RE: Go North East - Latest
(10 Sep 2014, 4:15 pm)Bus_User wrote I can't help but think how much money has been wasted on pointless re-paints like the one above and all the other vehicles which are due to be withdrawn in h next year? Yes I understand all of Dan's points about re-sale value but surely there is better things to do than give another coat of red paint to buses which are only in the company for the short term?
I can't imagine the independents/scrap man being too put off by some fading red paint and Northern vinyls when buying a 2nd hand bus. None of the red London buses were repainted and some of the MPD's were not repainted before being sold either.
A total waste of money(especially if any go to scrap) repainting buses which are 14 years old and are planned to be withdrawn from service in the next year.
It certainly suggests that the company
is expecting to sell the vehicles on to another operator, rather than sell them for scrap.
It's not uncommon of other operators to repaint the buses immediately before sale or straight after withdrawal, but Go North East likes to keep its fleet looking smart and presentable (which I'd argue could not be said for Arriva North East, who - for now - still have vehicles in the fleet which haven't been repainted since new). Presentation is key, and regular repaints are critical to ensure a good presentation of the fleet. Single colour livery repaints also make this operation a lot more cost effective, and of course, Go North East will bulk buy red paint to allow for further cost savings.
Those of you who follow my Flickr photostream and read my captions will know I am a huge advocate of the repainting of vehicles to make them look smarter. Indeed, a vehicle which is freshly repainted, almost looks brand new (and it goes without saying that
some customers will notice this).
Let's not forget that Go North East wishes to remove the "Northern" name from the fleet. The Dennis Trident vehicles were merely repainted this summer because they're usually surplus to requirements with the absence of scholar services. Further Volvo B10BLEs, DAF SB120s and Volvo B7TLs will receive this treatment over the coming months.