(23 Mar 2019, 8:41 am)Dan wrote It would be a fair old downgrade for the 33, to put lower spec Solos (poorer seats, no Next Stop Announcements) on it from Washington.

It's quite important that this service retains the Next Stop Announcement feature as there's a number of blind bus users in The Docks area that rely on this service.

717 is required at Stanley to be a spare Euro 6 small Solo for the Durham Cathedral contract. It is only allocated to the Chester-le-Street Town Service contract when neither of the two white Solos are VOR. 709 is not Euro 6 therefore would not be suitable.

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But it's the same fair old downgrade for the Indigo Washington 81/82/83 & 84 when one those lower spec Solos are used on those services rather than being kept on the 85/86 though, in all fairness the seats on them need reupholstering and if NSA's were installed it would bring them up to the same spec as the Solo SR's and it would standardise the minibus fleet at Deptford.

As mentioned in one of my previous posts what happens when 681/689/690 are VOR etc, one of the lower spec Solos with Black Cats branding takes it's place or whatever is spare at Deptford, in the last month and a bit I have seen 700, 5439 and 6901 along with Scania L94's on the 33's

Otherwise my alternative suggestion would be if the 11 new single decks end up being for the 4 then I would transfer the Mercs to Deptford for use on the 33/33A/35 and 38, therefore the 33's retain NSA's for the blind bus users around The Docks.

I would still transfer 681/689 and 690 to Washington for use on the 85/86, then the lower spec Solos can go elsewhere in the fleet.