(23 Mar 2016, 11:22 am)palatine3833 wrote The contract which Arriva had was due to expire next year apparently, but due to costs and the fact the buses can be utilised elsewhere, the contract was surrendered; hence, the short period for this upcoming tender.
(23 Mar 2016, 5:11 pm)Adrian wrote But Arriva wouldn't exactly be short of buses on an evening? Plenty of Solos and E200s will be sat in the depot.
It's unusual for mutual agreement to be reached to end a contract early, or at least without penalty. Is it perhaps a case that Arriva's bid for the work wasn't breaking even, and they've not been able to make any financial progress from it?
palatine3833 has been misinformed.
The original tender was a four-year contract which commenced 27/05/2012 and was due to expire 21/05/2016, so the contract will expire as per the original end date specified in the contract.
(23 Mar 2016, 5:07 pm)BJ10VUS wrote Out of curiosity, will this allow for a spare Solo SR with all of the above being moved to Gateshead Central Taxis? Possible candidate for Hexham, or Deptford to replace an MPD on the 38/238, with one having recently moved to Hexham for the AD122?
Yes, an Optare Solo SR will be freed up as a result of the loss of this contract. I would expect it to be repainted red.
(23 Mar 2016, 5:11 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote Will the 516 still utilise a Solo SR?
The contractual requirement is for a Euro 4 vehicle with a minimum capacity of 36. The current contract is for a Euro 5 vehicle of the same capacity.
As such, there'd technically be scope in service 516 being allocated a different vehicle, though I'm unsure if it will be at this stage. It's worth noting that the new contracts do not stipulate the use of a "Nexus" branded vehicle, which would give operators the option to repaint the buses into their own corporate livery, to operate these services.