(24 Aug 2022, 4:05 pm)col87 wrote Hartlepool especially needs investment. It’s fine bringing 4 darts up from Yorkshire but if one has been immediately scrapped another one has not been used due to problems and only 2 have actually been used in regular service while 4 buses have been withdrawn then it really don’t help much. The fact is since Stagecoach took over Hartlepool Transport it’s gone from a fully functional depot doing everything to the bare bones with services completely cut down. Hartlepool needs a depot or else it’s just going to lead to more service cuts in which case they might just be better off selling to Go North east or Arriva. They is a very simple solution though.
Move all remaining Darts to Hartlepool with some E200 going elsewhere as replacements.
Some of the Alx300 move to Hartlepool from Newcastle/ Stockton to see off most of the remaining Manviros.
Service 1 and 36 to be joint operated between Hartlepool and Stockton freeing up buses and drivers from Stockton depot. It means Hartlepool get some slightly better buses Stockton get some free drivers for other routes so win win.
4 MANs withdrawn, 2 Darts plus 2 E200 (36092/93) arrived = no worse off???
What benefit is there to losing E200s which are some of Hartlepool's newest vehicles to other depots, to gain older Darts?
(24 Aug 2022, 5:45 pm)Storx wrote I don't want to be a doom and gloomer here but remember Stagecoach South Shields / Sunderland and Stagecoach Teesside / Hartlepool haven't had any cuts in relationship to the end of the Covid bailouts yet.
There will be cuts at both, the 18 and 30 were definitely on the chopping block at Sunderland / South Shields before the extension came in last minute. Hartlepool has always been a weak depot so wouldn't be surprised to see a few cuts there aswell. Isn't there a few hourly services which only operate 9am - 5pm, never the sort of services that will be money makers.
Once they eventually come in, I wouldn't be surprised to see there's enough to get rid of the MAN's.
I've said previosuly but wouldn't necessarily expect mega cuts at Sunderland as they basically implemented the frequency reductions that were already planned - plus their main services generally appear to be doing pretty well in terms of loadings. The 18 presumably will be secured if/when they finally pull the plug, but it's only 2 vehicles anyway (of which one is needed for scholars at either end of the day) so not a great release of vehicles there. In Sunderland, the 8 would be the other potential for a frequency cut maybe?