Been out again Today over Newcastle way for Photos of 9131, and I finally managed to get to have a ride on it on the 31 to Winlaton and the 32 Back (Basically a Round Trip) which I believe Dan tried to do a few Days a go before 9131 was Regulated at Winlaton.
I know quite a lot of you don't like it, whether it be from a Design point of view, Comfort and also saying it is under Power due having only a 5 Litre Engine.
I am going to be Brutally Honest here, in the Hour I spent on 9131 up to Winlaton from Newcastle and Back on the 31/32, I loved it and I think it handled the Route very well, The Seats were not bad, certainly more comfortable than that cheap hard plastic crap you get on Stagecoach E400's, The Ride was Very Smooth but only rattled excessively when going over Pot Holes, otherwise barely a squeak.
I also experienced something rather Special on 9131 which I have never seen with any other Bus, and this happened on Several Occasions throughout the Journey, Particularly around the Winlaton area. People who were walking by stopped pointed and simply admired 9131 as it Drove Past and I was simply amazed by that which is why I have grown to Love the B5TL.
But despite the above I agree with Everyone else I don't think it would cope on such a Demanding Route such as the X21 on a Daily Basis, and I anticipate there will be a few Brake Downs on the X21 as a Result of it's 5 Litre Engine, and I don't think it would survive Several Years on that sort of Service either. I think we need something with a lot more Power that has more than a 9 Litre Engine in the Low Floor Single Deck and Double Decker Market.
As a Result of that I am torn in Half as to whether it would be worth while Go North East investing in this Vehicle after Demonstration is Over, And I could only think of Very Few Routes that it could be Successful on, Further more relating back to the Toon Link, Does it really need Double Deckers as I think it could quite easily Justify a 11.7m Versa or a Citaro, other than at Peak Times during the Day, As I would argue the Toon Links are Glass Half Full - Glass Half Empty sort of Service from my experience of using those Services over the Past Week.
RE: 2014 GNE Bus Order Predictions