1422 covered various trips on 5/5A today in place of 1551 which has a recurring fault.

(10 Sep 2015, 7:18 pm)tyresmoke wrote 1422 covered various trips on 5/5A today in place of 1551 which has a recurring fault.

I believe 1422 did one trip on the 5A and was replaced by 1512 on the 1555 service 5.

(10 Sep 2015, 4:15 pm)Jimmi wrote Any idea of time/location?

I'm guessing around 8am - somewhere around Newton Aycliffe, but he can't tell me exactly where as he's only just started taking that route to school.

He leaves home for school before 7:30 now [faint]

(10 Sep 2015, 7:53 pm)BusLoverMum wrote I'm guessing around 8am - somewhere around Newton Aycliffe, but he can't tell me exactly where as he's only just started taking that route to school.

He leaves home for school before 7:30 now [faint]

Thats earlier than me haha! 07:55 and bus comes at 08:09.

(10 Sep 2015, 7:49 pm)Mark wrote I believe 1422 did one trip on the 5A and was replaced by 1512 on the 1555 service 5.

It replaced 1551 this morning when it failed on Cargo Fleet Lane too, operated the (rather late) 0835 5a before being replaced with 1551 again at 1050.

(10 Sep 2015, 4:11 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Big'un spotted a Sapphire 7 branded E400 on the 5A, this morning.

This is the order of the decker working on the 5

06:26 shildon to darlington (5A)
07:20 darlington to Bishop Auckland college (5A)
08:58 bishop Auckland to darlington (1)

Then gets swapped off back on to the 7

1416 then took its place on the 1/5/5A/19
While 1516 was on the X1

(10 Sep 2015, 9:18 pm)Stuartphin1639 wrote This is the order of the decker working on the 5

06:26 shildon to darlington (5A)
07:20 darlington to Bishop Auckland college (5A)
08:58 bishop Auckland to darlington (1)

Then gets swapped off back on to the 7

1416 then took its place on the 1/5/5A/19
While 1516 was on the X1

Sounds like he's likely to see one most mornings, then. I shall pass this information onto him at the first suitable opportunity.

(10 Sep 2015, 10:00 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Sounds like he's likely to see one most mornings, then. I shall pass this information onto him at the first suitable opportunity.

Yup they were leaving people behind with a Pulsar!

(10 Sep 2015, 7:14 pm)buss14 wrote is 4513 and 4515 still useful

They'll be in the dead row now? But still they got 7367(?) out of disposal when 7510 caught fire.

Enviro 200 parked in Hartlepool

(11 Sep 2015, 7:52 am)GX03 SVC wrote They'll be in the dead row now? But still they got 7367(?) out of disposal when 7510 caught fire.

Redcar still using their B10BLEs bar 4504/10 which are both off the road. Rest come off once 4700/21-6 are ready

(10 Sep 2015, 10:00 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Sounds like he's likely to see one most mornings, then. I shall pass this information onto him at the first suitable opportunity.

7534 was on the working this morning.

(11 Sep 2015, 8:59 am)John_R wrote 7534 was on the working this morning.

7534 is now currently sat in town waiting to replace 1416 which is on the 7

(11 Sep 2015, 7:33 am)tyresmoke wrote Yup they were leaving people behind with a Pulsar!

At least they realised that there is capacity problems on here quicker than they did with the 7. For four years I had to ride on completely rammed buses to college on a morning.

Slightly surprised they are allocating the Sapphire Enviro 400's, I'd have thought that they'd have duplicated it like they did with the 7 before the E400's arrived. Hopefully Darlington will get some more double deckers for this working rather than make a mockery of the Sapphire brand by putting non Sapphire buses on the 7.

(11 Sep 2015, 9:24 am)Jimmi wrote At least they realised that there is capacity problems on here quicker than they did with the 7. For four years I had to ride on completely rammed buses to college on a morning.

Slightly surprised they are allocating the Sapphire Enviro 400's, I'd have thought that they'd have duplicated it like they did with the 7 before the E400's arrived. Hopefully Darlington will get some more double deckers for this working rather than make a mockery of the Sapphire brand by putting non Sapphire buses on the 7.

I don't think it will be a long term arrangement but it solves the problem for now.
The flexibility of the college cards being valid through the day should allow the loadings to settle out once the first week or two are out of the way.
Unfortunately to dupe it you need another driver, something that Darlington don't really have!

