(23 May 2022, 9:41 pm)Unber43 wrote Maybe, but GNE are pushing EV, and haven't trailed one hydrogen. 

I think of anything get investment it will be the 4 and thats it

Arriva and Stagecoach both pushed gas aswell and it's pretty much dead tech that already. I have a feeling EV will go the same way, it's too much hassle for absolutely no benefits over Hydrogen once that tech is improved. The only issue right now is generating Hydrogen and there's a plant in Teesside which both Arriva and Stagecoach are planning to use down in Teesside which should partly solve that.

I'm not sure GNE will be pushing EV in the long term they're only using it now as they got a grant to fund part of it. It's absolutely useless for the likes of the 4, 20, 21, X21 etc as the range isn't there and having buses sitting around charging up is a waste of money regardless to where it's done.

(23 May 2022, 10:02 pm)Wybus wrote Blimey I’m surprised GNE haven’t completely closed down. From what you say every day practically every route had hardly any passengers travelling except service 60.

No, I mean the 21/X1/10's/6/X30/X31/X45/X46 etc carry a lot of passengers but the 57 & 58 carry very little whenever I have seen them there has only been about 10 people on it. We were mainly talking about the re-formed East Gateshead Services.


Considering the 58/51/52/93/94 have all been branded within the past 24 months it clearly isn't doing much for passenger numbers, I have been on the 58 about 6 times in the past say 10 days all throughout the day and I think maximum of 15 people have got on, same with the 57. 


93/94 carry fresh air during the day. Wasnt there meant to be a lot of promotion for East Gateshead Services.

Don't get me wrong the 58 & 57 & 93/94 do get quite busy at peak times (like any service should). but the 58 & 57 there is no need to have deckers on them. 93/94 probs makes enough on a morning and afternoon to justify them and they would have to go somewhere.


electric buses in connection with Amazon would be good. Maybe they can even put a charging station there if they have a longenough layover. Yutongs don't charge overhead do they at all?

Newcastle is the regional Capital and suffers from illegal levels of pollution. The EVs should be put on a route serving central Newcastle, cascading a batch of Euro6 diesels elsewhere.

(23 May 2022, 7:11 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote I thought they were for the Q3, when it returns to Riverside

GNE haven't any funding to build EV charging facilities at another depot, so it must be Riverside that they will be allocated to.

Conveniently the Q3, as reduced from 27th March, has a PVR of 8 and spends a lot of its time in the City Centre so I think that the Q3 is the likely home for the new E12s.

Does mean those Optare Versa being repainted again.

(25 May 2022, 10:13 am)busmanT wrote GNE haven't any funding to build EV charging facilities at another depot, so it must be Riverside that they will be allocated to.

Conveniently the Q3, as reduced from 27th March, has a PVR of 8 and spends a lot of its time in the City Centre so I think that the Q3 is the likely home for the new E12s.

Does mean those Optare Versa being repainted again.

I too think the Q3 would be a good route for them as like you say it’s snakes through the city centre, plus it travels along High Street Gosforth and Gosforth has been an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for 10+ years now due to its poor air quality. https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/en...ir-quality 

Its not too far dead mileage-wise for them to head back to Riverside for charging if they come out of service at Side/Guidhall. Just nip over the Swing and then turn right and whizz along the riverside busway etc. 

On the other hand I do think if they were planned for the Q3 all along why on earth did they bother branding up the Versas instead of putting them into Corporate.
Likewise if they end up on the 93/94 or 58 why were their B9s branded up.

(25 May 2022, 5:53 pm)ne14ne1 wrote I too think the Q3 would be a good route for them as like you say it’s snakes through the city centre, plus it travels along High Street Gosforth and Gosforth has been an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for 10+ years now due to its poor air quality. https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/en...ir-quality 

Its not too far dead mileage-wise for them to head back to Riverside for charging if they come out of service at Side/Guidhall. Just nip over the Swing and then turn right and whizz along the riverside busway etc. 

On the other hand I do think if they were planned for the Q3 all along why on earth did they bother branding up the Versas instead of putting them into Corporate.
Likewise if they end up on the 93/94 or 58 why were their B9s branded up.

I suspect that they weren't planned for the Q3 all along, but for some other route which has either changed, has a reduced PVR now or will have in the future.

Surely the electric buses should go on Riversides most popular route, which can be electric buses, which I'd imagine would be 12/12A | 58.

Can GNE even change the route that they were purchased for?

Presumably when they applied for the Government/LA funding they specified which route it would be for, and the funding was provided on the condition that they use the vehicles to upgrade that route?

A bit like when they get funding to upgrade vehicles to Euro 6, they can't then just take those buses for a different route and shove some Euro 4 buses on.

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(25 May 2022, 8:09 pm)streetdeckfan wrote Can GNE even change the route that they were purchased for?

Presumably when they applied for the Government/LA funding they specified which route it would be for, and the funding was provided on the condition that they use the vehicles to upgrade that route?

A bit like when they get funding to upgrade vehicles to Euro 6, they can't then just take those buses for a different route and shove some Euro 4 buses on.

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We'll they did that with the 50 didn't they?

(25 May 2022, 8:11 pm)Unber43 wrote We'll they did that with the 50 didn't they?

Only a small number of the Euro 6 Scania's on the 50 were funded by South Tyneside Council and these were replaced by Euro 6 Streetdecks. Perhaps discussions were had with the council and they agreed given they were replacing them with double deckers that are 10 years younger.

