The more I look at the "road stripe" livery, the more I see a hidden meaning behind it, let me explain:
Red: From the Northern days, most subsidiaries back before dereg were red, with a white band, this explains the red and the white stripe.
Yellow Stripe: a nod to the venture days of when the buses were Yellow and maroon, also the Tyne and Wear PTE livery.
Blue: Sunderland District blue and in the 90s the prominent Go Ahead Gateshead colour.
RE: Repaints into 2019 fleet livery