(12 Jul 2018, 9:17 pm)busmanT wrote The reason single decks were put on the 33T today is due to most of the passengers being pensioners who wouldn't go upstairs on double decks which were allocated yesterday.

In terms of vehicle quality, these are contracted services and I'm sure that, had the contracting authority requested, and been willing to pay for, new buses they could have been provided.

I get what you are saying about them paying for quality and the price reflecting that, but wouldn't the margins be greater if newer, more fuel efficient vehicles were used?

(12 Jul 2018, 9:19 pm)TEN 6083 wrote For the Blyth event a couple of years ago GNE had mostly B7TL’s as well with a few others (B5LH, B9TL, Olympian) when Tall Ships was last in the North East.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ten6083/shares/3CC2H5


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Forgot all about Blyth!
Make that three times in the last 10 years!

(12 Jul 2018, 9:49 pm)westy3738 wrote What's the issue with 5216? I drove it to Deptford from Riverside this morning and it drove like a dream, one of the best Scanias put there.

Also the interior of the ex London B7s on the Park and Ride is pretty good and smart.

Not sure what or why you're trying to provoke here.

I think you're making a bit of a straw-man argument here.
Nobody queried how it drove or what the driver thinks of 5216.

The post was from a passenger perspective.
Whether it drives well or not, is totally different to the comfort or experience the passenger has.
Unless those fitters have worked the sort of miracles that turned water in to wine, passengers on 5216 may have been slightly disappointed.
Sailors using it to pop to/from the shops might have even preferred being up the Crows Nest in a force 9!

Either way, boarding a vehicle approaching its 15th birthday and not looking too grand internally - may certainly assist a passenger in forming a perspective of the operator and region.
It did in the two examples I mentioned in that initial post.

BTW - just trying to encourage discussion/debate. Nothing sinister behind the post