(08 Feb 2017, 9:27 pm)busmanT wrote 635 will be replaced by 697 when it arrives from Thames Travel.

636 will be replaced by a full size single deck under current plans.

(09 Feb 2017, 12:52 am)dannygee wrote Seen 9099 before and it had on front 21 Newcastle but the side had 21 Durham and the back was blank. How come this happened?

(09 Feb 2017, 6:05 am)Dan wrote More information on the former Plymouth Citybus Optare Solos joining the fleet:
http://www.plymothiantransit.com/2017/02/solong.html

(09 Feb 2017, 4:43 pm)thetravelman wrote Will the new 42A service be operated fully by Percy Main or will this service be shared with Riverside?

Obviously Riverside do the current 353 service and looking at the new timetable for the 42A some of the journeys will start or finish completely at Kingston Park, mainly early morning or late evening, which would possibly incur quite a bit of dead mileage to/from Percy Main.

(09 Feb 2017, 9:27 pm)Ambassador wrote Is 9099 mechanically different from the Hybrids and B7s?

Two nights in a row I've used it and it's like the driver has just passed their test. Seems to stall and overrev at bus stops and the drivers seemed to struggle with manouvering. Ride is comfy but drivers don't appear confident, whipping out the laminate guides to read through.

I know from experience Chester drivers aren't the greatest and tend to drive like my dearly departed nan (particularly the older drivers) but surely it's not that much of a step change?

(10 Feb 2017, 5:25 am)GX03 wrote I hope you have a bus licence to be sure as to quote drivers aren't the greatest!!

(10 Feb 2017, 7:20 am)Ambassador wrote Sorry not sure about your point here? 

I drive myself and I travel regularly on several different buses across the region. 

I'm not a 20 goal a season premier league striker but I still comment on Harry Kanes performance

(10 Feb 2017, 8:02 am)GX03 wrote My point being you quoted from your experience most Chester drivers drive like your dear departed man, I ask if you can drive a bus or are qualified to comment on how a bus is driven, a bus is a lot harder to drive than a car.

(10 Feb 2017, 9:31 am)James101 wrote Does a person need to have a license to drive a bus to pass comment on how it feels to be a passenger on one? Especially when making a comparison between journeys made daily.   

Websites such as TripAdvisor have millions of reviews submitted by travellers  who don't know the first thing about running a hotel or restaurant.  Should we discount all of those too?

(10 Feb 2017, 10:58 am)jaimz13 wrote Sorry to ask but what dose go north east use on service 13 to West denton shops

(10 Feb 2017, 11:18 am)Jamie M wrote Solo from riverside

(10 Feb 2017, 11:54 am)jaimz13 wrote Oh right I thought was mpd haha lol thank you

(10 Feb 2017, 4:00 pm)S813 FVK wrote It should be an MPD  I believe - used to be MPD 556 anyway.

Solos I think should be allocated to the 29, 353 and 516 with MPDs on the ASDA Byker contract, 554, 13 and 33.

(10 Feb 2017, 4:13 pm)Jamie M wrote Literally every time I've seen it's been a solo.
Is 570 a loan to washy or not?

(10 Feb 2017, 10:58 am)jaimz13 wrote Sorry to ask but what dose go north east use on service 13 to West denton shops

(10 Feb 2017, 7:44 pm)thetravelman wrote Most of the time when I have seen the 13 it has mostly been an MPD, I've only seen a Solo on the Route a couple of times, and I quite often see the service, as I'm in and around the West Denton area several times a week.

(10 Feb 2017, 9:19 pm)Jamie M wrote How does the 11 currently interwork at night? At north shields it shows the 42 as terminating around 7pm.

(10 Feb 2017, 7:47 pm)Jamie M wrote I must just always see it at the wrong time, then!

(10 Feb 2017, 10:52 pm)S813 FVK wrote Any idea when 5332 will lose its Cinderella promotional livery? It is now outdated by just short of a month.

(11 Feb 2017, 12:16 pm)Andreos1 wrote https://twitter.com/gonortheast/status/830375456641863684

Another breakdown/vehicle fault?

(11 Feb 2017, 12:36 pm)Dan wrote I think Go North East's increasing use of Social Media to report breakdowns is helpful for passengers waiting for a bus that isn't going to arrive. It potentially gives some customers time to make alternative travel arrangements, if it's absolutely crucial.

These reports only seem to be done for infrequent services such as the Tyne Tees Xpress, presumably because the next bus would have arrived by the time a breakdown on a 10-minute frequency service had been noted on Social Media.

I wonder how many breakdowns there are on a service like the Red Arrows, for example? We always seem to discuss the breakdowns on the Tyne Tees Xpress because Go North East have noted the breakdown on Social Media, but never discuss the reliability of the vehicles on the Red Arrows. This of course could be extended to other operators too. We never seem to discuss breakdowns for Arriva and Stagecoach - is this because their buses are more reliable and don't suffer mechanical defects as regularly as Go North East's buses, or is it because they don't record every breakdown on Social Media?

(11 Feb 2017, 12:36 pm)Dan wrote I think Go North East's increasing use of Social Media to report breakdowns is helpful for passengers waiting for a bus that isn't going to arrive. It potentially gives some customers time to make alternative travel arrangements, if it's absolutely crucial.

These reports only seem to be done for infrequent services such as the Tyne Tees Xpress, presumably because the next bus would have arrived by the time a breakdown on a 10-minute frequency service had been noted on Social Media.

I wonder how many breakdowns there are on a service like the Red Arrows, for example? We always seem to discuss the breakdowns on the Tyne Tees Xpress because Go North East have noted the breakdown on Social Media, but never discuss the reliability of the vehicles on the Red Arrows. This of course could be extended to other operators too. We never seem to discuss breakdowns for Arriva and Stagecoach - is this because their buses are more reliable and don't suffer mechanical defects as regularly as Go North East's buses, or is it because they don't record every breakdown on Social Media?