(18 Apr 2021, 2:03 pm)L469 YVK wrote The same ones that were done on the 308, 501, 505, 518 and ironically the X93 that by the time they ended up on the X21 / X22, most (particularly 7501-06) were not suitable.
Yep. Really, looking at the ANE fleet the only suitable deckers (bar 7424-6) would probably be Ashington's 14-plates (7524-8). The 64/15 plate E400s there aren't as solid as the 14-plates in terms of reliability as far as I'm aware. However, even then, you'd be taking stuff away from a depot which also has a seasonal PVR increase.
Remember that, bar being slow up a hill, all 3 B7TLs were out and performing yesterday. The reason why the single decks were allocated was because 3x B9TLs are off for repaint/engineering (and sickness, as was mentioned yesterday?) ahead of the actual summer. While B7TLs may be a bit lacklustre in terms of performance, they are generally pretty bulletproof. Investment in the ANE fleet is most definitely required, but those B7TLs are having engineering attention so shouldn't be an issue - remember also that Transdev, who can do no wrong in the eyes of many, are using 05-plate B7TLs on the "Pendle Wizz".