Stay with me on this one. I have done a lot of travelling this week and seeing as I am not one of those to fiddle with a spreadsheet whilst on the move, it gives me time to think and ponder. A dangerous thing some may say!
It will hopefully bring an old thread to life too.
 
Whilst the branding of vehicles has its fans and has supposed benefits (I am yet to be convinced of them), I wonder if the benefits of branding can be outweighed with the wear and tear on a vehicle.
If we look at the workhorses of the fleet – the Scania Solar L94UB. Some are getting on for a few years old now, maybe towards the end of their lives. However, the difference in the standard of vehicles is quite noticeable.
 
I have often commented on the state of the purple Solars. They’re in a mess and for a trip that can attract a premium of £4.10 for a journey of less than a quarter of a run, it sort of grinds a bit.
 
A fair few of the purple Solars have been on the route for the majority of their lives. They have been in the purple base for just short of 9 years and in that time, they have trooped back and forth on a route, that has its fair few fast and demanding sections. Very rarely spending time elsewhere.
Prior to the 2006 changes, a vehicle could see time elsewhere, stretching its legs on other routes, across the patch covered by its home depot.
My favourite 5213, could be on (what is now) a 35 run one day, see a spell on a Gateshead run the next and see a run out on anything else Shields had prior to its closure.
Obviously each day, it would face its own challenges, but it wouldn’t face the same challenges on a daily basis.
 
Since 2006, well – it has been painted purple a couple of times and has gone back and forth to Durham every day since. It is still going back and forth to Durham and now, is having those runs extended all the way to Shields.
Compared to 5201 – resting in the mediocrity of a floating spare, after a few years in a flowery orange livery; 5213 must be lurching (in that annoying fashion it has) towards the end.
 
I haven’t been on any of the ex-Washington Solars, since last summer when I got a 28a, over a 28 by accident – so I can’t comment on what another year has done to them after 8/9 years on a 194/M1 and then another 2/3 on a 28/28a. I can imagine though…
 
Going back in time, Chester and Sunderland Road often alternated the routes a vehicle type operated on – particularly the deckers.
Chester would send their VR’s for spell on Durham Road one week and then alternate with their Metrobuses, sending them via Old Durham Road or to South Shields the next.
The Nationals would mix it up on a 775/778, 721, 777 etc.
Sunderland Road, often mixed and matched their Metrobuses with the Atlanteans. A vehicle would see a spell on Lobley Hill, swapped with an Old Durham Road run. Bensham Bank would alternate with Durham Road later in the month.
Nor did Winlaton keep their Olympians on a 649 every day of the week, 52 weeks of the year.
 
There was also the element of interworking.
A Metrobus on a 26, would run onto several other 2x routes, before daring to pass Presto again. It would have a nice run along the length of Durham Road, face a little test on a 25 up Whinbury Road, chill out on a 28 to Kibby, stroll through the Springwell Estate on a 27 and have a lap of Allerdene on a 24 - all in a day.
Interworking doesn’t seem to happen that often now – unless a branded route has 2/3 sub-services, it isn’t going to happen until the sun sets and the branding strategy goes out of the window.
 
I know running up and down a hill every day is gonna knack me, so like anyone, I would break the monotony and do some flat running now and again. I would maybe stretch my legs by going a totally different way.
Effective branding, doesn’t allow an operator to break the monotony, the strain nor the wear and tear on the vehicle.
Eventually, the wear and tear is going to show – no matter what colour or livery is on the outside…
 
And before anyone chews their gums about anti-GNE bias, it isn’t.
Although I have used a wide variety of operators across the North East and other parts of the country, I am more than happy holding my hands up and saying I am not as familiar with the fleets of those operators who don’t trundle back and forth at the end of my street.
The comments about branding and vehicles being stuck on the same (potentially arduous) runs day in, day out, still apply – regardless of the operator.