(25 Feb 2016, 9:12 am)X8X9X10 wrote This is starting to become more common than rare now but there's a 35-branded hybrid on the X21, 1579 I think it was.
The Sapphire fleet are still playing up. Customers are now complaining on Facebook about the lack of Sapphire vehicles on the route. Something needs to be done about it and fast.
It's getting to the point where more established routes like the X18 are losing out due to the failings on the X21/X22 fleet.
Why should people be left inconvenienced on the X18, a route that has high passenger loadings, when a MAX bus has to be removed and placed on the X20 or the X21/X22 and often substituted with an Arriva bus with no features such as WiFi.
There is no flexibility in the spares fleet either. The logical idea would have been to refurbish 1579/1580/1581/4653/7445/7446/7515/7516/7518/and 3/4x VLAs in Arriva 2014 spec (high back e-leather seats, free WiFi, grey floor and power sockets), these would be in Arriva Interurban livery and would give sufficient vehicles for all routes in times of a shortages/breakdowns.
The 35 doesn't need route branding. They actually have been losing money since the extra bus was put in for the Woodhorn extension.