(04 Jan 2019, 7:19 pm)GNE6312 wrote Blyth's fleet is the oldest in Arriva northumbria with it's newest buses being the 5 12 reg pulsars which will be turning 7 years old in the next few months since the hybrids have gone. Here is my suggestion to modernise the fleet at Blyth:

9x volvo b5tl wright gemini 3s for the X7/8 + another 2 spare (fleet numbered 7638-46) this displaces 7601-8 to jesmond for the 52/3/4 to displace streetlites 1581-8 to stockton for to replace the cadets with 1574-8 staying at jesmond for to be used alongside 7601-8 and pulsars 1493/1501/3 will go to Ashington to be used on the 57/A to upgrade them to MAX

4× volvo B8RLE wright eclipse 3s for the X9 + another 2 spares (fleet numbered 1615-20) which allows 1502/4/5 to join the other pulsars at Ashington for the 57/A which withdraws 1800/1 and displaces the solos to other depots which needs medibuses (1 to redcar which withdraws 1753 which is the oldest dart non to Blyth as they get new medibuses more on thatlater on in the post) 

3 more volvo B8RLE wright eclipse 3s (fleet numbered1621-3) to replace 1401-3

10x volvo B5LH wright gemini 3s for the 308 (the new 7801-10) displcing 7628-34 to whitby/redcar for to be spares for the X93 (7630-4)which allows the ALX 400s usualy used on the summer X93 to go where required when required all year round aswell as 2 to be used on the whitby park and ride (7628/9) displacing 7609/10 to jesmond for to be used alongside sisters 7601-8 on the 52/3/4 (all 10 to be repainted to the new livery 4 at a time with 7416/24/5/6 to go to jesmond and 7635 to go to Belmont full time to replace 7416 with 7416 joining 7424-6 as travelling spares with 7636/7 going to whitby as spares for the whitby park and ride) 

Finaly 5x wright streetairs (like the lothian ones) for the 2 with 2 spares (1624-30) displacing the solos to the 1 to replace the darts

This will give blyth good investment and more importantly the best fleet in Arriva north east 

What does every one think?

57/A does not meet Max Spec as there isn’t one as its a discontinued brand, 57/A does not a Pulsar size bus anyway 
X9&2 don’t need 2 spare buses each remember a route to Spare Bus ratio is 8:1 (usually)
The Streetairs are completely useless so no
Blyth does not need the bus Fleet but do agree that the Darts and Cadets need to leave as they are tried but yet again it only take an Arriva Bus a few years for that to happen.
308 just had its buses refurbished so it does not need any new buses at this moment.
Whitby don’t need extra spare buses as the ALX400s (which you Replace) are covers for X93 that would again be a waste of resources especially as Arriva are not huge investors.