(26 Apr 2014, 8:35 pm)robisdave15 wrote What might the point be in writing down the times ? What's that going to achieve? Last year we had the farce with the E400's - totally unsuitable for the route and demands placed on them by a greedy operator - and now we've got these clapped out and frankly scruffy, cast offs from London! Tell me? What good does giving something a respray solve? Arriva choose to operate this route double deck not to solve the overcrowding issues but essentially, to save money. I, like a lot of people, would like to travel to the seaside, but not with Arriva.

(26 Apr 2014, 9:43 pm)robisdave15 wrote I apologise if I upset anyone along the way but such is life. My interpretation of "improving" a service though is buses that run to time and can be relied on; at present that's not what is happening on the 93's. Statistics may say otherwise but facts blow a hole in that? I've read what is posted here, listened to other people's tales of woe and experienced it at first hand! It's a fact that if it wasn't for the efforts of the Whitby based operating staff it would have been worse than it has been. Until recently, for example (the last round of service changes) they were sent every poor vehicle that Redcar could manage and breakdowns/service failures were rife, now thankfully with the introduction of Pulsars in the x4/4 and these B7's - such as they are - on the X93 then things might just be looking up? I've not yet seen the new 'summer' timetable for the 93, just hope those at Arriva have provided a sensible timetable for a change.

(26 Apr 2014, 10:01 pm)tyresmoke wrote The service would be better if Whitby was paired with Stockton and not Redcar - but thankfully with intervention from director level things are improving at Redcar and Whitby with allocations becoming more solid as a result.

The B7 Geminis are not ideal but they're a stop gap measure which seems to be working for now, time will tell whether they can last the summer without major failures!

The new timetable for the summer sees 8 vehicles running, 6 double decks from Whitby and 2 single decks (hopefully Pulsars?!) based at Redcar. More running time is included, and layover time in Whitby is increased from 5 minutes to 8 minutes in an attempt to combat loading issues. In Middlesbrough it will depart from Stand 9 at 20 past the hour, plus the morning extras at 0850 and 0950. Most arrivals and departures in Scarborough will link with the Transpennine trains from/to York, Leeds and Manchester with through fares to be available (I believe)

(27 Apr 2014, 10:54 am)robisdave15 wrote That's an issue that is hard to address, sadly the public don't see it that way as I'm sure Tyresmoke will agree? We suffer at times on our 5/5a services which happens, in part, because of the different diagrame that these services operate. A 5, for example operating out of town on a morning when the schools can fall behind and despite the extra running time, find it difficult to catch up. You then get a 5a service operating a different diagram running to time but right behind the late 5 and so it goes on. I understand how it works but as I say, the public (most of them) don't!

(29 Apr 2014, 6:10 am)robisdave15 wrote Thanks for your PM Scott, come back to that later? Just a point about what you say about the 5/5a? On M'bro bound trips do we really need a timing point at North Ormesby Market Place? I know it's just a small point but on several journeys recently we've sat in the Market Place waiting for time when given the number of services passing this point couldn't these minutes be better used to help services maintain the schedules?

(29 Apr 2014, 6:10 am)robisdave15 wrote Thanks for your PM Scott, come back to that later? Just a point about what you say about the 5/5a? On M'bro bound trips do we really need a timing point at North Ormesby Market Place? I know it's just a small point but on several journeys recently we've sat in the Market Place waiting for time when given the number of services passing this point couldn't these minutes be better used to help services maintain the schedules?

(29 Apr 2014, 10:21 am)robisdave15 wrote Scott. Just been on a 5a trip to Skelton Asda and seemingly the word on the street - apparently it's been in the Northern Echo and someone has spoken directly to your depot (?) - is that the 5's are to return to Whitby at the next round of service changes? Our driver - 1037hrs - trip ex G'boro knew nothing except that the Redcar drivers who campaigned to get them changed now don't like them because they are hard work! Think there are more problems at Redcar than just management and engineering?

(29 Apr 2014, 7:38 pm)robisdave15 wrote Seems as though the B7's are settling down to life on the x93 now ? Assume we have 7484 through 89 at Redcar, allocated Whitby? Are they going to keep any E400's to make up the peak PVR or what? Pulsars have never, to my knowledge, being used on the route but then I guess they would need to be tacho fitted? Be interesting to see how one of the good ones would cope in and out of RHB.

(29 Apr 2014, 7:38 pm)robisdave15 wrote Seems as though the B7's are settling down to life on the x93 now ? Assume we have 7484 through 89 at Redcar, allocated Whitby? Are they going to keep any E400's to make up the peak PVR or what? Pulsars have never, to my knowledge, being used on the route but then I guess they would need to be tacho fitted? Be interesting to see how one of the good ones would cope in and out of RHB.

(29 Apr 2014, 8:01 pm)tyresmoke wrote Pulsars were mentioned but obviously at present they're used on X4 and that won't change soon enough to free up some for the X93, unless they found some extra ones from elsewhere? Omnicities would be well suited but they're all booked in for refurbishments so can't use them either, so I guess that leaves Temsas. For now they've got 7501/2 still there though, but 7489 arrived tonight from Ashington so that marks 6 B7s now at Redcar, with 5 already in use and as far as I know there's been no major issues with them, they seem to have settled in well. Time will tell how they do over the summer but they must have had engine overhauls done as they're doing well. Obviously they don't have the power to climb hills though, but then we knew that from the X9/X10...

(29 Apr 2014, 8:01 pm)tyresmoke wrote Pulsars were mentioned but obviously at present they're used on X4 and that won't change soon enough to free up some for the X93, unless they found some extra ones from elsewhere? Omnicities would be well suited but they're all booked in for refurbishments so can't use them either, so I guess that leaves Temsas. For now they've got 7501/2 still there though, but 7489 arrived tonight from Ashington so that marks 6 B7s now at Redcar, with 5 already in use and as far as I know there's been no major issues with them, they seem to have settled in well. Time will tell how they do over the summer but they must have had engine overhauls done as they're doing well. Obviously they don't have the power to climb hills though, but then we knew that from the X9/X10...

(29 Apr 2014, 8:05 pm)Tom wrote Can't they use B10BLE's 4501/4513/4515/4522 as they are all fitted with Tachographs and would peform well on the route. They were fantastic on the 85/685, and they are equally as demanding.

(29 Apr 2014, 8:27 pm)mb134 wrote The fact that they are what 14/15 years old and Ashington still use them on some Sunday X18's surely signifies that they are more than capable (4501/13/15)

(29 Apr 2014, 8:28 pm)Tom wrote 4523 coped well on the 44 to Morpeth on Saturday too, and the interior is in a very good condition, better than the Temsas.

(29 Apr 2014, 8:38 pm)Jimmi wrote Never ridden a Tesma so I don't know how bad the seats are in these, are they better or worse than Urban90s seats in the Lowlanders?

(29 Apr 2014, 8:51 pm)tyresmoke wrote Arguably worse! I'd like to see a B10BLE on X93 but Redcar won't be getting all the tacho ones.

(29 Apr 2014, 8:38 pm)Jimmi wrote Never ridden a Tesma so I don't know how bad the seats are in these, are they better or worse than Urban90s seats in the Lowlanders?

(28 Apr 2014, 11:37 pm)coldav wrote 7508, back in service at Ashington still with "the Alnwick Castle" branding, running with Durham County legals. Surprised they were changed for the short period it was at Redcar.