Wow I'm on a bus where the plugs work!

The rattling on this bus is bad whilst on the move. The noise stationary is driving me around the bend.

(11 Mar 2018, 6:38 pm)idiot wrote The rattling on this bus is bad whilst on the move. The noise stationary is driving me around the bend.

Which bus are you on?

A rattly bus with plug sockets, must be a streetlite!

(11 Mar 2018, 4:38 pm)Michael wrote What's replacing 635/636 at Peterlee when the AD122 starts at end of the month?

I would think the "Baby Solos" from Chester once the new Solo SR's arrive for the Durham Cathedral Shuttle.

(11 Mar 2018, 7:18 pm)Malarkey wrote I would think the "Baby Solos" from Chester once the new Solo SR's arrive for the Durham Cathedral Shuttle.

That isn't till June i think, they'll still need 2 buses before that.

(11 Mar 2018, 8:01 pm)Michael wrote That isn't till June i think, they'll still need 2 buses before that.

Always reinstate 4937 as a active fleet member releasing 637 to Peterlee. Then reinstate a waggonway solar to release a versa on temporary loan to Peterlee.

(11 Mar 2018, 8:59 pm)S830OFT wrote Always reinstate 4937 as a active fleet member releasing 637 to Peterlee. Then reinstate a waggonway solar to release a versa on temporary loan to Peterlee.

4937 is fixed and back on the road ready for service .... so who ever said it's withdrawn is wrong.

(12 Mar 2018, 6:15 am)Citaro5326 wrote 4937 is fixed and back on the road ready for service .... so who ever said it's withdrawn is wrong.

On fleet list it says Reserve.

It was a streetlite Prince bishops one.

6301 NIS on front Street in Durham with hazards flashing.

(10 Mar 2018, 12:29 pm)Coastliner700 wrote The Citaro’s are a very good product and very high quality since their introduction. I don’t believe the newer lightweight and plastic will last longer anything good about them is cosmetic. It’s a shame GoAhead switched away from them. I think the reason that Arriva and Stagecoach kept away from them was because of their cost. Now Go Ahead too. Will the streetlites still be going in strong in 10 years.

As to their current routes I feel they are wasted on them. I think they should be on routes like the Loop, Green Arrow front line services not sidelined for older vehicles..

Allocated to secondary routes as some sort of tool to attract customers and increase bums on seats?
Their MPG will eat in to any revenues made, so potentially a risky manoeuver, when smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles are available.
A definite upgrade to what was previously seen on the X5, 57, 88 and 9 mind.
Let's hope whatever replaces them in the future, isn't a downgrade

(13 Mar 2018, 10:28 pm)Andreos1 wrote Allocated to secondary routes as some sort of tool to attract customers and increase bums on seats?
Their MPG will eat in to any revenues made, so potentially a risky manoeuver, when smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles are available.
A definite upgrade to what was previously seen on the X5, 57, 88 and 9 mind.
Let's hope whatever replaces them in the future, isn't a downgrade

On the downgrade note some of the streetlites are rattling like mad and not exactly comfortable at the moment God knows what there like when cascaded.

(13 Mar 2018, 11:11 pm)idiot wrote On the downgrade note some of the streetlites are rattling like mad and not exactly comfortable at the moment God knows what there like when cascaded.

I imagine they will be officially classed as an upgrade, dependant in where they end up and what they replace. Purely down to the fact they're newer and have plugs & wifi.
Whether the customer is fool enough to fall for that, over a poorer quality ride, is another thing.

The folks are using their twirly pass more and more often now and although they struggle to remember whether it was the 21, X21 or X12 they got or even the operator of said bus - they certainly know the little buses on the 78 rattle like mad.
They see a bus as a bus and aren't bothered whether a bus is new or not, as long as it turns up, isnt crowded and is comfy. They look at the destination on the front and get on board.
They were savvy enough to know the 'Middlesbrough bus' was cheaper when one of them was too young for a pass though.

Think I have mentioned this before... When the Streetlites first appeared on the 78, my mam used one and genuinely couldnt believe it was a brand new bus due to the shakes and rattles.

The streetlites remind me a lot of the early Wright body Darts that didn’t last long in real terms. I think that some of the Mercs may outlive them.

