(07 Nov 2014, 6:03 pm)Jimmi wrote Did anyone who attended The Zone launch today pick up the free stuff on offer, free stuff included:
headphones
memory stick
mints
thing to put in trollys instead of pound coins
screen cloth

(07 Nov 2014, 5:04 pm)aureolin wrote Really? At a time when WiFi is becoming standard everywhere - including new bus orders? Seems a bit bizarre if the whole branding is around the provision of an additional service (or 'luxury' if you like), that has come to be the expectation...

(07 Nov 2014, 5:29 pm)Multi21 wrote Any news on  replacements for the non dda remaining single deckers? 

(07 Nov 2014, 6:03 pm)Jimmi wrote Did anyone who attended The Zone launch today pick up the free stuff on offer, free stuff included:
headphones
memory stick
mints
thing to put in trollys instead of pound coins
screen cloth

(08 Nov 2014, 1:59 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Yes - there will be some sort of investment into the Teesside fleet next year - what cannot be disclosed per-say but I think I can say investment next year will see off what remains of the non-DDA MANs.

(07 Nov 2014, 6:47 pm)Cock Robin wrote Missed the headphones! There was a blindfold thing which they said tied in with the "comfort Zone" (!).

(07 Nov 2014, 10:46 pm)Robinwtait.19 wrote Dear Phil. I have just been told by a south shields driver that all of the 39xxx from Chichester depot are going at the end of the month and that we are getting some of  the older buses from Stockton until we get new Buses next year. They might be 37xxx to replace the 39xxx instead. Regards Robin

(08 Nov 2014, 5:39 pm)Kuyoyo wrote After consulting the new timetables, it seems Teesside's Daytime PVR is unchanged from December 1st - but is redistributed:

10/11 requires 5
12/39 requires 12
13 will remain with a PVR of 5
14/34 requires 6 buses
35/52 requires 7 buses
35/58 requires 4 buses
36/37 requires 8 buses
36/38 requires 8 buses
59/61 remains PVR 6

Evening PVR

10A/11A/12/39 will require 6 buses (a 3 hour cycle, meaning 3 buses will run 10A/11A and the other 3 will do 11A/10A), up from the 5 presently used on 12/610/611
36/37/38 depends on how it will work - stand alone would see 36/37 PVR decrease by 1 vehicle (to 4 and 1 respectively) but 1 of the dropped vehicles would move to work 38s (and the other would be the vehicle added to do the 10A/11A/12/39)
52 will remain 2 buses all night
58/59/61 will require 2 buses up from the 1 bus used on the 59

Sunday PVR

At present, all I can suss is 4 vehicles will work 52/58/61 during the day and 1 on the 59 - presumably one vehicle off the 52/58/61 will run onto 58/59/61 on the evening (the vehicle doing 59s appears to go onto 61s at 1802 so presumably the 1820 59 will come off the 1818 arrival on the 52 with the 1809 arrival on the 58 going out as the 1820 52)

(09 Nov 2014, 11:51 am)bertibassett wrote You're probably not far wrong with those quotas but the 35 uses 2 vehicles all day usually, whilst the 58 uses 3 to cover the runs. Ocassionally the 58 and 52 will swap but only early mornig and later on in the day around 3-4pm. As for the rest of the numbers once they are up and running I can give you a more accurate account as we don't yet know how much recovery time we are going to have at each terminus stage. Hope this helps

(09 Nov 2014, 12:07 pm)Kuyoyo wrote 35s are said to be interworking with 52s or 58s depending on the time - the xx01 departures from Stockton look like working off 52s while the xx31 work off the re-timed 58s.
As for the early monring/peak time 52/58 interworking, I've not looked that closely at the 52/58 timetables to see whether that is still going to take place and also include the 35 but then it will likely become clearer on 1st December.

As for the Sunday pattern, since that post I've further looked and it seems only the 52 and 61 will interwork during the day with the 58 and 59 running on their own using one vehicle. The bus on 58s then additionally starting doing 59s and 61s starts with the 1820 59. Daytime 36/37/38 all interwork on Sundays with plenty of layover time during the day (37s get 7 minutes at North Tees, 38s get a massive 15 minutes at the Glebe, and all 3 have 5 minutes between trips in Middlesbrough - compareable to 0/7/2 on evenings although that last figure depends whether they interwork evenings or not, if they do it's a nice 17 minutes in Middlesbrough).

(09 Nov 2014, 12:24 pm)bertibassett wrote I've not looked in depth at the timetables but it looks like you're correct at the evening services ( 59/61/58 ) as the timings would fit. thus leaving the 52's alone. One to consider is how you calculate interaction of services. Like I've always said we can but speculate but with Stagecoach not is always as it seems. e.g. if you look at the new 36/37/38 times, it would suggest that once a 36 gets to Boro, with a 5 min turn around back out as a 37. fair enough, but as we have a dedicated 36 rota these guys don't usually cover 37's or 38's. What ever happens the Union would have to agree with it as they put the rota's together. During the last 2 weeks and over the next 2 weeks all drivers are being route learned with the new services but bear in mind you would be surprised how many drivers still don't know certain routes, so if they change the running boards to suit then all these drivers would not only need to know the new services, but existing services also. I myself have not been on the training bus as of yet but when I do I should have a better understanding of the workings.

(09 Nov 2014, 12:46 pm)Kuyoyo wrote For the dedicated 36 rota - as far as I'm ware, since last May the 36 rota has been more of a 'Park End' rota as their duties also now cover 37s and 38s especially since the 36s and 38s were interworking at the early part of the year.

As for my calculation of interworking patterns, it's simply been a case of looking at the times and seeing how it all works. For example, Sunday daytime 52s times in the High Street are the same as those shown in the 61 timetable. Same with the 10A/11A/12/39 on evenings.

(09 Nov 2014, 12:46 pm)Kuyoyo wrote For the dedicated 36 rota - as far as I'm ware, since last May the 36 rota has been more of a 'Park End' rota as their duties also now cover 37s and 38s especially since the 36s and 38s were interworking at the early part of the year.

As for my calculation of interworking patterns, it's simply been a case of looking at the times and seeing how it all works. For example, Sunday daytime 52s times in the High Street are the same as those shown in the 61 timetable. Same with the 10A/11A/12/39 on evenings.

(09 Nov 2014, 7:14 pm)glen1234 wrote When are the new Enviro 300 buses no 27166/181 going to enter service. And how long dose Volvo Olympian get left in service.        

(09 Nov 2014, 7:14 pm)glen1234 wrote When are the new Enviro 300 buses no 27166/181 going to enter service. And how long dose Volvo Olympian get left in service.

(09 Nov 2014, 7:53 pm)Kuyoyo wrote 27166/7 along with at least 4 others were out yesterday.

(10 Nov 2014, 9:53 pm)Andreos1 wrote http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/oldest-bus-driver-newcastle-receives-8078302

Oldest driver in Newcastle receives award

(10 Nov 2014, 8:47 pm)glen1234 wrote Hi saw one of new enviro 300 with logo on it today but don't see its no it was near argos in middlesbrough 10 30am

(11 Nov 2014, 8:34 am)AIG20 wrote ADL E300 27740 (NK11 BGY) has the new route branding called "get there with E's" (a pun on the word "ease").   It also includes most of the destinations that the routes serve; "Sunderland - Fulwell - Seaburn..." and so on.

(11 Nov 2014, 2:25 pm)mrnut85 wrote Volvo Olympian for the X34?!?!

(11 Nov 2014, 2:10 pm)mrnut85 wrote Oh dear