(12 Jun 2015, 9:03 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote the 19 Euro 5 Enviro 200 MK1s due next month for South Sheilds will replace older 61 Reg Enviro 200 36461-79 which will transfer to Hartlepool to replace the 19 Transbus Darts
33401, 34561-69 and 34605-08 to Disposal or Reserve

The 19 new E200s for shields will not replace the MAN 14.240 Enviro 200s 39701-14 as there is only 14 of them, These will stay at Sheilds
Also 14 Reg 37143/44 will stay at Sheilds with one replacing 22734s role with 22734 going to disposal

MAN 18.220 ALX300s 22050/67/70 will stay aswell as Darts 35190/91/92/93/94/95

So anyone wanting one final ride/photo of 22734 you have just under 1 month left.

This was just pure guessing but all of it adds up so id say its 90% likely to happen.

I would say that there were a number of flaws in the Logic above.

First of all, you have missed off Fleet No.s 34550 & 34615 from the list of Transbus Darts @ Hartlepool
and even with these, there is a total of 16 Transbus Darts @ Hartlepool, and not 19, as you have clearly suggested above, with 34401 already being the Reserve/Spare vehicle.

Each Depot, is responsible for its own Maintenance budget, so why ?, would Hartlepool Depot, go to the expense, of refurbishing & repainting its Transbus Darts, only to withdraw them for disposal a month or two later. This would be a complete waste of money. For example, 34xxx, is repainted & moves to another depot (possibly out of the region), so Hartlepool have paid for that vehicle to be painted, only for some other depot, to then receive a freshly painted vehicle & it hasn't cost them a penny to repaint, out of their maintenance budget.

Hartlepool Depot, then get a replacement vehicle from another Depot, which needs a repaint, so they have to pay for that vehicle to be repainted as well, whereas, the money that was spent repainting the vehicle it lost, could have been used to have repainted another of its own vehicles.

The Teesside Depot, appears to have ceased repainting its T/V registered MANs, knowing full well, that in just a few months, they will be getting replaced with Brand New vehicles, so why waste, two or three grand on repainting a bus, so that it looks nice when it gets scrapped. It makes no sense.

I also do not understand, why South Shields (not sheilds), would wish to transfer out its 61' plate Enviro 200s, when it has older vehicles, such as the 09' plated MAN/E200s.

I would have to say too, that the MAN 14.240/E200, have not been the best of purchases made by the Stagecoach UK Bus Group, as they have proved to be rather unpopular.

It is probably best therefore not to speculate what could happen & wait until it actually does.

Someone, had previously suggested that 39701 - 39714 were to transfer to Hartlepool last December, and this never happened, so, I would again, wait to see what actually does happen in reality.