(25 Feb 2021, 10:21 am)mb134 wrote Sapphire wise, again I don't see why the Jesmond 43/44/45 were converted really. I can't actually remember when the brand went from feeling reasonably premium, with the launch of the 7 and then X21/22, to very diluted as it happened so quickly. 2014-6 Arriva must have found a good deal with a paint supplier.

(25 Feb 2021, 9:10 pm)IRHardy wrote The only reason that Jesmond's 43/44/45 were converted to become Sapphire routes was that Arriva needed to put the Sapphire ex X21 & X22 E400s (that had been replaced by the new E400MMCs) somewhere.

By making the 43/44/45 Sapphire routes all Arriva needed to do was peel off the X21 & X22 branding and the buses would be ready for use, if the buses needed to de-Sapphiring, that would have taken time and cost money, which Arriva did not think was worth doing.

The 43/44/45 upgrade also coincided with complaints from the residents of Gosforth about the poor environmental standard of the Great North Road ALX400's which previously operated on those routes. The arrival of the MMCs and the displacement of the older X21/22 E400's (some of which were a bit worse for wear after use on the X93 in the past) aligned perfectly with the requested removal of those elderly ex-london ALX400's and sticking them on a double-deck route that wouldn't be too taxing, rather than it being a genuine desire to upgrade them to 'Sapphire.' If they hadn't been Sapphire already, I doubt they would have been upgraded for those routes specifically, but the fact that they were would have been a bonus for passengers and possibly helped to improve patronage/public perception considering the previous option were W/X/Y-reg standard spec vehicles.