(02 Jan 2015, 10:17 pm)aureolin wrote Doesn't the X88 have a 'free route' between the Metrocentre and Galleries, with the A1 -> A1231 -> Washington Highway to the Galleries, being the preferred route? Similar to the X21? For as many years as I can remember, the X88 has went on a scenic route, if they've been aware of issues on the A1.

Pretty much, same as the X22 and X66.

(02 Jan 2015, 10:23 pm)aureolin wrote Have yourselves a trip down to Middlesbrough. They should be on the 28 (I assume it's regular?), but both of you take photos.

Yes usually on 28 or 29 - sometimes escape onto the 17 group too. They're used effectively as spares normally.

Scania 5213 has encountered a problem of some sort whilst on service 20 - taken out of service on Durham Rd, Sunderland, with all passengers moved onto the following 20A (5212).

Was able to head back to the depot under its own power, suggesting that it wasn't a breakdown and was in fact another problem.

Means that there will be two 'odd' workings on the Prince Bishops today - another covering for 5216 which was not allocated at start of service.

Repainted Scania 4945 is on 35s today. Just left Houghton towards South Shields.

Yellow MPD 564 has crashed at Easington Village on what looks like Lee Terrace while operating the 208. It's crashed right into a garden tree by looks of the photos.

(02 Jan 2015, 6:47 pm)gtom wrote Saying that we discuss Sunderland a lot for such a not that important provincial secondary city

(runs away)

I agree, it isn't very important, and it is a waste of my time. 

(Also runs away, but to Newcastle) 

Mind, Marcus, you'll really be pushing citaro5284's buttons right now..!

First calling him nasty names, now suggesting in your signature that the Wi-Fi on the Angel does not work. Blasphemy!

(03 Jan 2015, 7:34 pm)Dan wrote Mind, Marcus, you'll really be pushing citaro5284's buttons right now..!

First calling him nasty names, now suggesting that the Wi-Fi on the Angel does not work. Blasphemy!

Once again, just kidding!!

Just tryin' to make a random joke signature!

Maybe I should pick on Arriva for once....me being no expert, the Sapphire and MAX both have Wi-Fi, don't they?

(03 Jan 2015, 7:34 pm)Dan wrote Mind, Marcus, you'll really be pushing citaro5284's buttons right now..!

First calling him nasty names, now suggesting in your signature that the Wi-Fi on the Angel does not work. Blasphemy!

For Marcus's benefit, see below the amount of data downloaded over the past 7 days on Angel vehicles.....

3962 - Angel 728.14 MB
3965 - Angel 299.52 MB
6056 - Angel 342.75 MB
6057 - Angel 1.81 GB
6058 - Angel 463.11 MB
6059 - Angel 23.49 MB
6060 - Angel 49.70 MB
6061 - Angel 352.45 MB
6062 - Angel 1.26 GB
6063 - Angel 251.20 MB
6064 - Angel 1.64 GB
6065 - Angel 664.98 MB
6066 - Angel 472.49 MB
6067 - Angel 406.66 MB
6068 - Angel 115.68 MB
6069 - Angel 1.39 GB
6070 - Angel 1.16 GB

Maybe Marcus needs to remove the signature, as clearly it is not correct.

(03 Jan 2015, 7:49 pm)citaro5284 wrote For Marcus's benefit, see below the amount of data downloaded over the past 7 days on Angel vehicles.....

3962 - Angel 728.14 MB
3965 - Angel 299.52 MB
6056 - Angel 342.75 MB
6057 - Angel 1.81 GB
6058 - Angel 463.11 MB
6059 - Angel 23.49 MB
6060 - Angel 49.70 MB
6061 - Angel 352.45 MB
6062 - Angel 1.26 GB
6063 - Angel 251.20 MB
6064 - Angel 1.64 GB
6065 - Angel 664.98 MB
6066 - Angel 472.49 MB
6067 - Angel 406.66 MB
6068 - Angel 115.68 MB
6069 - Angel 1.39 GB
6070 - Angel 1.16 GB

Maybe Marcus needs to remove the signature, as clearly it is not correct.

W.o.W.

Makes me wonder why 6060 has only had like a twentieth of what 6069 and 6070 have had like! - is that one the bad apple on the tree or something? Or has it just had a few days off?

Yeah okay I'll pick on someone else (*cough* Sapphire *cough*) instead...

(03 Jan 2015, 7:38 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote Once again, just kidding!!

Just tryin' to make a random joke signature!

Maybe I should pick on Arriva for once....me being no expert, the Sapphire and MAX both have Wi-Fi, don't they?

DIVINT START WITH ARRIVA!!! 
(or you'll get hell...     )

(03 Jan 2015, 7:52 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote W.o.W.

Makes me wonder why 6060 has only had like a twentieth of what 6069 and 6070 have had like! - is that one the bad apple on the tree or something? Or has it just had a few days off?

Yeah okay I'll pick on someone else (*cough* Sapphire *cough*) instead...

Look at 6059!!

Go ahead, however I'm really not sure if you can pick on E400's much more than they have been, or Streetlite's for that matter

(03 Jan 2015, 7:53 pm)mb134 wrote Look at 6059!!

I was going to give citaro5284 the benefit of the doubt and that he'd made a typo or something! haha

23 MB....

(03 Jan 2015, 7:52 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote W.o.W.

Makes me wonder why 6060 has only had like a twentieth of what 6069 and 6070 have had like! - is that one the bad apple on the tree or something? Or has it just had a few days off?

Yeah okay I'll pick on someone else (*cough* Sapphire *cough*) instead...

This should be fun with your limited Sapphire experience.

