(19 Jul 2020, 3:38 pm)Storx wrote But is the X1 losing customers? It's not so why buy the new buses for them - 8 years isn't long at all. The 26/27 which they're getting dumped on haven't had new buses since god knows when - I really don't know. Anyone answer this? Why not give the X1 buses a decent mid-life refurb (so they're as new) and instead give the 26/27 some love instead for a change. Now all your doing is giving the X1 new buses which it doesn't really need (people would appreciate the mid life refurb as much) and the 26/27 are getting the, oh look the X1 has new buses AGAIN and we're getting the old buses dumped on us. It's the same with the 6 and 25. They're almost ignored lately and it's a creating a bad core and non-core services with GNE and the non-core services are a mess. This isn't just GNE; Arriva used to be bad for it aswell but not as much lately they've seemed to moved to a buy new buses and keep them on there until their dead approach which I prefer. You don't hear anyone complaining about the 'old' 59 plates at Blyth as they were there from new.

Have a flagship route in timetables and ticketing but it doesn't mean they need new buses all the time.

(19 Jul 2020, 4:05 pm)Storx wrote Which still doesn't answer the point why the X1 needs new buses...

The point is and still is about 'upgrades'. You can only upgrade something that is bad or worse. Have a uniform fleet you can't upgrade it and if you do upgrade something do every bus and create a brand that's good throughout - not just your special few routes with the rest of the network falling apart. There's an obsession with new buses on here especially with certain companies but if you do a decent refurbishment then it's just the same to a normal passenger. Stagecoach don't have this problem as an 09 Enviro is the same as an 15 Enviro so you don't have the problem with one bus route has better buses than the other they all have good buses or bad buses (depending on whether you like Stagecoach's interior).

I disagree with your opinion.

Investment is clearly being focused around the company's new "X-lines" network, which obviously spirals predominantly out of Newcastle City Centre (so is required for the proposed Clean Air Zone, anyway). The investment into these routes means the buses currently allocated (of varying ages) cascade to replace much older buses, and there'll be a noticeable change on these services as it'll mean things like free Wi-Fi, power sockets and audio-visual announcements are introduced to some routes for the very first time.

Members of this forum have indicated in the past that they do not believe vehicle allocation is enough to convince customers to use the bus, but bus operators up and down the country have reported examples of patronage growth as a result of investment into new vehicles. I'm sure everyone will have a different opinion on this one and it could be argued that the investment into new vehicles has given marketing departments an opportunity to promote the service(s) more often which is the true reason for the growth, but the point here is that operators have reported this to be the case and as enthusiasts we probably have to believe that. With that in mind, a mere 1% of growth on a flagship route like the 21 is vastly different to 1% of growth on a much lesser route like the 25.

Go North East has to submit a business case for the purchase of new vehicles to its parent company, Go-Ahead Group, with fuel savings and potential patronage growth being two figures which will be included within this plan. I suspect it will be the same for other companies in a group PLC too. With the above point in mind, at Group level it makes much more sense to invest into a flagship route like the 21 if growth can come as a result of the investment. This is your main reason for key services being upgraded with brand new buses more often than lesser routes.

I would imagine customers on "Crusader" services 26/27 would welcome a permanent allocation of double-decks with open arms, given the unreliability of the Tyne & Wear Metro system, which often results in single-decks on services 26/27 being overcrowded or even full, leaving 'normal' bus passengers behind at bus stops. I don't believe for one minute they will envy customers on the X1 service and wish they had the buses from that route instead (let's face it, 95%+ of them won't use the X1 so won't know any different!)

I also disagree with your point about a good refurbishment comparing to the investment into a brand new bus. Are you suggesting that Go North East should have refurbished the old B7/Geminis on the X9/X10 services every five years instead of buying new buses? I'm sure passengers appreciate a bus looking pretty inside, when parked up at the side of the road...