(26 Aug 2017, 8:06 am)Dan wrote I don't think Eldon Square Bus Station can be compared to many of the bus stations in East Scotland - I agree with the OP that large coaches serving Eldon Square would be a recipe for disaster. Peterlee should be alright, albeit a tight squeeze, as National Express services use this bus station.
If ever there was a contest for the most badly designed bus station...
I agree that Eldon Square is not a well designed bus station in the slightest, though I assumed the steering rear axle of larger coaches would help massively when turning at the bottom of the bus station?
I'm not at all sure how long the DAF coaches that Arriva used on the 685 were, but I can't imagine them being massively shorter?
(26 Aug 2017, 8:10 am)Dan wrote One of the things being promoted is the fact that the new B5TLs have a marginally higher capacity than the current allocation - the extra few seats on the Volvo B5TLs are desirable at peak times.
I was surprised at how many seats there seem to be downstairs on the B5TLs, they seem to be slightly longer than the current B9TLs? I assume this longer length, and therefore additional overall capacity, allowed Go North East to improve the overall specification of the bus in terms of installing tables without reducing capacity from the current allocation?