(10 Dec 2021, 12:35 pm)streetdeckfan wrote Is there something up with the B5s today?
Both spares are off the road, 2 were taken out of service at CLS mid-journey this morning, and it seems one broke down in Newcastle (from the tracking at least).

Running 4 OmniDekkas and a Versa (which is obviously at capacity when leaving Durham) on a 'premium' route isn't good

(11 Dec 2021, 3:10 pm)NL62WVW wrote The 2 spares are sat in the corner at CLS

6335 had quite a lot of work done to it in august/September time and now has a habit of overheating

Not sure what's up with the rest

(11 Dec 2021, 4:52 pm)Jimmi wrote The chance of non branded buses appearing on the X21 has recently been increased by the addition of an extra bus into the PVR (now PVR 9) meaning 6308-14 & 6334/5 now all form the full PVR for the service with spares currently being OmniDekka's (until StreetDecks transfer from Consett at least)

(11 Dec 2021, 4:52 pm)Jimmi wrote The chance of non branded buses appearing on the X21 has recently been increased by the addition of an extra bus into the PVR (now PVR 9) meaning 6308-14 & 6334/5 now all form the full PVR for the service with spares currently being OmniDekka's (until StreetDecks transfer from Consett at least)

(11 Dec 2021, 5:29 pm)L469 YVK wrote How is the PVR now 9?

I thought it was just a 4 hour round trip?

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To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Volvo B5TL.

The X21 has never really had the right vehicle allocated. A bit of a shame the newer StreetDecks part of the original plan before COVID never got the chance of redemption.

I still say the X45/X46 would be better suited to Volvo B5TLs due to the lack of evening & Sunday boards (evenings & Sundays covered by E400MMCs interworking with 47, X30, X72) with the newer StreetDecks going the other way.

A bit unfair to tar all StreetDecks with the same brush. The earlier classic E400s weren't great but the later ones before MMCs have been spot on.

(11 Dec 2021, 5:29 pm)L469 YVK wrote How is the PVR now 9?

I thought it was just a 4 hour round trip?

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To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Volvo B5TL.

The X21 has never really had the right vehicle allocated. A bit of a shame the newer StreetDecks part of the original plan before COVID never got the chance of redemption.

I still say the X45/X46 would be better suited to Volvo B5TLs due to the lack of evening & Sunday boards (evenings & Sundays covered by E400MMCs interworking with 47, X30, X72) with the newer StreetDecks going the other way.

A bit unfair to tar all StreetDecks with the same brush. The earlier classic E400s weren't great but the later ones before MMCs have been spot on.

(11 Dec 2021, 6:17 pm)Dan wrote From 30 October the timetable was revised to include around 25 minutes layover in Newcastle to improve reliability.

The Volvo B5s aren’t unsuited to the X21 at all. Realistically it’s only a very small percentage of the route where the bus is flat out. It’s the typical scenario where a few buses are off service and no spares are carried, so routine maintenance then being carried out looks and feels worse.

In a few weeks there will be StreetDecks spare and it will be less noticeable.


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(11 Dec 2021, 7:27 pm)streetdeckfan wrote I do disagree slightly about only small parts of the route being flat out.

While obviously it's not motorway, the dual carriage way between Low Fell and A1 is pretty much flat out, as is between CLS and Pity Me, then between Durham and Croxdale, then it's fast A roads between Middlestone Moor and Coundon

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(12 Dec 2021, 10:22 am)NL62WVW wrote The 16 plate streetdecks were a bit ropey before getting replaced by the B5's.

As someone who drives them daily I'd rather have a 67 plate Streetdeck over a B5, the acceleration on a Streetdeck makes up for the lack of top speed.

That timetable change nearly caught me out a few Saturdays ago too, 15 Mins late into town and thought I i was straight in and out of Eldon Square but had 10 mins sit. Has really helped out with reliability of the service

(12 Dec 2021, 1:39 pm)streetdeckfan wrote As a passenger, the B5s feel a bit more nippy off the line in comparison to the StreetDecks, it was the first thing I noticed when we got them.

(12 Dec 2021, 1:45 pm)NL62WVW wrote Don't get me wrong there are a few of our B5s that go like the clappers off the mark, but once you get to about 20/25mph the Streetdeck will be upto 50 long before a B5

(13 Dec 2021, 2:09 pm)Malarkey wrote 5411, 6146, 6164 & 8296 are all allocated with X-Lines spares 6335/6377 to the X21 today according to Bus Times with the only Branded examples in service being 6310, 6312 & 6313.

6308, 6309, 6311, 6314 & 6334 are the ones currently off the road.

(13 Dec 2021, 2:09 pm)Malarkey wrote 5411, 6146, 6164 & 8296 are all allocated with X-Lines spares 6335/6377 to the X21 today according to Bus Times with the only Branded examples in service being 6310, 6312 & 6313.

6308, 6309, 6311, 6314 & 6334 are the ones currently off the road.

(11 Dec 2021, 7:27 pm)streetdeckfan wrote I do disagree slightly about only small parts of the route being flat out.

While obviously it's not motorway, the dual carriage way between Low Fell and A1 is pretty much flat out, as is between CLS and Pity Me, then between Durham and Croxdale, then it's fast A roads between Middlestone Moor and Coundon

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(14 Dec 2021, 5:59 pm)6049 wrote In all honesty, I don't see any reason when any bus should have an issue with the X21, other than that the StreetDecks which used to be on them seem to have been fairly problematic no matter where they've been put and as already mentioned, the B5s have been flogged on the X10 like the B9s were before that.

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(14 Dec 2021, 11:05 pm)BusLoverMum wrote I would have thought range would be an issue for electric vehicles on the x21. It's a long route.

(14 Dec 2021, 9:57 pm)L469 YVK wrote The irony is that extra StreetDecks before COVID plus 6330-33 were to make up the PVR of the X21 when it was 12x alongside 6304-07.

But my argument given Consett's interworking patterns (evening 47/X30/X45/X72 and Sunday X30/X45/X46/X72) and the above initial order is that brand new StreetDecks are parked up in Consett depot during evenings & Sundays when they should be out on the road reducing running costs & making revenue.

Now if GNE used them (albeit diluting the XLines brand) on the Sunday 47/47A over fuel hungry B9TLs, that would make sense. But based on the September service changes, I would certainly opt from a cost based perspective to have Volvo B5TLs parked up during evenings & Sundays over brand new StreetDecks taking into account age, vehicle history and enhanced BSOG mileage. Not forgetting common decker fleet commonality across Washington & CLS depots.

(15 Dec 2021, 12:05 am)idiot wrote Why are gas buses a failure.?

(15 Dec 2021, 12:05 am)idiot wrote Why are gas buses a failure.?

(15 Dec 2021, 10:10 am)Storx wrote Lack of any future orders, can't really say whether they will at Sunderland but long term it suggests it's a one time thing. Maybe they will at Sunderland but who knows yet. 

Darlington have already bought Diesel buses instead (Streetlites in 2017).

Then again I don't believe a single clean bus has been bought outright up here, unsure on the second batch of Yutongs coming.

(15 Dec 2021, 3:49 pm)Jimmi wrote Problem is atm all these alternative fueled buses are still more expensive to buy than a conventional diesel so for the most part companies aren't getting them unless they receive funding from somewhere such as councils.

(15 Dec 2021, 3:49 pm)Jimmi wrote Problem is atm all these alternative fueled buses are still more expensive to buy than a conventional diesel so for the most part companies aren't getting them unless they receive funding from somewhere such as councils.