(08 Sep 2020, 10:15 am)ne14ne1 wrote I was thinking, I hope the new electrics don't get a green livery. If the Saltwell Park brand is retained then the nature of the brand and the new vehicle's environmental credentials would both make green the obvious choice.
However there seems to be quite a bit of green in town (Newcastle) now with the Xlines X30/31/45/46/47/70/71, Green Arrows 97 & Saltwell Park 53/54 (which obviously the electrics will eventually replace).

On the other hand, there will be very little red in town, with just the back of the new Xlines X1s, and the few 33(A)s. For red being GNE's corporate colour thats not really a lot, and as I say it's only visible in Newcastle on the 33s or the odd spare.

I kind of get that they want to keep the Crusader brand as the name has local connotations, and a branded service may be more easily spotted when Metro passengers have to look out for the 26/27 as a replacement during Metro suspensions/failures etc.
I also kind of get that the 56 will still warrant a brand, and if it is indeed on the lines of Citylink/Cityconnect 56 that makes sense as it raises awareness that people can use it to get into Newcastle or Sunderland, or from one to the other.
I personally would like to see the 57 & 58 debranded however & left as corporate red, as they aren't "flagship" routes. They're simply local routes that aren't really competing with other bus companies or other modes of public transport. (I think the 97 should have went the same way but it's too late now). 

What do you guys think about the new electrics. Do you think the Saltwell Park name will be dropped in favour of the focusing on it's zero emissions? Then again, renaming it to something with Electric in the title, for example, & giving it an electric themed livery may not look great in years to come if they aren't replaced with more fully electric vehicles.
And what happens when they purchase electrics for other routes, e.g. 58 or Quaylinks. Would those routes also have to become part of the electric brand's family, despite the routes not being related. Then further in the future when most buses are electric/hydrogen etc will all routes be shouting I'm electric, rather than it just being the norm? Difficult one. I suppose you just have to concentrate on the here and now and promote the new electrics for the 53/54 as clean green superior public transport machines to get people onboard.

EDIT - Just remembered the 25 & 28 are also corporate red routes in Newcastle. Thats still not alot, especially when you come back from cities like Edinburgh where the buses all look so smart & unified.

Interesting point. While the X lines buses are really smart, I agree with your point, the livery for the Electric Buses won't really stand out. There's all shades of Green in Newcastle. One thing I liked about GNE is that they make the buses colourful. You can see all the different colours and makes the buses seem nicer and brighter than a dull livery like First or Stagecoach.

On the other side of the Tyne, most of the buses look rather similar. as it's either Corporate or Black Cats. I'm not a fan of the Black Cats brand as it looks far too similar to any other GNE bus. The only ones that sort of stand out in Sunderland for me is the Prince Bishops, Drifter and 56 services. Everything else just feels rather 'boring' in shades of red, although obviously, red is the main corporate colour of GNE. I think more colours in Sunderland etc. and less green in Newcastle would be good.