(11 Sep 2015, 4:45 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote Arriva seriously need to invest more money into their MAX and Sapphire routes if they want them to work. OK, perhaps the 57 plates have been performing better since Ecnospeed was removed but, the whole allocations across the North East look very scrappy from the 57 plate Sapphires to constant off route vehicles to even some routes (X7, X8, X12) even using single deckers for some runs that require double deckers and allocating Ex London refurbished buses to the X20 is not going to do a service with potential any favors. Arriva need to do the following:

- Order new buses for the key MAX and Sapphire routes to allow cascades to take place.
- Amend all timetables to ensure that services are running as close to time as possible.
- NO refurbished Ex London deckers for main workings (bar peak time extras), all buses used should be to a good standard!
- NO more first buses of the morning sneaking out of Blyth depot late and starting to get into problems around Newsham area etc.
- Adequate spare vehicles to ensure consistency and prevent brand dilution.
- Tighter controls on odd workings to ensure that these are rectified as soon as possible and kept to a minimum.
- NO drivers plodding along against favorable road and traffic conditions. All drivers to drive to the road and traffic conditions in a legal and safer manner whilst keeping the service as close to time as possible.

(12 Sep 2015, 2:14 pm)Jimmi wrote CX05 registered MAX Omnicity on 1/5/5A/19.

(12 Sep 2015, 10:01 am)Cock Robin wrote They've had a problem with inadequate spare buses for years, but there seems to be favouritism towards certain depots. The minute the 81 PVR went down they took 4501 off Redcar, but Stockton still have several vehicles on the road which should have gone into Reserve/Disposal. No wonder they always seem to have a line of spare buses in the depot whereas Redcar rarely have any.

(12 Sep 2015, 6:20 pm)Mark wrote Stockton are sending a number of their Cadets to Thorntons for DDA modifications. So far only 1920 has gone there due to Thorntons being kept busy with other work. Some of the Cadets due to be withdrawn are remaining in fleet as temporary cover until the others return and are ready for service again.

1905 was withdrawn last week. 1910 & 1911 are the most recent to be listed for disposal, but 1468 has arrived at Stockton and is not ready for service yet, while 1467 is still in service at Durham.

(12 Sep 2015, 8:14 pm)buss14 wrote will any of those cadets move to jesmond to replace 4501, 4512 and 4514?

(14 Sep 2015, 6:53 am)Jimmi wrote Oh dear, we have a Pulsar on the Bishop Auckland College 5A, just left Aycliffe Town Centre with few seats left!

And yes this does mean that I've wasted my time going out for that, this morning![emoji34]

(14 Sep 2015, 8:12 am)tyresmoke wrote 1471 on X12, 0935 from Middlesbrough

(14 Sep 2015, 6:53 am)Jimmi wrote Oh dear, we have a Pulsar on the Bishop Auckland College 5A, just left Aycliffe Town Centre with few seats left!

And yes this does mean that I've wasted my time going out for that, this morning![emoji34]

(14 Sep 2015, 8:12 am)tyresmoke wrote Hopefully loadings will have levelled out a bit now on all of our college services?

(14 Sep 2015, 8:25 am)Stuartphin1639 wrote Oh dear oh dear, should have been decker allocated until at least October at the earliest, as many people who pass the driving test will take there friends to college using the car in theory, I think I am on the 5A that goes to the college tonight so will see what it's like tonight

(14 Sep 2015, 9:42 am)Jimmi wrote I'm not sure how much the numbers are expected to go down but I don't think they'd be that much. There is the hope people will make friends with students who will drive to college and offer to take them instead of using the bus. Also there is the hope that students who are a waste of space on their courses who don't turn up to lessons for example will be booted off their courses so will no longer be attending college. i'm intrigued to see the difference in the morning and afternoon loadings on the Bishop Auckland College runs.