(25 Feb 2022, 6:41 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Thanks - misread that initial post around incentivising rather than stipulating Euro 5.  I guess most of Stagecoach deckers will have been converted to Euro 6 by now in readiness for Newcastle CAZ anyway.  Are there any other domains of quality taken into account (like track record of turning up!...  or next stops etc) or just emissions standard?

Just emissions standard (Euro 5 or greater) for the 10% quality, but new this year is a stipulation for all buses to have contactless ETMs which in itself is historically a quality factor, but has become stipulated. In my experience a growing number of students use Apple Pay too, so it's a huge improvement that this is now stipulated, but it does mean independents need to invest (Gateshead Central only have a small number of contactless machines, Stanley Travel have around 10 from memory, and the other independents have none).

I'm a huge advocate of next stop announcements being provided, but the cost would far outweigh the benefit for the students that would rely on such a system.