(11 Sep 2015, 9:50 am)tyresmoke wrote I don't think it will be a long term arrangement but it solves the problem for now.
The flexibility of the college cards being valid through the day should allow the loadings to settle out once the first week or two are out of the way.
Unfortunately to dupe it you need another driver, something that Darlington don't really have!

The first fortnight is usually the worst, one morning in the second week of my last year at college on the 7 we had no seats after my stop and was fully loaded by Chilton. After that it does settle down a bit like you say.

1512 is now on 21As replacing 4652
1415 is on 9/27/27a

Not looking good up here. Both within 5 minutes.

About 20 minutes ago passing The Elephant, Ashington was MAX X15 '09 E400 heading towards Newbiggin and 7468 heading towards Newcastle on the X21.

7514 on the X21, through Bedlington now, towards Newbiggin (6 late)

7518 is actually on a sapphire route today

(11 Sep 2015, 2:56 pm)buss14 wrote 7518 is actually on a sapphire route today

X22 left Ashington 1520

(11 Sep 2015, 2:58 pm)GX03 SVC wrote X22 left Ashington 1520

Been on there since this morning, through Bedlington as an X21 to Newcastle around 8 iirc.

7492 on X14

Arriva seriously need to invest more money into their MAX and Sapphire routes if they want them to work. OK, perhaps the 57 plates have been performing better since Ecnospeed was removed but, the whole allocations across the North East look very scrappy from the 57 plate Sapphires to constant off route vehicles to even some routes (X7, X8, X12) even using single deckers for some runs that require double deckers and allocating Ex London refurbished buses to the X20 is not going to do a service with potential any favors. Arriva need to do the following:

- Order new buses for the key MAX and Sapphire routes to allow cascades to take place.
- Amend all timetables to ensure that services are running as close to time as possible.
- NO refurbished Ex London deckers for main workings (bar peak time extras), all buses used should be to a good standard!
- NO more first buses of the morning sneaking out of Blyth depot late and starting to get into problems around Newsham area etc.
- Adequate spare vehicles to ensure consistency and prevent brand dilution.
- Tighter controls on odd workings to ensure that these are rectified as soon as possible and kept to a minimum.
- NO drivers plodding along against favorable road and traffic conditions. All drivers to drive to the road and traffic conditions in a legal and safer manner whilst keeping the service as close to time as possible.

So, Davey, if I go to the office tomorrow and ask how many Sapphire deckers were off for PSV checks or general repairs what would the answer be...?

7518, 7514 and 7468 were on the Sapphires today. Does that not suggest a shortage of vehicles from this morning?

As per usual it's about cost. Yes, Blyth depot is receiving new-ish and refurbished Max vehicles for all routes, with rumours about new midibuses next year.

Ashington has received cast-offs from London to rid of step-entrance vehicles. The B7s that are coming should be in good nick and hopefully Ashington take care of them, just like their counterparts in Newcastle.

Yes Arriva should do some of the above, but why would they want to spend £££ of their shareholders money rectifying faults that cause no problem to the shareholders???

I was in Alnwick bus station at 10am today. There was:
-An X14 Omnicity on the X15 to Berwick.
-An X18 E400 on the X15 to Newcastle.
-A sapphire X21/22 E400 on the X18 to Newcastle.
-An X18 E400 on the X18 to Berwick(!)

(11 Sep 2015, 5:43 pm)passenger_10 wrote I was in Alnwick bus station at 10am today. There was:
-An X14 Omnicity on the X15 to Berwick.
-An X18 E400 on the X15 to Newcastle.
-A sapphire X21/22 E400 on the X18 to Newcastle.
-An X18 E400 on the X18 to Berwick(!)

Maybes 7514 was being kept local hence a Sapphire decker on the X18. Everything else is to keep the core MAX routes MAX-ish..? 

There were quite a few vehicles in the depot that I could see from Asda in the morning...

1915 made it 3 Cadets in 3 days on the 15
1472 on X12
1435 worked the 0950 X93 while the 1002 arrival was 4707. 4707 was then meant to replace 7402 on the 64/64a/22 but it refused to start, resulting in 4720 being brought to replace it. 4707 was still in Middlesbrough Bus Station at 1630 awaiting a tow

(11 Sep 2015, 8:59 am)John_R wrote 7534 was on the working this morning.

Nice one.

His spot of the day was, apparently (I wasn't there) one of the NK61 CY_ (bad me forgot the last letter) Pulsars on the 22 which would have arrived in Durham about 3:30-ish.

1479 is on X12, 0935 from Middlesbrough
1469 on 17a