(06 Oct 2015, 5:42 am)NK53 TKT wrote NSAs would be hard, most of it uses the A69, it would be worse having ones on the X85 though

(09 Oct 2015, 7:27 am)northern156 wrote Eh? How do you figure that one out?

I reckon if the 85/685 was operated by one company throughout and based more centrally (like it was at Hexham) it'd cause a lot less dead mileage (take one board a day that goes light from Jesmond to Haltwhistle! There's more than that too!) and would give scope for fleet standardisation across the route.

As I have stated before, I think the shortfall of the route is not having deckers. As far as I am aware, the only thing stopping deckers on the 685 route (note, not 185) is the low trees outside of Corbridge - where hardly anyone uses!

Plug sockets is definitely needed on the route, as is Wifi - Stagecoach have Wifi on their ADL E300s so it is entirely possible.

Mind you, after saying all of that, it's worth remembering that the majority (if not all) of the route is not subsidised - ran as a commercial venture. It's fair enough other routes having money thrown at them in the likes of Newcastle but still, an operator as big as Arriva should be able to cope.

(09 Oct 2015, 7:27 am)northern156 wrote Eh? How do you figure that one out?

I reckon if the 85/685 was operated by one company throughout and based more centrally (like it was at Hexham) it'd cause a lot less dead mileage (take one board a day that goes light from Jesmond to Haltwhistle! There's more than that too!) and would give scope for fleet standardisation across the route.

As I have stated before, I think the shortfall of the route is not having deckers. As far as I am aware, the only thing stopping deckers on the 685 route (note, not 185) is the low trees outside of Corbridge - where hardly anyone uses!

Plug sockets is definitely needed on the route, as is Wifi - Stagecoach have Wifi on their ADL E300s so it is entirely possible.

Mind you, after saying all of that, it's worth remembering that the majority (if not all) of the route is not subsidised - ran as a commercial venture. It's fair enough other routes having money thrown at them in the likes of Newcastle but still, an operator as big as Arriva should be able to cope.

(09 Oct 2015, 3:04 pm)GX03 SVC wrote Here is a photo of newly transferred 0664 to Ashington.
Arriva Northumbria: 0664 | W664 CWX by DRS68008, on Flickr

(09 Oct 2015, 7:27 am)northern156 wrote Eh? How do you figure that one out?

I reckon if the 85/685 was operated by one company throughout and based more centrally (like it was at Hexham) it'd cause a lot less dead mileage (take one board a day that goes light from Jesmond to Haltwhistle! There's more than that too!) and would give scope for fleet standardisation across the route.

As I have stated before, I think the shortfall of the route is not having deckers. As far as I am aware, the only thing stopping deckers on the 685 route (note, not 185) is the low trees outside of Corbridge - where hardly anyone uses!

Plug sockets is definitely needed on the route, as is Wifi - Stagecoach have Wifi on their ADL E300s so it is entirely possible.

Mind you, after saying all of that, it's worth remembering that the majority (if not all) of the route is not subsidised - ran as a commercial venture. It's fair enough other routes having money thrown at them in the likes of Newcastle but still, an operator as big as Arriva should be able to cope.

(09 Oct 2015, 3:34 pm)NK53 TKT wrote I figure it out because alol it would say is 'Next Stop Corbridge' when that is about 25 minutes away, that is why the TTX has no NSAs

(09 Oct 2015, 3:41 pm)Jimmi wrote The Arriva X66 has next stop announcements where there is a gap of 15 minutes between Great Burdon and Stockton so I couldn't see why the 85/685 couldn't have them. One thing I will say is that if express routes are going to have next stop announcements I think they should either have a voice announcement twice or when it is nearer to the bus stop.

(09 Oct 2015, 7:33 pm)citaro5284 wrote You can do it as you are approaching the stop rather than leaving the previous stop.  I am lead to believe that is how the Oxford Tube operates.

(09 Oct 2015, 3:41 pm)Jimmi wrote The Arriva X66 has next stop announcements where there is a gap of 15 minutes between Great Burdon and Stockton so I couldn't see why the 85/685 couldn't have them. One thing I will say is that if express routes are going to have next stop announcements I think they should either have a voice announcement twice or when it is nearer to the bus stop.

(09 Oct 2015, 4:18 pm)cbma06 wrote I was on service 22 streetlite yesterday morning leaving peterlee bus station to Sunderland, and before it reached littlethorpe bus stop, the NSA/screen says Littlethorpe Hospital, this will confuse psassengers as the hospital got knocked down many moons ago, the NSA should of just said Littlethorpe as there is only one bus stop eachway.

