(10 Mar 2016, 10:10 pm)BusLoverMum wrote I doubt I'll be there especially, though the giant IPAD(sic) intrigues me.

Tickets up for grabs that we might actually be able to use, though - unlesss it's local ones! And, of course, it'd cost me £7.70 to get there and back, so that sort of cancels out the benefits of free tickets.

(10 Mar 2016, 9:09 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote I think he meant he hates it because it stops kickdown in Pulsars. Which I admit annoys me too.
Don't know how much it saves fuel wise though, Its supposed to make gear changes based on traffic conditions apparently.

(11 Mar 2016, 6:00 pm)mb134 wrote 7517 broke down on the A1, north of Alnwick earlier, while operating what I assume to be an X15.

(11 Mar 2016, 6:51 pm)GX03 SVC wrote Hahahaha

yep. It was an x15.

(11 Mar 2016, 3:54 pm)scania driver wrote Why are ArrivaNE adveristing "new" buses for the X75/6 lanch ? The only difference is a bit of a respray, some vinyls and a couple of other trick bits. All they are are Pulsars in disguise.

(12 Mar 2016, 12:13 pm)BusLoverMum wrote The seat back USB sockets on 4652 work a treat.

Unlike the sockets on 7537, which we caught earlier.

(12 Mar 2016, 2:55 pm)Steven112 wrote Thortons have published a few photographs 55 reg max ALX400. What are route/depot are they for?

(12 Mar 2016, 6:27 pm)tyresmoke wrote They'll be our MAX upgrade for the 46 Durham - Crook - Tow Law

(12 Mar 2016, 7:31 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Ooh!

Big'un wants to know what's happening with the 48 (if that's not been asked already)

(13 Mar 2016, 8:15 am)Dan wrote Comments regularly crop up on this forum and others regarding the quality and presentation of Go North East's fleet, but I would certainly suggest that some people seem to be wearing those rose tinted glasses, based on my five-minute experience of Arriva Durham's fleet yesterday.

I managed to spot "Sapphire" ADL Enviro400 7538 with an odd coloured panel and missing branding on the front of the bus, two "Sapphire" VDL Pulsars with odd coloured panels (one was 1524, with a rear offside corner panel a darker blue compared to the rest of the bus), Lowlander 7444 which was looking incredibly tatty, and Solo 2823 which was looking tatty and missing sections of paint on the front of the bus.

Not forgetting the fact that some of the "Sapphire" Wright Streetlites on service 22* still only display a route number on the rear destination display, despite being fitted with a full-size rear display. Arriva have gone to the expense of purchasing a large LED display, so it's pretty poor that the company's electricians haven't bothered to change the switch setting to allow the correct information to be shown. It's a two minute job!

* I didn't catch any fleet numbers, but I'm sure Big'un and BLM will know!

(13 Mar 2016, 8:15 am)Dan wrote Comments regularly crop up on this forum and others regarding the quality and presentation of Go North East's fleet, but I would certainly suggest that some people seem to be wearing those rose tinted glasses, based on my five-minute experience of Arriva Durham's fleet yesterday.

I managed to spot "Sapphire" ADL Enviro400 7538 with an odd coloured panel and missing branding on the front of the bus, two "Sapphire" VDL Pulsars with odd coloured panels (one was 1524, with a rear offside corner panel a darker blue compared to the rest of the bus), Lowlander 7444 which was looking incredibly tatty, and Solo 2823 which was looking tatty and missing sections of paint on the front of the bus.

Not forgetting the fact that some of the "Sapphire" Wright Streetlites on service 22* still only display a route number on the rear destination display, despite being fitted with a full-size rear display. Arriva have gone to the expense of purchasing a large LED display, so it's pretty poor that the company's electricians haven't bothered to change the switch setting to allow the correct information to be shown. It's a two minute job!

* I didn't catch any fleet numbers, but I'm sure Big'un and BLM will know!

(13 Mar 2016, 2:34 pm)Jimmi wrote Bravo to the driver on the X12 who's just missed Millburngate out!

(13 Mar 2016, 2:42 pm)S813 FVK wrote Does the X12 even stop at Millburngate? Every time i have seen it, it has turned up North Road and round to the bridge that way. Sundays may be different though.

(13 Mar 2016, 2:42 pm)S813 FVK wrote Does the X12 even stop at Millburngate? Every time i have seen it, it has turned up North Road and round to the bridge that way. Sundays may be different though.

(13 Mar 2016, 2:42 pm)S813 FVK wrote Does the X12 even stop at Millburngate? Every time i have seen it, it has turned up North Road and round to the bridge that way. Sundays may be different though.

(13 Mar 2016, 2:42 pm)S813 FVK wrote Does the X12 even stop at Millburngate? Every time i have seen it, it has turned up North Road and round to the bridge that way. Sundays may be different though.

(13 Mar 2016, 2:53 pm)Adrian wrote Yes. Since the changes at the start of October 2015, all Middlesbrough bound X12s should be serving Millburngate. I can't say I've witnessed an issue of the X12 not serving the stop either.

(13 Mar 2016, 3:02 pm)Dan wrote It must be one of those stops that some drivers stop at, and others don't. I've certainly seen some of the X12s turning left up North Road then across the Milburngate Bridge that way, as opposed to actually serving the stands at Millburngate.

Obviously the same applies to Gateshead Interchange. Just last week I noticed another X12 towards Middlesbrough omitting it - and it was actually a Stockton one, as opposed to a Durham one... Not that I am suggesting there is any difference in the quality of operation between Stockton and Durham... 

(13 Mar 2016, 4:31 pm)Malarkey wrote When are the VDL Commanders which are branded for the Quorum going to be Repainted, as these Vehicles are still regularly used on the X7/X8. Would personally convert them to MAX as last resort spares to the Pulsars.

(13 Mar 2016, 5:33 pm)GX03 SVC wrote Very anti-Arriva recently Dan..... Arriva Durham County does have filthy buses but you don't need to be picking in Northumbria

(13 Mar 2016, 5:31 pm)Dan wrote *Ahem*

..and X9/X10/X11.

Arriva North East: 1402 / NK53HHY by Daniel Graham, on Flickr