(03 May 2016, 7:18 pm)JP6004 wrote Very late response to the above, but could they not brand one of the full length Versas for 88 and have one of the shorts as a spare instead?
You could, but then you'd be covering a PVR of more than 30 buses (Quaylink and Citylink) with two spare Versas, which wouldn't be ideal. The one which would come off the South Tyne wouldn't have Wi-Fi or Next Stop Announcements.
Having three wasn't enough, which is why red Merc 5332 is also deemed as an appropriate alternative allocation for the above services too.