(26 Jul 2019, 8:16 pm)S830OFT wrote If that was the case, why did Arriva launch Brand New Buses onto the Sapphire X21/X22, when there is very little competition... The likes of the 22/23/24 services are similar to the 56/57/57A, although only the first set of services have been upgraded to a premium standard. Let's not forget that the 57A is the key direct service linking Hartlepool with Durham, yet has no features available compared to service 24, which takes longer to reach Durham. I think with service investment it is based on a pick & choose basis, as soms services that are in their 'premium brands' don't warrant them.

(26 Jul 2019, 8:26 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Competition. 22/23/24 all have stiff competition from gne on significant stretches of their routes. On short hops and, at least until recently, for season tickets, they compete in price hut they also need to compete in comfort and features. 56/57/57a don't really have any competition & save the SB 58, which is hardly a luxury service and seem to carry a high proportion of bus pass users.

BusLoverMum summed it up but I feel there is more to add...

Obviously the services chosen to be upgraded are done on a pick and choose basis, you would pick a service that has a potential to benefit from an upgrade, many of the services under Sapphire brand run in urban areas that has the likelihood of gaining passengers from and sure enough numbers shot right up on many of these services after being upgraded.

The Durham to Hartlepool thing, the number seemingly making this full journey ain't a massive amount (really, I have to say this again! [emoji57]) and with the 22/23/24 & 56/57/57A it's a fair lot of passing from a village to a town/city centre or another village for shopping and whatever else like people in Wheatley Hill going to Durham, Peterlee or Sunderland.

The 22/23/24 run later in some form than the 56/57/57A do with the 57/57A winding down between 6 & 7pm wheras the 22 & 24 run later, granted the 56 runs into the night now (in place of X12) but it is allocated buses off other services due to interworking patterns so what would the point be in insisting in 'premium buses' on a service that only runs like 07:00 - 19:00 Monday to Saturday over a service that runs most of the day, would only make sense if these buses were allocated elsewhere in the evenings.

With all this in mind, I say all the services under the 'premium brands' are far more worthy of this treatment than the likes of the 57A which only really does anything between Durham and Bowburn, most times I see the 57A on the Trimdon Village to Hartlepool stretch the numbers are in single figures and doesn't operate in the evenings and Sundays. The only thing I can potentially see upgrading the stock on 56/57/57A is the fact GNE opted to pull out of Coundon which likely saw a slight rise in numbers from Coundon on the 56 but then again there's virtually no competition on the 56/57/57A routes now so that's less for Arriva to worry about.