(25 May 2022, 8:04 pm)Unber43 wrote Surely the electric buses should go on Riversides most popular route, which can be electric buses, which I'd imagine would be 12/12A | 58.

The 12/12A frequency is proposed to be reduced by 25% in the July changes, and the 58 has already been cut from 10 mins frequency to 12 mins frequency and then to its current 15 mins frequency - if these are "Riversides most popular route, which can be electric buses" then we are doomed!

(25 May 2022, 8:09 pm)streetdeckfan wrote Can GNE even change the route that they were purchased for?

Presumably when they applied for the Government/LA funding they specified which route it would be for, and the funding was provided on the condition that they use the vehicles to upgrade that route?

A bit like when they get funding to upgrade vehicles to Euro 6, they can't then just take those buses for a different route and shove some Euro 4 buses on.

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There has been a pandemic since they applied for the Government funding - I'm sure that they will be allowed to change to route the buses will be used on, provided that they give a good reason why.

(26 May 2022, 8:02 am)busmanT wrote The 12/12A frequency is proposed to be reduced by 25% in the July changes, and the 58 has already been cut from 10 mins frequency to 12 mins frequency and then to its current 15 mins frequency - if these are "Riversides most popular route, which can be electric buses" then we are doomed!

Well I thought on 12/12A they always have a decent number of passengers on, mind their evening journeys are being reduced to hourly. 

I don't really know what route they can go on and make a profit with the cost of the E12's.

I would have though electric buses would be best off on the unprofitable route as if they save £££££ they could make these routes profitable again?

Just looking at the services routing through the CAZ, the Q3 would win favour over any other service due to the length of time it spends in Newcastle itself.

(26 May 2022, 11:31 am)54APhotography wrote Just looking at the services routing through the CAZ, the Q3 would win favour over any other service due to the length of time it spends in Newcastle itself.

So then why was it rebranded, this year (I think)

(26 May 2022, 2:00 pm)Unber43 wrote So then why was it rebranded, this year (I think)

Because a lick of paint and changing the name from Quaylink to Quaycity was a stroke of commercial genius to grow the route and ridership.  A strategy so effective the route was cut not long thereafter with GNE reported as stating it wasn't particularly well used before the pandemic and now definitely wasn't viable.  Magic paint didn't work, clearly.

Is bus 5390 used as cover for voltage buses?

(26 May 2022, 2:00 pm)Unber43 wrote So then why was it rebranded, this year (I think)

Ask that question about most of the branding that hasn't done any good..

(26 May 2022, 6:27 pm)Rob44 wrote Is bus 5390 used as cover for voltage buses?

Yes, because this bus also has tap on/tap off readers.


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Went on a Voltra from Baltic into Gateshead earlier to save walking back up to the car.

Fare was £1.30 which I thought was reasonable, used tap on/tap off which appears to have worked fine. The scheme could do with some more advertising though, perhaps at bus stops whilst also featuring the fares etc? I only knew about it from this forum, as I seldom use the bus so had to Google how it worked...

Two people alighted when I boarded, leaving me as the only passenger on board until Jackson Street where a group joined the service. A handful of people joined at the interchange too. Perhaps cutting out Sage would be a benefit after all?

On board, I found broken phone holders, USBs completely down and no working stop bells or audio visual announcements. The fittings appeared to rattle quite a lot which isn't really acceptable for a nearly new vehicle, and it was quite noticeable when it's electric...

(28 May 2022, 3:26 pm)omnicity4659 wrote Went on a Voltra from Baltic into Gateshead earlier to save walking back up to the car.

Fare was £1.30 which I thought was reasonable, used tap on/tap off which appears to have worked fine. The scheme could do with some more advertising though, perhaps at bus stops whilst also featuring the fares etc? I only knew about it from this forum, as I seldom use the bus so had to Google how it worked...

Two people alighted when I boarded, leaving me as the only passenger on board until Jackson Street where a group joined the service. A handful of people joined at the interchange too. Perhaps cutting out Sage would be a benefit after all?

On board, I found broken phone holders, USBs completely down and no working stop bells or audio visual announcements. The fittings appeared to rattle quite a lot which isn't really acceptable for a nearly new vehicle, and it was quite noticeable when it's electric...

I must say i'm not a particular fan of the Yutongs.

Hopefully if the new electrics are for the Q3, they keep the quaycity brand rather than rebranding it again as VOLTRA.

(28 May 2022, 6:26 pm)Jack Gill wrote Hopefully if the new electrics are for the Q3, they keep the quaycity brand rather than rebranding it again as VOLTRA.

Nah knowing GNE it'll go Voltra. QuayCity branding will be gone

(28 May 2022, 9:58 pm)Aaron21 wrote Nah knowing GNE it'll go Voltra. QuayCity branding will be gone

Voltra branding isn't even good

While the Voltra branding is nice, they will start to just overdo it probably, and with the quaycity being a new brand and still very nice it'd be nice if they kept it.

(29 May 2022, 7:32 am)Jack Gill wrote While the Voltra branding is nice, they will start to just overdo it probably, and with the quaycity being a new brand and still very nice it'd be nice if they kept it.

What a pity CityZap has already been coined...

VoltraQuay?

(28 May 2022, 10:35 pm)Unber43 wrote Voltra branding isn't even good

I agree. It's boring and doesn't really scream I'm a route branding. It's just a few green bits and the 53/54 that's it