(29 Aug 2014, 8:19 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote Agreed! I think GNE will shell out the extra for power like what they did with the B9TL.The difference is that the Volvo B9TLs in the fleet will probably have to stay on the routes for which they were ordered for, for quite a few years before being cascaded, to pay off the majority of the vehicle cost prior to cascading to services which aren't as profitable.
If cheaper vehicles are ordered for a profitable route, it means that another order will probably go in in 2-3 years time to replace them. GNE will then be able to justify the capital expenditure to Go-Ahead because the service should have seen growth and it means that another (set of) service(s) benefits from 2-3 year old Versas.
The Citylink springs to mind...