(18 Jul 2017, 11:13 am)tyresmoke wrote Splitting the route will mean the drivers (& buses) will no longer be on EU tachograph regulations. Therefore it'll give them flexibility in what vehicles can be used on the route (everything, basically). No longer will they have to scrap around for tacho fitted buses to replace breakdowns or help with delays etc. No waiting for one to come back in off a 97 or whatever to pinch, they'll be able to send any bus out. This will help massively with flexibility and should help solve some delays at very little cost to the passengers.
I understand why GNE are splitting the route. I'm saying we shouldn't discuss the splitting & re-route like it's the only solution the reliability problem.
A customer-focused approach could be to leave the route as an express, add an extra bus into the PVR. I'd have thought the ratio of tacho'ed vehicles available as spares will go up when the B9s currently used are deployed onto other duties. If not, retro-fit tachos into as many vehicles as required to ensure a tacho'd spare is usually available on-call at Riverside (or better, stabled at Gateshead Metro during service hours)
A cost-focused approach would be the upcoming changes; splitting the route, not ordering a dedicated spare & opting to buy a service bus over a coach.
Clearly the cost-focused solution won-out in this case, or at least a compromise weighted towards cost-saving. That said, it's good there is a solution at all - the investment into the TTX is still sizeable, though it'd not a 'risky' investment as such. The TTX has a solid customer base and presumably a consistent revenue that justifies new buses every X number of years.