(13 Jul 2020, 8:17 am)mb134 wrote Christ some of this is cringe worthy to read. 

Arriva are, by no means, outstanding at fleet presentation, however to say that their best vehicles are equivalent to GNEs worst is laughable. The first bus I got this morning through to town - 17 plate MMC, far better in internal and external condition than any of GNEs native stuff pre circa 2013 (and of a similar standard to the more recent stuff). 

I like how you also leave out GNEs second hand vehicles. I was on 6941 the other week and it was an absolute embarrassment. On the other hand, I had ANEs 7484 on my way home the other night - 18 years old, interior is still fresh and it's smartly presented externally as well. 

Then the point about the branding of old vehicles - does your memory not stretch back to the Pronto X21? The X46 B7s have been refurbed with WiFi, Civic V3 e-leather seating and (I believe) USB charging on at least some of them. 

By all means, criticise Arriva for repainting buses every time there's a new ice age, or inconsistent route branding. However the constant rhetoric by some on here that Arriva are essentially sending out some sheds on wheels is rather tiresome (as is the idea that GNE churn out the bus equivalent of a Rolls Royce on every trip).

Don't i might actually be sick... that branding was horrendous, who ever thought that up, was on something!


The fact that 6941 should only be used on scholars but its out on normal routes, is annoying though, that shouldn't happen now because all the Presidents/Vykings are being withdrawn due to scholar contract losses.... can we celebrate?


Not one of the big 3 have a proper stable livery, everyone of them has at least 2 versions.... how many times has the GNE/Arriva liveries changed over the last 10 years though?


I'm not going to comment on how i feel about Arriva because it would be unfair because i never use them (think i last used Arriva in the 90's haha) and don't really know the company/routes etc to actually make a statement on them. Its fully Stagecoach around my way (with GNE about a 10-15 minute walk away), and they do a pretty good job on my route although... the occasional dart is being allocated to the route (23 - Dene Estate to Thorney Close), but we went from fully NEW E200's to a mixture of those horrendous MANviro's and ADL versions because Newcastle took some of them for contracted services!

Talking of buses, some the Gas buses are starting to sound horrendous and they're only 7 and 6 years old, which isn't good, because what are they gonna sound like by the time they get to 10 years old?

Stagecoach also have the problem, when it comes to withdrawing them, who will buy them?, there's not many bus companies in the UK which use gas buses. I do hope in the next order Stagecoach Sunderland get new buses but that's unlikely, as Newcastle has the CAZ zone coming up.