(03 Jan 2016, 12:00 pm)Dan wrote 10 Dart SLF to cover a PVR of 9 on service 1. Hartlepool also have 34550 as a reserve vehicle.

It would make more sense from an engineering point of view to replace the Dart SLFs on this route with more Enviro 200 bodied MANs, cascaded from another depot. Walkergate have 6, Slatyford have 10, South Shields have 1, and Sunderland have 10, so you'd have to decide between upgrading Sunderland's 8 and 18/19 services or Slatyford's 6/7/8. Michael and I are bias, so we'd suggest Sunderland's 8 and 18/19.

(03 Jan 2016, 12:09 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Actually, the last new vehicles for Newcastle were 12061-86 - which arrived in Summer 2011. Yes, the last batch of vehicles new to Newcastle that were fully funded by Stagecoach were the 60-reg E400s.
However, you have to remember that from 2003 to 2011, Newcastle more-or-less received new vehicles every year. Compare that to Stockton, who until this past 2 years effectively had a 5 year gap between new vehicles. Hartlepool depot have only had 4 batches of new buses during Stagecoach ownership (10 B10Ms upon purchase in 1994, 5 more in 1997, the part-funded Darts in 2004 and the 19 MANViros in 2008). And that's just what I can remember of the top of my head. 

At the launch of Stockton's E300s, the MD stated that his aim for the next set of new vehicles was to start renewing the decker fleet at Newcastle. We shall see what happens. However, even with the end of the Macmillan contracts at Stockton, I wouldn't be too surprised if some of the oldest E400s don't end up moving south to assist with what will probably be very high peak time loadings from September (depending what Macmillan Academy plan on doing regarding the students that currently use the 200-205).

(07 Jan 2016, 7:44 pm)AIG20 wrote South Shields ADL E200 36465 has a whining/screaming turbo. It drove past the bus stop this morning whilst operating service 10 and it sounded a bit eerie!

(10 Jan 2016, 3:48 pm)buss14 wrote can someone tell me what green liquid is in a bus engine. just passed a double decker on the 1 to slatyford with the liquid pouring out of it?

(10 Jan 2016, 4:32 pm)MurdnunoC wrote It's ectoplasmic slime. Who you gonna call...?

It could also be coolant...

(12 Jan 2016, 2:39 pm)buss14 wrote

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thank you and i am not going to call anyone as i havent got any contact details

(12 Jan 2016, 2:39 pm)buss14 wrote

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thank you and i am not going to call anyone as i havent got any contact details

(12 Jan 2016, 2:55 pm)GX03 SVC wrote It's coolant.....don't know why it needs reporting here though. I saw a bus and it had some condensation on the windows, thought that might be rather newsworthy.

(17 Jan 2016, 2:12 pm)Davie wrote Have Stagecoach Sunderland changed the allocation of service 12 so it's a mix of ALX300's and Envrio200's?

(17 Jan 2016, 2:24 pm)Dan wrote No - service 12 should still be allocated four MAN ALX300s.

(17 Jan 2016, 2:31 pm)Davie wrote Thanks Dan. Just there seems to be more Enviro's on lately.

(17 Jan 2016, 2:37 pm)Dan wrote I suppose it's a case of the MAN ALX300s covering for gas buses, in order to retain full size single decks on these routes, where higher capacity is more important.

As there's no spare MAN ALX300s, service 12 then receives the smaller midibus (Enviro200s).

(17 Jan 2016, 11:53 am)idiot wrote Are the gas buses off the road today? Seen a 4, 13 and a 20 operated by envrios

(20 Jan 2016, 4:56 pm)Andreos1 wrote Stagecoach decker disappearing into the distance up the A174 towards Skelton earlier.
Too far away to id unfortunately.

Any ideas?

(22 Jan 2016, 11:20 am)tyresmoke wrote One of the ADL Darts in Newcastle appears to have caught fire in West Denton this morning

(24 Jan 2016, 6:51 pm)glen wrote Hi i would like to see more minibus working at stagecoach on teesside again or other stagecoach north east fleet too do you think stagecoach will get some more in the furture because I've see some minibus i like at arriva fleet north east