(20 Feb 2020, 5:54 am)GNE6312 wrote In regards to the mention of coaches Ashington used to run some primas on the expresses and they were fine even with their age (V reg) however due to DDA regulations being put into place they had to be stood down and moved over to the training. fleet primas also Done the 685 before being moved to Ashington but even though they had years left in them arriva had to consider the costumers & laws and replace them with the max upgrade but I do think coaches should be brought back.
Those coaches really didn't have all that long left at all. The state of them underneath was shocking.
Equally, coaches can't handle the loads on the X18 up the coast during the summer. You'd need to look at Interdecks or Panoramas for the capacity needed on the routes in the summer, and they're just not viable at all. Deckers also help with fleet standardisation - E400MMC integrals are more than sufficient - and enable flexibility in allocations.
(20 Feb 2020, 6:17 am)scanialover wrote It's difficult to envisage coaches ever making a return to service work given the DDA regulations and then the impact this could have on timings; it takes time now with conventional low floor vehicles.
The issue of new fleet is a concern as well. Obviously it's speculation and ideas but it all appears to evolve around the Northumbria area. Granted the routes discussed could well be sone of the profitable ones but my concern, being based on Teeside and a regular user of the X93, is that we end up with the cast offs should new fleet be acquired. We've had the experience before and it never worked.
There's currently likely more concern with the Northumbria area fleet due to the Newcastle LEZ.
Equally, south of the Tyne majority of the fleet still isn't at end of life - bar the B7TLs and a couple of others. You'd imagine they'll replace the Omnis over the next couple of years, then start with bulks of buses again when the 09 plate Pulsars start coming to end of life.
The only exception is the X93, which could probably do with a batch of vehicles soon - however as pointed out it is probably something they'll struggle to justify when the B9s are only 5.5 years old and the route is very seasonal.