(22 Jan 2022, 9:03 am)Storx wrote Could mix it up and buy buses for some different routes aswell. The X7-X11 are ignored on here and are more profitable than the X14.Blyth could certainly do with investment if they were doing it over a period of two years but Ashington would be the natural choice first. X93/X94 would depend whether deckers are still required on the X14?
They're due new buses pretty much:
Scania N113 - 1996
Gemini 7601 - 7615 - 2009
New Buses - 2022
There's also the issue that the Pulsars need to leave Blyth so they need new Deckers since there's no space so why not upgrade the X7/X8/X9 for a change and try and grow a route rather than buying buses over and over again for the X21/22, get arid of all the MAX Pulsars (leaving the non MAX 9 for the 1/2) to replace stuff elsewhere. 7601 -> 7608, 7611/7612 could then go to Durham for the X46 and other routes. Remember Durham had one on loan for absolutely no real reason recently which could possibly have been route testing.
Would leave 7616 -> 7625 for the X10/X11 and 7628 -> 7637 for the 308 who still have a couple years left being 61 plates so in theory are due 2024 with 7613/7614/7615 as spares.
Ashington need new buses for the X15/X18 and that's it and I've already said about the X93/X94 which needs nothing. Well and the 57/57A.
- X15/X18 replaced
- X20 newer vehicles
- X14 newer vehicles
- 43/44/45 newer vehicles
- 308 (or 306/308) newer vehicles - note that Voith equipped E400MMCs are better suited to stop/start work like what Stagecoach use them for
- Older ALX400s and B7TLs replaced