(26 May 2017, 4:37 pm)Jimmi wrote From Arriva's Facebook:

TAKING TRAVEL TO NEW HEIGHTS

We are excited to announce the official launch of MAX 306 / 308! Join us at Blue Reef Aquarium ,Tynemouth, NE30 4JF for a free family event on Wednesday 31st May. Competitions to follow!

(26 May 2017, 5:37 pm)Pulsar wrote Thought they would have waited until all the buses are MAXed as I know 4 of the hybrids are not ready yet. Not sure about the Pulsars for the 306.

(26 May 2017, 5:54 pm)cbma06 wrote Are there any members on this forum who works for Arriva at Durham depot?.


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(26 May 2017, 5:54 pm)cbma06 wrote Are there any members on this forum who works for Arriva at Durham depot?.


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(26 May 2017, 6:12 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote Palatine3833 on here, But he's not active much on here.
If you have Facebook it will be a lot easier, I can PM you his Facebook if you want too.

(26 May 2017, 5:37 pm)Pulsar wrote Thought they would have waited until all the buses are MAXed as I know 4 of the hybrids are not ready yet. Not sure about the Pulsars for the 306.

(27 May 2017, 12:29 pm)Cock Robin wrote So much for Max services being Xs then! May as well have not renumbered the 21A, 75.

(28 May 2017, 9:06 pm)omnicity4659 wrote MAX is kind of for Interurban services now, as opposed to expresses. 

MAX upgrades should have really ceased, as MAX has now been succeeded by Arriva Express.

(28 May 2017, 9:24 pm)S813 FVK wrote But the 'X' has formed part of the identity for each service regardless of whether they are expresses. It seems daft to not do it in this case, sort of dilutes the brand even more.

(28 May 2017, 9:40 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Has been posted on a comment on a friend's Facebook - nothing will be repainted into the new livery until the new vehicles start arriving

(28 May 2017, 9:24 pm)S813 FVK wrote But the 'X' has formed part of the identity for each service regardless of whether they are expresses. It seems daft to not do it in this case, sort of dilutes the brand even more.

(28 May 2017, 10:45 pm)omnicity4659 wrote The 306/308 retained their 3xx so they remain easily identifiable as the coastal routes, and not the limited stop X routes. The 306/308 were MAXed to standardise the Blyth to Newcastle corridor.

(28 May 2017, 10:48 pm)L469 YVK wrote I think these are the two main reasons why they got MAXed:

* Competition
* More flexibility within Blyth Depot including allowing the B5LHs to be used on other service including on evenings and Sundays.

The only problem I see with it is where would the 306/308 fall under the new scheme? Arriva Premium wouldn't really cover them (unless they got upgraded with new buses or NSAs fitted) and Arriva Express would defeat the whole purpose of 'Express'.

(29 May 2017, 9:05 am)omnicity4659 wrote 306/8 could fall under Arriva Frequent in the future, going off the combined frequency along the Coast Road.

(29 May 2017, 9:32 am)tyresmoke wrote As far as I am aware they've dropped the different brands from the new livery so there will just be standard, eco green and Sapphire only.

As has been mentioned the new livery will only be worn by the new stock coming in, no plans to repaint any of the current fleet until they are forced to do so as NE (& Yorkshire) don't like it to put it mildly.

(29 May 2017, 10:07 am)omnicity4659 wrote I did hear a rumour that they had dropped the brands, but keeping Sapphire just doesn't make sense as the old Sapphire was designed to use a sapphire-like colour... and the interiors of the new E400MMCs are still in the original Sapphire spec, with old logos on the seats and floors. 

It just seems like a massive mess tbh

(25 Apr 2017, 2:53 pm)Dan wrote Anyone who has five minutes might want to check the fleet lists/news over. I think I'm up to date now, but a lot has gone on that hasn't been noted on this forum, so there may be things that I've missed.

(26 Apr 2017, 9:10 am)omnicity4659 wrote 7475 is currently at Ashington, and has been for a few weeks now, part of PVR of 35.

Doesn't look like the fleet lists have updated, still showing the old allox.

(24 May 2017, 12:09 pm)Smarty93 wrote 1448 is the latest Stockton pulsar to return from Repaint into frequenta base colours.

(30 May 2017, 11:51 am)Ianthegoon wrote Not sure that 7477 is still with the fleet - a little light Googling of the registration turns up photos of the vehicle in white livery with Yorkshire Tiger.

---

And wasn't 1763 the Dart that was donated to some kind of technical training college somewhere like Gateshead?

(30 May 2017, 1:02 pm)Ianthegoon wrote One other area for clarification is the fate of Darts 1651/53/54/55, shown in the Fleet List as being for disposal at Redcar, but discussed recently on this very forum without a conclusion; not there (as far as I could see, and confirmed by another observer) at the start of May, but no other information as yet proffered by this forum.

(30 May 2017, 9:01 am)Dan wrote Thanks - do you know which Pulsar went for repaint, once 1448 returned?

(30 May 2017, 1:43 pm)Cock Robin wrote 1450

(30 May 2017, 1:05 pm)Dan wrote The following Darts are all shown as 'Awaiting Disposal' within the Southern division of Arriva North East (Durham, Darlington, Redcar, Whitby and Stockton) on the company's internal allocation document:
- 1626
- 1647
- 1651
- 1653
- 1654
- 1655
- 1656

Where they are presently in storage, I do not know, but they do not appear to have been sold.

(30 May 2017, 1:05 pm)Dan wrote The following Darts are all shown as 'Awaiting Disposal' within the Southern division of Arriva North East (Durham, Darlington, Redcar, Whitby and Stockton) on the company's internal allocation document:
- 1626
- 1647
- 1651
- 1653
- 1654
- 1655
- 1656

Where they are presently in storage, I do not know, but they do not appear to have been sold.

(30 May 2017, 3:49 pm)Stephen James Peter Johns wrote I believe they're at Faverdale (Darlington)

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