(15 Jul 2015, 5:46 pm)S813 FVK wrote Is it MX60 BXD then? Thought that was going.
Yes - that vehicle is still in the fleet. See photo here.
(15 Jul 2015, 5:48 pm)Jimmi wrote Wonder what the contracts stipulate for regards to minimum passenger capacity on their school contracts as I have seen photos of the Enviro 200 and Nexus branded Solo SR's on the 874, not sure of the capacity this service has a minimum of what it can carry.
As far as I am aware, Gateshead Central Taxis were awarded with four scholars (which may comprise of several individual services) contracts last August, and the end date for these contracts are all September 2017.
These contracts all stipulate the use of a low-floor Euro 4 vehicle. Two of the contracts have a minimum capacity of 60, while the other two have a minimum capacity of 84. The use of minibuses on their scholars services is quite common (Guy Park Royal has photographed quite a few examples of this happening now) and I also saw a "Nexus" branded Solo SR out of service prior to performing a scholars service on Saltmeadows Road when the demonstrator ADL E400MMC was delivered to Go North East the other day.
Whilst it's always nice for us enthusiasts to see smaller independents growing and making a name for themselves (hopefully in a positive light), these smaller companies also face issues when their vehicles are off the road, as they won't have an endless supply of vehicles which meet the contract specification. Not only does this put the customer at a disadvantage, but the company also has to pay a penalty fine for allocating a non-compliant vehicle.