(20 May 2015, 8:04 pm)Dan wrote When Kuyoyo was insistent Arriva had purchased the last Volvo B9s all those months ago, I did say there was more out there and Arriva could have had them if they wanted them... I was shunned!
Fast forward a few months - lo and behold, there was still quite a large number remaining. GNE favoured the Volvo B9 as their preferred double decker - Arriva didn't, and this perhaps explains why they didn't get any more Volvo B9s than they needed.
I think why Arriva got E400s for the X18 over B9s was because:
- Commonality at Ashington Depot
- Cheaper cost for the spec
- E400 despite not being as powerful or solid as the B9 can handle the X18 ok compared to the rough terrain of the Yorkshire coast
- E400 is more fuel efficient and this is crucial in Northumberland due to subsidy cuts and more
- The X93 needs B9s due to the very demanding nature of that route and despite the fact that it probably makes less money than the X18 all year around but still good enough, it needs them vehicles to help route growth and demand
- Less training required at Ashington depot
- No modern Wright bodied Gemini (Eclipse or Pulsar) at Ashington depot
As long as Ashington look after them and don't run them into the ground like what Blyth and Redcar did with some of the 57 plate examples, then they'll see a good few years.