One thing I would point out is that, for the services to become Sapphire, they would have had to be making a good amount of money for Arriva.
Therefore, I'm inclined to suggest that, although we look at it and it may appear bad, it does better than we think. Every peak time run I see is full, and quite a few others do carry good loads.
I also want to point out that, in the past 4 years, the bus on my morning and home time run has NEVER broken down.
RE: Arriva North East: Latest News & Discussion - May 2015