Seen 6116 on an alpha truck this evening

I saw 6116, broken down on 310 down from Meadow well on its way into Newcastle. Sent mine via Chirtion.

The streetlites are a cheap and nasty bus.the rattles people comment about,were rattles that were on these buses from new,when delivered.one of the main get on your nerve rattle is the emergency door,handle mechanism.it is so flimsy looking,and is sometimes a continiounus rattle while bus is moving.you can see the parts are light weight and cheap.surely wrightbus have a road testing facility,which would highlight this kind of thing before main production,as I see the rattling on brand new buses,as a fault in design.it does not look good in the eye of the travelling pubic to hear this noise on the new bus.you can expect this on buses after a few years.if this is happening from new,what are these  buses going to be like after a few years.i persannaly cannot see them lasting as long as the wright renown’s, which GNE have just withdrawn,bar a couple left I believe.

“

(09 Mar 2018, 7:47 pm)Panasonic44 wrote Ok now i get what mean about Citaros. Personally I don't like them because being on 3 corridor's they horrible to look at on day by day basics.

Also since South Tyneside changes they are full or empty which I can see it being loss in profits.

The H1 needs to sorted out no one uses it.

The H1 was in my opinion,a red herring thrown into the south Tyneside political mix to keep councillors happy about the Hebburn bus link to South Shields hospital ,knowing full well after the 6 month  probationary period it will be removed.this is also,possibly deliberate,that the route used and late start and early afternoon Finnish,was ark ward for people to use .hospital visiting is 2-4pm and 7-8pm, yet this bus starts approx 10am and ends 2.30 pm.work that one out and come to your own conclusion. Also on hospital buses, the 26 runs ok thru day but ends from Hebburn approx 7pm.visiting times are 7-8pm.while you can get to Shields hosp for start of visiting,you cannot get home on the same direct bus to Hebburn area.this service terminates at jarrow bus station after 7pm.you have to get 2 buses home,and hang around a dark and cold bus station,which wil put a lot of people off using the bus at night.what is it with GNE,that’s two bus routes to the hospital, that they cannot get right.

(15 Mar 2018, 3:21 am)Northern4555 wrote “
The H1 was in my opinion,a red herring thrown into the south Tyneside political mix to keep councillors happy about the Hebburn bus link to South Shields hospital ,knowing full well after the 6 month  probationary period it will be removed.this is also,possibly deliberate,that the route used and late start and early afternoon Finnish,was ark ward for people to use .hospital visiting is 2-4pm and 7-8pm, yet this bus starts approx 10am and ends 2.30 pm.work that one out and come to your own conclusion. Also on hospital buses, the 26 runs ok thru day but ends from Hebburn approx 7pm.visiting times are 7-8pm.while you can get to Shields hosp for start of visiting,you cannot get home on the same direct bus to Hebburn area.this service terminates at jarrow bus station after 7pm.you have to get 2 buses home,and hang around a dark and cold bus station,which wil put a lot of people off using the bus at night.what is it with GNE,that’s two bus routes to the hospital, that they cannot get right.

The H1 could have been a useful route between Hebburn Station Road and Luke's Lane supplementing the 9 service. Go North East have prevented that from happening and thus set up the H1 to fail by running only 4 minutes behind the 9 around Hebburn. I have attempted to take the H1 from Station Road to Finchale road on several occasions but the 9 arrives first. A minor timetable adjustment could be made to slot the H1 10 minuets between 9's giving improved travel opportunities around Hebburn. I have to agree with others that this so called multi award winning bus company has set up the H1 to fail.
The only real benefit of the South Tyneside changes is a saving for Go North East on the cost of four vans that were used by drivers on the 88/88A.

06:35 X9 from Middlesbrough did not operate this morning due to technical problems. The early morning commuters using the X9 X10 from Middlesbrough are getting a sub standard service with these vehicle failures.
The lost mileage on those routes might be of interest to VOSA.

(16 Mar 2018, 7:58 am)GuyParkRoyal wrote 06:35 X9 from Middlesbrough did not operate this morning due to technical problems. The early morning commuters using the  X9 X10 from Middlesbrough are getting a sub standard service with these vehicle failures.
The lost mileage on those routes might be of interest to VOSA.

I think VOSA would've cared, but since the DVSA replaced it, it's kind of slipped in standards.

