(10 Aug 2013, 9:14 pm)Adam Malarkey wrote I actually was Today going from Newcastle to Heworth, and I did have the comfort of a B9 with Wifi.
As for 3833 that was the only bus other than MPD 564 available at the time when 3964 broke down, and both were only parked around the corner on the layover, not sure on what was in the Depot other than the other 2 B9's which are VOR. Most likely a Citaro Artic would of been the replacement otherwise. Although Passengers may complain about the bus not being low floor, The problem was solved immediately compared to in the past when they've had to wait for the Next one to arrive.
You weren't a customer from Newcastle to Middlesbrough though, like some passengers are. You hardly benefit from a 15 minute charge of your camera/phone on the X10. Over an hour, you can benefit greatly from it.
I've frequently used the service from A to B, and often have relied on a B9 turning up so that I could charge my phone which had died earlier in the day to get in touch with someone. I only do that if I know the allocations which admittedly normal passengers wouldn't, but I should be able to be fairly confident in knowing that I'll have the advertised benefits for using the service - especially when the service can be so costly when you're >18 and travelling the full length of the service on multiple occasions.
The vehicle has to be tachoed too, which is a big factor of determining a suitable replacement for a defective B9.