(20 May 2015, 4:49 am)Dan wrote The main thing that has changed most recently on the North Sunderland section is the service number so that it coincides with other changes. Services 35/36 wouldn't have been upgraded to a 15 minute frequency if the buses were empty at a 20 minute frequency (when previously numbered 29). The fact that this upgrade occurred suggests a lot about the passenger numbers...
The services will be branded eventually. Unfortunately an influx of new vehicles, second hand vehicles entering service, buses undergoing repaint, and the preparation which is paired with all of the aforementioned factors, means that people have to prioritise. I understand completely that it's not great having buses going around in a plain base livery colour, but this is not new. Arriva do exactly the same with their MAX/Sapphire buses when they are freshly repainted, as things can't be turned around as quickly as you would expect, especially when dealing with third party contractors (as the bus company in question will not be their only customer).
The decisions involved in running a bus company are not an overnight operation - things do take time. You can't truly appreciate this until you see all of the work that goes on 'behind the scenes'.
Its good that they finally have North Sunderland sorted and the new 35/35A/36 routes are working, lets hope they stay this way for a LONG time.