(16 Mar 2018, 7:58 am)GuyParkRoyal wrote 06:35 X9 from Middlesbrough did not operate this morning due to technical problems. The early morning commuters using the  X9 X10 from Middlesbrough are getting a sub standard service with these vehicle failures.
The lost mileage on those routes might be of interest to VOSA.

Gaps on the X1 this morning and that's before the problems at Shiney Row kicked in.
According to punters on fb the app wasn't translating to real life either.

(16 Mar 2018, 7:58 am)GuyParkRoyal wrote 06:35 X9 from Middlesbrough did not operate this morning due to technical problems. The early morning commuters using the  X9 X10 from Middlesbrough are getting a sub standard service with these vehicle failures.
The lost mileage on those routes might be of interest to VOSA.

Looked on their Facebook and in the last fortnight, I saw two journeys that failed to operate plus one instance where the service was reportedly delayed whilst engineers attended to a bus, also the service had to be diverted quite a few times due to various incidents and some delayed trips.

Unfortunately with this mornings breakdown, they mentioned that the X10 would operate via Stockton  Norton and Billingham but sadly neglected to say it would run the X9 route through Peterlee to which passengers had to aquire this info by commenting on said post.

Some questions I have:
If a Newcastle bound X9 doesn't operate and the X10 has to cover parts of the X9 route, when it gets to Peterlee, does it still stop at the A19 slip road stop or is it omitted because its going right through Peterlee? Also, does Dalton Park get covered by the X9 when the X10 breaks down?

I feel the X9/X10 break downs are slightly exaggerated but at the same time  if it increases much more than the rate, I fear it could potentially have some impact on passenger numbers.

Not a fan of the new-old B9s. They don't feel particularly comfortable or stable whilst in motion. Perhaps that's an explanation for the 45mph speed limit. When in passenger seats, the top of the seat ends under my shoulder. An improvement on the omnidekkas but not exactly amazing. Guess it does the job, though.

(16 Mar 2018, 12:45 pm)Jamie M wrote Not a fan of the new-old B9s. They don't feel particularly comfortable or stable whilst in motion. Perhaps that's an explanation for the 45mph speed limit. When in passenger seats, the top of the seat ends under my shoulder. An improvement on the omnidekkas but not exactly amazing. Guess it does the job, though.

Another one that doesnt feel particularly stable is the omnicities,especially going around corners

(16 Mar 2018, 2:53 pm)V514DFT wrote Another one that doesnt feel particularly stable is the omnicities,especially going around corners

Nah, they're solid motors if they can evade fires . Get yourself onto a 50A, and you'll see they can build up speed well and remain integral at 60mph. They have a tendancy to lean, and occasionally the ferry mechanism can stick. That means they drive around with the body at 45* angle, but overall, remain good buses.

(16 Mar 2018, 12:45 pm)Jamie M wrote Not a fan of the new-old B9s. They don't feel particularly comfortable or stable whilst in motion. Perhaps that's an explanation for the 45mph speed limit. When in passenger seats, the top of the seat ends under my shoulder. An improvement on the omnidekkas but not exactly amazing. Guess it does the job, though.

they would of looked better if they did the interior properly like on current B9s , they are ok but not a big fan of them.
on the note of the 6:35am X9 or X10 I seen B5 6314 just coming off A1 towards the round about near eighton banks at 6:55am with engineer

I’m a fan of the new B9s. Maybe i’m just quite easy to please.

On the topic of the B9TLs, 6152 is now in service and will be the 16:20 X21 from Newcastle

(16 Mar 2018, 7:58 am)GuyParkRoyal wrote 06:35 X9 from Middlesbrough did not operate this morning due to technical problems. The early morning commuters using the  X9 X10 from Middlesbrough are getting a sub standard service with these vehicle failures.
The lost mileage on those routes might be of interest to VOSA.

VOSA aren't the 'animals' some enthusiasts make them out to be.

They're in regular contact with all operators, and as long as a marked improvement can be seen in the area of complaint, or the operator can prove the measures they're putting in place to avoid repeat occurrences, then VOSA are happy.

Whilst any breakdown on such an infrequent service like the X9/X10 is going to cause an inconvenience, Go North East do more than they have to, to ensure that the least disruption is caused to customers. They don't have to divert the following service via the alternative route to ensure any stranded passengers are picked up, but they do. They don't have to report each and every single breakdown or incident that happens on these services, but they do.

