(28 Sep 2020, 10:39 am)Storx wrote I might be a bore but I'd rather see investment on routes which are busy all year round rather than one 3 month a year, especially when the buses on there are fine as they are and none of the below need old Enviros bar maybe the X46.

X26/X27 - 15 year old Omnicities
X66 / X67 - 15 year old Omnicities - Both X26/X27 & X66/X67 would be a good shout for new single deck vehicles
X46 - Ex London ALX400 - Upgrading the X93 and at a stretch the X18, would allow a cascade of double decks
306 - Whatever Jesmond fancy on the day - Got other thoughts on that, see below
1/2/57/57A/58 - 14/15 year old MPD's - Good shout for new mini / midibuses
685 - 13 year old Omnicities - Is it a profitable enough route long term?

The 306 is an interesting one. I can see a potential upgrade coming but I do reckon going forward that Arriva will streamline both the 306 & 308 including interworking and reducing frequency to streamline both services for reasons previously discussed. Don't want to go into too much discussion here as this is more about orders but could continue in service suggestions.

On another note, perhaps if Arriva upgrade the X18 & X93 they should take the opportunity to relaunch 'MAX' as a premium express service, similar to GoNE's XLines. Bike racks would be a very welcome addition on both sets of routes.