(04 Jan 2014, 12:46 pm)Dan wrote Didn't I mention the Crusader yesterday?
The Prince Bishops is very much like the Crusader in this instance, I feel. The service was upgraded from Cadets to B10BLEs to Citaros to (now possibly) double-decked vehicles. Immediately, the service has not justified investment. Despite this, it has always proven to be too good for the cascades it has received.
While there is a great deal of potential with the Prince Bishops, it does seem that there's something preventing investment. A re-brand has been chosen over cascades and investment once, and now it's rumoured cascades have been chosen over investment.
The Laser, on the other hand, is rumoured to be in line to receive double decked vehicles.
While I admit that competition will undoubtedly play a MINOR part in the decision making, it will not be the ultimate decider - the profit levels will. Because a service has little competition does not mean it is any less likely to receive investment though. I also admit that the cascades which will be allowed as a result of investment plays a part, but I do feel that this backs up my point more than the point of others - the Solars are expected to take a "back seat role" from this year, slowly displacing B10BLEs, Cadets and SPDs to withdrawn. Therefore, why would GNE resist a further 12 Solars coming out of front line service? Of course this can still happen if Citaros were to cascade to this service, but then you're 12 Citaros down... There could be other services which justify Citaros by that point.
From what little experience I've had on both services, passenger numbers are good on both - this, rather unfortunately, has been at peak times on both services, but has been travelling from Sunderland to Durham in most cases. I've always used it between Houghton and Sunderland because I want a quicker journey time, and for others this may be the case too - but who is to say that all of these passengers don't get off before Sunderland?
I monitored the passenger numbers a while ago for the Prince Bishops at Sunderland over the course of 30-40 minutes, and wasn't impressed. I have been told that the Laser appears to be more consistent than the Prince Bishops, and my observations would back this up (more so when you consider it's 3 OAPs to 1 normal full fare paying passenger). Tom's observations also back this up. CatsFast101's observations also back this up.
If the Prince Bishops is unable to receive investment this year, it will come in the near future. It is a good service, but there's something (which none of us know, apart from GNE management) preventing the service from receiving investment presently. I have no doubt that the Prince Bishops brand will be fairly inexpensive (rather like the Crusader) if it seems that the service is likely to undergo investment the next year, or the year after.
Is the upgrade to 35 a speculate to accumulate move then?
If you analyse the upgrades to the 27, you can see similarities between the two.
Apart from the comments from myself, Tom, aureloin and catsfast which have all confirmed regular full loads - the problems the Scanias have had, in my mind would have justified replacements.
If the poor loads are common, then the service cannot justify a 10min frequency.
The only negative to the 20's I see to the 35's are the loads it picks up between Park Lane and Board Inn.
The 20 is more or less an express at times and rarely picks up/drops off along Durham Road.
The 35s appear to be much more of a local service due to the deviations it takes.