A lot of the incidents may not actually be due to the reliability of the vehicle type - the posts are often quite vague - but a recent example would be a woman entering labour whilst on-board the X10 service. As quickly as possible, a plan was devised to notify passengers in Newcastle and transport them across to Gateshead, where a spare bus and Leading Driver took over the duty towards Middlesbrough. This is only possible thanks to Go North East's Service Delivery Centre, who work around the clock to try and minimise disruption customers face (something which the likes of Arriva North East do not have!)

(16 Mar 2018, 10:48 am)Jimmi wrote Looked on their Facebook and in the last fortnight, I saw two journeys that failed to operate plus one instance where the service was reportedly delayed whilst engineers attended to a bus, also the service had to be diverted quite a few times due to various incidents and some delayed trips.

Unfortunately with this mornings breakdown, they mentioned that the X10 would operate via Stockton  Norton and Billingham but sadly neglected to say it would run the X9 route through Peterlee to which passengers had to aquire this info by commenting on said post.

Some questions I have:
If a Newcastle bound X9 doesn't operate and the X10 has to cover parts of the X9 route, when it gets to Peterlee, does it still stop at the A19 slip road stop or is it omitted because its going right through Peterlee? Also, does Dalton Park get covered by the X9 when the X10 breaks down?

I feel the X9/X10 break downs are slightly exaggerated but at the same time  if it increases much more than the rate, I fear it could potentially have some impact on passenger numbers.

The A19 slip-road would be omitted because it's going right through Peterlee and would need to serve the stops for Crawford Avenue etc - there aren't a great deal of passengers who board at this stop anyway - but the driver would probably make sure to go round the roundabout slow enough to undertake a quick visual check of whether anyone is waiting at the stop, and I'd go as far to suggest would probably wait a few moments if someone was waiting there, to allow the passengers time to walk/jog/run to the Moorcock bus stop. I'd say most passengers probably would have already done this after 20-minutes of an X10 being a no-show, anyway.

Yes, the X9 should serve Dalton Park if the previous X10 had broken down. There are announcements programmed in for both eventualities, which also apologise for the inconvenience caused etc. An apology won't always make up for the disruption to the customer's day, but it's better than nothing at all.

Breakdowns on the X9/X10 are exaggerated by enthusiasts. There's no denying that any breakdown is going to cause inconvenience, but we're only aware of all of these breakdowns because Go North East report every single one on Social Media. Truth of the matter is, if these weren't reported on Social Media by Go North East, I'd say it would largely go unnoticed.

There could be breakdowns left, right and centre on Andreos1's beloved Prince Bishops services, but a big thing isn't made of it, because Go North East don't report them on Social Media (by the time they did, the next bus would have arrived for the majority of customers, who live on the combined 10-minute headway sections of the route).

(16 Mar 2018, 3:00 pm)Jamie M wrote Nah, they're solid motors if they can evade fires . Get yourself onto a 50A, and you'll see they can build up speed well and remain integral at 60mph. They have a tendancy to lean, and occasionally the ferry mechanism can stick. That means they drive around with the body at 45* angle, but overall, remain good buses.

A lot of them are limited to 50mph, these days.

(16 Mar 2018, 3:14 pm)Citaro5326 wrote they would of looked better if they did the interior properly like on current B9s , they are ok but not a big fan of them.
on the note of the 6:35am X9 or X10 I seen B5 6314 just coming off A1 towards the round about near eighton banks at 6:55am with engineer

The speed limiters are planned to be upped to Go North East's more usual 60-ish mph limiter soon.

The seats aren't the most comfortable, but a marginal improvement on what the seats were like previously when in London, as they've had extra padding added during refurbishment. In an ideal world, the seats would have been swapped out for standard Civic V3s and covered in the new leather (like the Citaros) but this would have added significant cost, when the idea was sourcing low-cost replacements for the V-reg Volvo B7s.

Have to remember that some of these buses are only being allocated to St Bede's scholars services, so the buses don't need to be the absolute bees knees.

6314 was dropping in on the 06:25 X9 from Newcastle, from Peterlee, at around 07:50am. So around 30 minutes late, but better than not at all.