Dan wrote I could ask the same about services such as the M2/M3. On many occasions I've seen those services running with very few passenger numbers - at peaks and non-peaks.
I used to use that X3 journey daily in the summer, and it was always quite full. With it being winter now, I don't use it anymore. I wonder if others are the same? Cold, dark nights... I don't want to be out in Newcastle at that time, returning to Sunderland!

I'm sure Go North East know what they're doing - if any journeys were so bad that they were making a loss, they wouldn't exist.

Do you think different services have different tolerance levels - depending on their length, duration, percieved importance and maybe if there is any competition on the route?

I have been on an x1 from Newcastle several times (at different times of the day) and it emptied on hitting the Galleries - carrying me, another few passengers and fresh air.
However, it always seems to pick up a decent load between Shiney Row and Hetton for passengers travelling locally.
The 21 is similar beyond Low Fell/Harlow Green.

My personal thoughts, are that an express service, linking the only two cities within Tyne & Wear during rush hour, that x3 should be busy.
However, that bus may have picked up passengers further into the journey travelling into Sunderland - thus making it viable.

(16 Nov 2013, 6:02 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote M2/M3 varies throughout the Day though, as I use it daily some journey will be packed and some won't while others might run empty, the main influx in Passenger is between Washington Galleries and Birtley without doubt, Passenger Numbers between Washington and Heworth pale in comparison.

As for the X3 I have rarely seen it packed to be honest and it's the same with the X36, and it doesn't whether I am standing taking photos at Park Lane - Heworth - Gateshead or Newcastle either, Passenger Number are still low in my opinion, Maybe GNE should consider using the Newcastle to Sunderland via Washington Corridor again as it was very well used before they chopped it in the place of the 2A/2C and the X1 Every 10 Minutes.

Barmston to Washington Galleries and back? It's always packed throughout the day.

I think every bus is the same in the respect that it will have its busier times and its quieter times so you cant really say a bus is a failure, the same goes for the 58 i think versa suit the route well and despite what many people think i think that it is well used along the Hadrian park - Newcastle side, the versas are perfect because they are better for when it quietens down, however i think that if they keep a couple of the newer bendies and repaint them orange and keep them as peak time spares for times when gne know the route is at its busiest

What is happening with the Merc bendies when they come off 58. Are they going to be used on other routes or scapped/sold. Are the bendies on X66 staying?

(16 Nov 2013, 8:16 pm)thetravelman wrote What is happening with the Merc bendies when they come off 58. Are they going to be used on other routes or scapped/sold. Are the bendies on X66 staying?

The Citaro bendies on the X66 and Scania bendies on the X40 are staying, for at least the near-future. Think the 'Citylink' ones are being sold?

Going back briefly to the thread about Boxing Day, I have just uploaded a few photos of buses running around in 2004 when it was more interesting - Stagecoach, Classic Buses, Stanley Buses and Low Fell Travel all running around on Go North East services.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/99435494@N02/

How does the arrangement with Go North East and Nexus work with the use of Buzzfares etc on things like the Arriva operated M2?

Do GNE pay Nexus everytime one of their tickets are used or do Nexus allow the use of these out of convenience to passengers with Nexus losing out on the equivalent fare.

Either way it is still a sensible idea.

(16 Nov 2013, 8:44 pm)atlantean542 wrote Going back briefly to the thread about Boxing Day, I have just uploaded a few photos of buses running around in 2004 when it was more interesting - Stagecoach, Classic Buses, Stanley Buses and Low Fell Travel all running around on Go North East services.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/99435494@N02/

Some great photos there and some decent vehicles too.

Never knew about the 194 and it being operated by Stagecoach on Boxing Day 2004 either.
Mind, the lass I was seeing at the time made sure my attention was elsewhere *coughs* that Christmas.

(16 Nov 2013, 8:54 pm)andreos1 wrote Some great photos there and some decent vehicles too.

Never knew about the 194 and it being operated by Stagecoach on Boxing Day 2004 either.
Mind, the lass I was seeing at the time made sure my attention was elsewhere *coughs* that Christmas.

If I remember correctly that was a good year for different buses/operators on routes but with buses only running between 10:00-17:00 couldn't get around to more places to get photos