(02 Aug 2020, 9:49 pm)L469 YVK wrote Before 2019, GNE predominantly purchased WrightBus bodied vehicles as well as a few Optares. But recent single & double decker orders have shifted towards ADL (97, X30, originally 'intended' X1 order but now Derwentside & Hexham).

Were the new batch of StreetDecks in the pipeline before MG arrived or after? Also, what was the reasoning behind ordering 3x E400MMCs initially for the X30 rather than low height StreetDecks across the board?

To be honest there's been a general trend of the industry moving away from Wright. Build quality went to pot a number of years ago now, and you quickly saw First and Arriva move away, followed by the likes of Go Ahead, and now even Transdev and Lothian. 

Then if you begin to look into the products - single deck you have an E200 with superior build quality compared to a Streetlite which *still* has build quality issues nearly a decade in. Then the E400 has that 6.7L Cummins engine which has proven itself over and over as a very reliable unit, in comparison to a smaller and less proven Daimler unit in the Streetdeck. 

Bamford Bus is also still a relatively unknown quantity - if a company is spending millions on a batch of buses do they want build quality they can trust with ADL, or not really know what's going to turn up (if it turns up!) with Wright? 

I think it says it all really when you've got Transdev Blazefield going for E400s as their next double deck order over the Wright product.