(22 Mar 2016, 7:52 pm)BusLoverMum wrote I sense a bit of scorched earth going on.
Either that, or a pre-existing deal with the independents.
There's certainly some form of existing deal between Arriva North East and JH Coaches, which follows on from the previous deal with Classic Coaches. JH regularly provide buses and drivers for the Metro Replacements.
It's strange to have Stanley Travel loaning buses to Arriva as well, though.