(09 Oct 2015, 8:32 pm)Kuyoyo wrote The X66 announcements also need changing but they won't be done just yet (and will need 2 variations of each screen - for journeys via A66 and journeys via Hartburn).

(09 Oct 2015, 8:32 pm)Kuyoyo wrote The X66 announcements also need changing but they won't be done just yet (and will need 2 variations of each screen - for journeys via A66 and journeys via Hartburn).

(09 Oct 2015, 8:35 pm)Dan wrote Good luck to Arriva on that one.

A separate destination screen has to be set up to allow a variation on the Next Stop Announcements, and you'll find that a lot of drivers won't use the correct destination even if the driver message is clear...

(09 Oct 2015, 8:35 pm)Dan wrote Good luck to Arriva on that one.

A separate destination screen has to be set up to allow a variation on the Next Stop Announcements, and you'll find that a lot of drivers won't use the correct destination even if the driver message is clear...

(09 Oct 2015, 8:40 pm)Jimmi wrote Hopefully when the X66/X67 announcements are done they will change the Stockton High Street stops to the letter format rather than the old number stand format.

(09 Oct 2015, 8:55 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Works well with Stockton's 5 (which says '5 EtonviaSkin' or '5 Eton(NoVill) and Redcar's X4 (even if that one is for a single early journey which operates via Skelton instead of Saltburn).
To be Frank, the X66 one needs a major overhaul - it seems at present the Darlington bound ones are both set up to go to Faverdale.

(09 Oct 2015, 8:56 pm)Kuyoyo wrote And hopefully say 'Stockton High Street Stand x' and 'Middlesbrough Bus Station' rather than just 'High Street Stand x' and 'Bus Station Stand 11'

(09 Oct 2015, 9:00 pm)Dan wrote I've never understood why Arriva insist on using one line on the driver message only? It's baffling, and means that things are unnecessarily abbreviated, which is why (in my opinion) the wrong displays end up being used.

There are separate displays set up for evening and Sunday Go North East X10 journeys and these state:
"X10 Middlesbro.
Eve and Sunday"

The first one in the list is the bog standard "X10 Middlesbro.", and I regularly see this one being wrongly used on a Sunday, despite the evening and Sunday variant having a crystal clear driver message.

Unless there's a note on the driver's running/duty board, I wouldn't be sure that the right destination is used all of the time by every single driver.

(09 Oct 2015, 9:13 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Only some Arriva screens are like that - the X93 uses both lines when required.

I have never seen the wrong destination being used by the StreetLites on the 5 or X4 (when Sapphire started, whenever a Standard Pulsar appeared on 5s they only showed the 'no village' screen as they only had that programmed in until the X21 was added last October). Of course, the village that journey serves on the 5 is listed on the running board so the driver can find it easily enough.

(09 Oct 2015, 3:41 pm)Jimmi wrote The Arriva X66 has next stop announcements where there is a gap of 15 minutes between Great Burdon and Stockton so I couldn't see why the 85/685 couldn't have them. One thing I will say is that if express routes are going to have next stop announcements I think they should either have a voice announcement twice or when it is nearer to the bus stop.

(09 Oct 2015, 8:32 pm)Kuyoyo wrote The X66 announcements also need changing but they won't be done just yet (and will need 2 variations of each screen - for journeys via A66 and journeys via Hartburn).


The NSAs use the name of the stop - so if it's named 'Littlethorpe Hospital' and has been for years, that is what gets used.

IMG_20151010_105555991.jpg (Size 1.12 MB | Downloads 27)

(10 Oct 2015, 9:56 am)Blobby40 wrote When do arriva start back in Northallerton ? Some drivers on d+d are moving over but not sure which services that are going

(10 Oct 2015, 10:20 am)BusLoverMum wrote Actually, anyone reading carefully might notice that it says "Hostpital" 

Crossways hotel has also been replaced by houses, but the stop has retained that name.

Changing the subject, anyone have any idea why this whie mark has been put on all the windows on 1422?

(10 Oct 2015, 10:23 am)BusLoverMum wrote Eh? What? Where did you hear this?

(10 Oct 2015, 10:20 am)BusLoverMum wrote Changing the subject, anyone have any idea why this whie mark has been put on all the windows on 1422?