Possibly it ended up on journeys with people who don't use WiFi or even a mobile phone.

(03 Jan 2015, 7:55 pm)Jimmi wrote This should be fun with your limited Sapphire experience.

Possibly it ended up on journeys with people who don't use WiFi or even a mobile phone.

Used the Sapphire 7 the once with the Ashington X22 the other day too, neither of them were working, don't know why!

Two Sapphire experiences, I don't think it was working on 7509 either.

(03 Jan 2015, 7:55 pm)Jimmi wrote This should be fun with your limited Sapphire experience.

Possibly it ended up on journeys with people who don't use WiFi or even a mobile phone.

According to his post in "Bus related outings & reviews" he's been on 7509, so it could be endless

(03 Jan 2015, 7:38 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote Once again, just kidding!!

Just tryin' to make a random joke signature!

Maybe I should pick on Arriva for once....me being no expert, the Sapphire and MAX both have Wi-Fi, don't they?

Do it as I've just found out as Arriva is part of DB they own the Metro.

(03 Jan 2015, 7:56 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote Used the Sapphire 7 the once with the Ashington X22 the other day too, neither of them were working, don't know why!

Two Sapphire experiences, I don't think it was working on 7509 either.

Is it possible there was no problem with the Sapphire WiFi and it could have possibly been your phone at fault as I can never connect to GNE WiFi on my phone.

Also the Sapphire routes in question have areas where mobile signal is poor so there is not a lot Arriva can do about that. I almost always get connected on Arriva service 7.

Update on the Prudhoe Diversions;

http://www.simplygo.com/news/prudhoe-shu...d-november

Looks like a shuttle bus is in place.

(03 Jan 2015, 10:09 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote Update on the Prudhoe Diversions;

http://www.simplygo.com/news/prudhoe-shu...d-november

Looks like a shuttle bus is in place.

Guessing MPD operation.

(03 Jan 2015, 10:26 pm)Simmy wrote Guessing MPD operation.

Yellow MPD 524 will, if it hasn't already, return to Riverside for use on the shuttle service (again).

(03 Jan 2015, 7:53 pm)mb134 wrote Look at 6059!!

Go ahead, however I'm really not sure if you can pick on E400's much more than they have been, or Streetlite's for that matter

There's nothing wrong with either bodywork (well the Streetlites can rattle though), it's the Cummins Engines that let them down. You can hear Volvo, Scania and Merc (Optare) engines grafting away but all you can hear on a Cummins Engine is the Turbocharger screaming away and when that dies, the bus has had it.

Deptford's former "Laser" branded Scania L94UB/Wright Solar 4946 (NK51 OLM) has now arrived at Saltmeadows for repaint into "Prince Bishops" purple, ahead of this month's service changes.

MPD 524: NA52 AWG has returned to Riverside from Percy Main.

The GNE 706/707 started this morning and allocations from Stanley Bus Station were..
641 on #706 @ 09:14
641 on #707 @ 09:44
641 returns from #707 @ 10:12 and goes out on a #V8.
650 arrives in Stanley on a #V8.
650 on #706 @ 10:14
650 on #707 @ 10:44.

I can't see the 706/707 lasting if there is no improvement on this mornings loadings. About five people got off at Annfield Plain Tesco at 09:51 and that is the maximum load that I noticed.

Cant see the X36 lasting are put it on during peak ours see loads in mornings and evenings fare paying passengers, during the day just old people

(05 Jan 2015, 12:37 pm)gneasy91 wrote during  the day just old people

Old people are charged, too.
Depending on how the bus company operates their system, this can be based on the maximum fare for the route.

Also, consider that without concessionary fares, many 'old people' would not use the buses as often.

I know that I use the bus to save money on what I would otherwise pay for milk by travelling to a cheaper supermarket.
If I had to pay to use the bus I wouldn't - I would just buy the more expensive milk.

On average I make three return journeys each week (not all for milk!) - none of which I would do if I had to pay for my tickets.

(05 Jan 2015, 12:37 pm)gneasy91 wrote Cant see the X36 lasting are put it on during peak ours see loads in mornings and evenings fare paying passengers, during the day just old people

Everytime I've seen the X36 in Newcastle there has been almost no-one on it so I was not surprised to see it cut on this section of the route to hourly.

(05 Jan 2015, 12:50 pm)G-CPTN wrote Old people are charged, too.
Depending on how the bus company operates their system, this can be based on the maximum fare for the route.

Also, consider that without concessionary fares, many 'old people' would not use the buses as often.

I know that I use the bus to save money on what I would otherwise pay for milk by travelling to a cheaper supermarket.
If I had to pay to use the bus I wouldn't - I would just buy the more expensive milk.

On average I make three return journeys each week (not all for milk!) - none of which I would do if I had to pay for my tickets.

Most operators choose to be reimbursed based on average ticket price. Operators can work out the average ticket price by dividing the total revenue generated from a service by the total number of tickets sold (regardless of whether these are single, return or day tickets) within a set period of time.

(05 Jan 2015, 12:55 pm)Jimmi wrote Everytime I've seen the X36 in Newcastle there has been almost no-one on it so I was not surprised to see it cut on this section of the route to hourly.

The X36 is an odd one. I've experienced loadings which were almost full on occasion, and other times where it's been empty. The other afternoon I saw one in Southwick heading to Newcastle with just one passenger... 

(05 Jan 2015, 1:00 pm)Dan wrote The X36 is an odd one. I've experienced loadings which were almost full on occasion, and other times where it's been empty. The other afternoon I saw one in Southwick heading to Newcastle with just one passenger... 

Three passengers onboard an X36 into Eldon Square a couple of days ago.