Looks like 5 of the Bluestar Citaro's have arrived as 5481, 5482, 5483, 5484, 5485 are now here:


5481 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/44...datetaken/
5482 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/43...datetaken/
5483 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/44...datetaken/
5484 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielgrah...20402@N04/
5485 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/43...datetaken/


Photo's by Bazza and Dan


Any idea when they'll be spruced up?, i can't remember if it was said they would go in to Go North East livery or stay plain blue?

(20 Aug 2018, 6:14 pm)LeeCalder wrote 6142 appears to have had some form repair to it's rear end....

Go North East 6142 / YN04 GJZ. by Guy Park-Royal, on Flickr

That looks pretty naff!

https://flic.kr/p/2aefwUq

I’m guessing that 5325 is on loan at Hexham covering for 5304 which I’ve heard is VOR as it’s been on the X84/X85 for about a week now


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(20 Aug 2018, 6:45 pm)Michael wrote Looks like 5 of the Bluestar Citaro's have arrived as 5481, 5482, 5483, 5484, 5485 are now here:


5481 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/44...datetaken/
5482 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/43...datetaken/
5483 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/44...datetaken/
5484 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielgrah...20402@N04/
5485 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/43...datetaken/


Photo's by Bazza and Dan


Any idea when they'll be spruced up?, i can't remember if it was said they would go in to Go North East livery or stay plain blue?

They are staying in Bluestar Livery

(21 Aug 2018, 1:39 pm)NewcastleOne wrote They are staying in Bluestar Livery

Thanks

Seen a 2 changing it's destination from "Washington" to "The Galleries" at Penshaw Monument, assume this is the new programme working, think it's a great idea, "The Galleries" being more relavent Penshaw onwards, and "Washington" more relevant whilst in Sunderland itself.

(22 Aug 2018, 11:22 am)deanmachine wrote Seen a 2 changing it's destination from "Washington" to "The Galleries" at Penshaw Monument, assume this is the new programme working, think it's a great idea, "The Galleries" being more relavent Penshaw onwards, and "Washington" more relevant whilst in Sunderland itself.

Similarly Newcastle and Eldon Square, certainly on the 12.

(22 Aug 2018, 11:22 am)deanmachine wrote Seen a 2 changing it's destination from "Washington" to "The Galleries" at Penshaw Monument, assume this is the new programme working, think it's a great idea, "The Galleries" being more relavent Penshaw onwards, and "Washington" more relevant whilst in Sunderland itself.

Even with the convoluted nature of the 2 services within Washington and the two bus stations within Washington being quite a distance apart?

I would argue Washington Galleries should be used throughout. Can't get any more clearer than that (I won't mention via points) and it reduces elements of confusion and technology failing.

Those living between Penshaw and The Galleries are likely to be regular passengers on that section of route and probably do so in greater numbers than those prior to Penshaw. 
I would suggest they know where the service terminates by virtue of this. 
Those irregular passengers who don't go to the Galleries or Washington too often or are boarding at a point somewhere on Chester Road or even in Sunderland City centre - could benefit from Galleries being displayed prior to boarding.

The lack of route branding (specific to the route opposed to generic chat noir branding) can't help either.

Just watched a man in a wheel chair struggle to park his wheelchair on 681, in the bay because of the pole near the seat... i thought they were DDA?

Mind the women bus driver was really nice.

(22 Aug 2018, 4:31 pm)Michael wrote Just watched a man in a wheel chair struggle to park his wheelchair on 681, in the bay because of the pole near the seat... i thought they were DDA?

Mind the women bus driver was really nice.

Some of the streetlites are the same. I don't think it's right.

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(22 Aug 2018, 12:51 pm)Andreos1 wrote Even with the convoluted nature of the 2 services within Washington and the two bus stations within Washington being quite a distance apart?

I would argue Washington Galleries should be used throughout. Can't get any more clearer than that (I won't mention via points) and it reduces elements of confusion and technology failing.

Those living between Penshaw and The Galleries are likely to be regular passengers on that section of route and probably do so in greater numbers than those prior to Penshaw. 
I would suggest they know where the service terminates by virtue of this. 
Those irregular passengers who don't go to the Galleries or Washington too often or are boarding at a point somewhere on Chester Road or even in Sunderland City centre - could benefit from Galleries being displayed prior to boarding.

The lack of route branding (specific to the route opposed to generic chat noir branding) can't help either.

I don't know, if I seen a bus with "Washington" on the front, I'd assume it would take me to the town centre, even if I didn't know the name of it, not everyone knows the name of the Galleries. Whereas "Washington" is a bit of a useless display once you're in Washington itself. I don't see the problem.

(22 Aug 2018, 7:43 pm)deanmachine wrote I don't know, if I seen a bus with "Washington" on the front, I'd assume it would take me to the town centre, even if I didn't know the name of it, not everyone knows the name of the Galleries. Whereas "Washington" is a bit of a useless display once you're in Washington itself. I don't see the problem.

I'm trying not to sound flippant here and I apologise if it comes across that way.
If you and others assume that Washington on the blind denotes a bus that takes you to the town centre/galleries, why does the display need to change once it is on its approach to said destination?

