For what was formerly considered GNE's "flagship" services, in a way, the reliability of the 21/X21 has certainly gone down the drain. I'm seeing Omnidekkas, Eclipses, Versas, etc. on the 21 on pretty much a daily basis at this point.
Someone waiting for the 21 would expect the bus to have leather seats, tables, WiFi, NSA's and plug socket. Not a 15 year old ex-GNW castoff with literally none of those features and a cold, musty atmosphere inside.
Ironically, if I randomly saw the "as posh as your car" slogan on an Angel, and my car was a 20 year old Ford Fiesta, then I still wouldn't be convinced to start catching that instead.
Arriva's "Sapphire" routes are no better, which is probably why they're gradually phasing that brand out. What's the point on marketing routes as "high spec" if they're just gonna be allocated 21 year old Geminis and 14 year old Solos that haven't even been repainted in their life?
RE: State Of The Fleet