(20 Aug 2018, 6:14 pm)LeeCalder wrote 6142 appears to have had some form repair to it's rear end....

Go North East 6142 / YN04 GJZ. by Guy Park-Royal, on Flickr

(20 Aug 2018, 6:45 pm)Michael wrote Looks like 5 of the Bluestar Citaro's have arrived as 5481, 5482, 5483, 5484, 5485 are now here:


5481 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/44155910881/in/datetaken/
5482 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/43881022162/in/datetaken/
5483 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/44155732331/in/datetaken/
5484 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielgrahamm/43188589314/in/faves-119120402@N04/
5485 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bazza90/43249899095/in/datetaken/


Photo's by Bazza and Dan


Any idea when they'll be spruced up?, i can't remember if it was said they would go in to Go North East livery or stay plain blue?

(21 Aug 2018, 1:39 pm)NewcastleOne wrote They are staying in Bluestar Livery

(22 Aug 2018, 11:22 am)deanmachine wrote Seen a 2 changing it's destination from "Washington" to "The Galleries" at Penshaw Monument, assume this is the new programme working, think it's a great idea, "The Galleries" being more relavent Penshaw onwards, and "Washington" more relevant whilst in Sunderland itself.

(22 Aug 2018, 11:22 am)deanmachine wrote Seen a 2 changing it's destination from "Washington" to "The Galleries" at Penshaw Monument, assume this is the new programme working, think it's a great idea, "The Galleries" being more relavent Penshaw onwards, and "Washington" more relevant whilst in Sunderland itself.

(22 Aug 2018, 4:31 pm)Michael wrote Just watched a man in a wheel chair struggle to park his wheelchair on 681, in the bay because of the pole near the seat... i thought they were DDA?

Mind the women bus driver was really nice.

(22 Aug 2018, 12:51 pm)Andreos1 wrote Even with the convoluted nature of the 2 services within Washington and the two bus stations within Washington being quite a distance apart?

I would argue Washington Galleries should be used throughout. Can't get any more clearer than that (I won't mention via points) and it reduces elements of confusion and technology failing.

Those living between Penshaw and The Galleries are likely to be regular passengers on that section of route and probably do so in greater numbers than those prior to Penshaw. 
I would suggest they know where the service terminates by virtue of this. 
Those irregular passengers who don't go to the Galleries or Washington too often or are boarding at a point somewhere on Chester Road or even in Sunderland City centre - could benefit from Galleries being displayed prior to boarding.

The lack of route branding (specific to the route opposed to generic chat noir branding) can't help either.

(22 Aug 2018, 7:43 pm)deanmachine wrote I don't know, if I seen a bus with "Washington" on the front, I'd assume it would take me to the town centre, even if I didn't know the name of it, not everyone knows the name of the Galleries. Whereas "Washington" is a bit of a useless display once you're in Washington itself. I don't see the problem.

(22 Aug 2018, 11:35 pm)Andreos1 wrote I'm trying not to sound flippant here and I apologise if it comes across that way.
If you and others assume that Washington on the blind denotes a bus that takes you to the town centre/galleries, why does the display need to change once it is on its approach to said destination?

(23 Aug 2018, 2:24 pm)JM03 wrote Didn’t know where to put this but Eldon square bus station has been closed down and all buses are starting from market street, been kicked off the x1 there

(23 Aug 2018, 2:24 pm)JM03 wrote Didn’t know where to put this but Eldon square bus station has been closed down and all buses are starting from market street, been kicked off the x1 there

(23 Aug 2018, 4:21 pm)G-CPTN wrote Drivers caught up in the city centre congestion, and who 'run out of hours' - what do they do?
Truckers park up and take to the sleeper, but what do bus drivers do? They might not be able to reach a depot . . .

There were half a dozen drivers at Hexham with no buses . . .

(23 Aug 2018, 2:24 pm)JM03 wrote Didn’t know where to put this but Eldon square bus station has been closed down and all buses are starting from market street, been kicked off the x1 there

(23 Aug 2018, 4:32 pm)TyneWearTeesGNE wrote What has happened?

(23 Aug 2018, 4:33 pm)Jamie M wrote Taxi drivers plaguing the city more than usual in the form of a protest about taxi ranks. Can we just ban taxis?

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(23 Aug 2018, 4:33 pm)Jamie M wrote Taxi drivers plaguing the city more than usual in the form of a protest about taxi ranks. Can we just ban taxis?

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(23 Aug 2018, 8:31 pm)GNE6312 wrote Wish we could ban taxis
Loved it that time when a 47 stoped in a taki rank and when a 309 done the same to the blyth taki ranks
We need bigger bus stations
And dont need taxis driving like over all c**ts on the roads driving too fast using phones whilst driving etc
MORE BUSES LESS TAXIS

(23 Aug 2018, 8:31 pm)GNE6312 wrote Wish we could ban taxis
Loved it that time when a 47 stoped in a taki rank and when a 309 done the same to the blyth taki ranks
We need bigger bus stations
And dont need taxis driving like over all c**ts on the roads driving too fast using phones whilst driving etc
MORE BUSES LESS TAXIS

(23 Aug 2018, 9:27 pm)Jimmi wrote Agreed. Lost count of the times they've tried to beat the buses round where The Gate is, in some cases they have mounted the kerb and shouted angry abuse at the bus driver for about 5 minutes when the bus had priority and was already making its way round.

(23 Aug 2018, 9:30 pm)Ianthegoon wrote Surely all the buses are fitted with CCTV these days, so a taxi driver trying that kind of idiocy would have his license withdrawn pretty much immediately?

(23 Aug 2018, 4:33 pm)Jamie M wrote Taxi drivers plaguing the city more than usual in the form of a protest about taxi ranks. Can we just ban taxis?

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