(22 Aug 2018, 11:35 pm)Andreos1 wrote I'm trying not to sound flippant here and I apologise if it comes across that way.
If you and others assume that Washington on the blind denotes a bus that takes you to the town centre/galleries, why does the display need to change once it is on its approach to said destination?

The galleries should say the galleries for the legth, in other cases not so, like market street (until closer).

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Didn’t know where to put this but Eldon square bus station has been closed down and all buses are starting from market street, been kicked off the x1 there

(23 Aug 2018, 2:24 pm)JM03 wrote Didn’t know where to put this but Eldon square bus station has been closed down and all buses are starting from market street, been kicked off the x1 there

Not anymore, normal routes now apparently...!

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protest by taxi drive about lack of taxi rank spaces

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...c-15064630

(23 Aug 2018, 2:24 pm)JM03 wrote Didn’t know where to put this but Eldon square bus station has been closed down and all buses are starting from market street, been kicked off the x1 there

I guess that explains the 'shortage' of buses at Hexham?
First off the (Hexham) depot provided a spare for the X85 towards Newbrough whilst the TEN (due out @15:32) failed to materialise with no arriving vehicle (and no spare apparently).

Drivers caught up in the city centre congestion, and who 'run out of hours' - what do they do?
Truckers park up and take to the sleeper, but what do bus drivers do? They might not be able to reach a depot . . .

There were half a dozen drivers at Hexham with no buses . . .

(23 Aug 2018, 4:21 pm)G-CPTN wrote Drivers caught up in the city centre congestion, and who 'run out of hours' - what do they do?
Truckers park up and take to the sleeper, but what do bus drivers do? They might not be able to reach a depot . . .

There were half a dozen drivers at Hexham with no buses . . .

Emergency hours most of the time. Domestic rules vary differently to EU.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...ime-rrules

Title "Unforseen events" section 7 sums it up well enough. Basically so long as there isn't planned breakage of driver hours, it's allowed. If it gets really bad, drivers get sent light, but more often than not, the board just gets thrown out the window.

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(23 Aug 2018, 2:24 pm)JM03 wrote Didn’t know where to put this but Eldon square bus station has been closed down and all buses are starting from market street, been kicked off the x1 there

What has happened?

(23 Aug 2018, 4:32 pm)TyneWearTeesGNE wrote What has happened?

Taxi drivers plaguing the city more than usual in the form of a protest about taxi ranks. Can we just ban taxis?

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(23 Aug 2018, 4:33 pm)Jamie M wrote Taxi drivers plaguing the city more than usual in the form of a protest about taxi ranks. Can we just ban taxis?

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To put matters into perspective Newcastle City Council has licensed over 2500 private hire vehicles alone. This figure does not include Hackney carriages ie black cabs. There are far too many taxis licenced in the city imo.

Charles

(23 Aug 2018, 4:33 pm)Jamie M wrote Taxi drivers plaguing the city more than usual in the form of a protest about taxi ranks. Can we just ban taxis?

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Wish we could ban taxis
Loved it that time when a 47 stoped in a taki rank and when a 309 done the same to the blyth taki ranks
We need bigger bus stations
And dont need taxis driving like over all c**ts on the roads driving too fast using phones whilst driving etc
MORE BUSES LESS TAXIS

(23 Aug 2018, 8:31 pm)GNE6312 wrote Wish we could ban taxis
Loved it that time when a 47 stoped in a taki rank and when a 309 done the same to the blyth taki ranks
We need bigger bus stations
And dont need taxis driving like over all c**ts on the roads driving too fast using phones whilst driving etc
MORE BUSES LESS TAXIS

Well said haha

(23 Aug 2018, 8:31 pm)GNE6312 wrote Wish we could ban taxis
Loved it that time when a 47 stoped in a taki rank and when a 309 done the same to the blyth taki ranks
We need bigger bus stations
And dont need taxis driving like over all c**ts on the roads driving too fast using phones whilst driving etc
MORE BUSES LESS TAXIS

Agreed. Lost count of the times they've tried to beat the buses round where The Gate is, in some cases they have mounted the kerb and shouted angry abuse at the bus driver for about 5 minutes when the bus had priority and was already making its way round.

(23 Aug 2018, 9:27 pm)Jimmi wrote Agreed. Lost count of the times they've tried to beat the buses round where The Gate is, in some cases they have mounted the kerb and shouted angry abuse at the bus driver for about 5 minutes when the bus had priority and was already making its way round.

Surely all the buses are fitted with CCTV these days, so a taxi driver trying that kind of idiocy would have his license withdrawn pretty much immediately?

(23 Aug 2018, 9:30 pm)Ianthegoon wrote Surely all the buses are fitted with CCTV these days, so a taxi driver trying that kind of idiocy would have his license withdrawn pretty much immediately?

You think anybody is actually going to enforce taxi restrictions? Maybe if an assault was made it would be followed up but I doubt there's any funding, desire or staff to do so. It's a joke but it's a victim of its own success.

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Banning taxis would be a ridiculous idea, though limiting the number of them would be better.

(23 Aug 2018, 4:33 pm)Jamie M wrote Taxi drivers plaguing the city more than usual in the form of a protest about taxi ranks. Can we just ban taxis?

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Well they're useful but I take issue with the ones driving across the pavement next to water stones just expecting pedestrians to scatter. Bloody dangerous.

724 is now in the paint shop - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/29...otostream/

Photo by Bazza