(10 Oct 2022, 9:52 pm)mb134 wrote The main issue with the Solo reliability on the 57 is the length and frequency of the service though. Most of the Darlington minibus routes are reasonably frequent as far as I can remember, and are reasonably close to base should an issue develop. The 57 goes approximately 20 miles away from it's depot, and if there's an issue at the southern end the next run is definitely not running - so you're then leaving folk with a 2 hour gap in the service. 

I don't disagree with Darlington needing theirs replaced, I just question the logic of returning life expired vehicles to a route that they were struggling to operate reliably.

That's fair enough. I do wonder if the 59 plates may be in slightly better nick than 08 plates at Ashington, I seem to recall many saying 2809/12/13 were absolute heaps. The 59 plates do seem to stretch their legs a bit at Darlington on the 7 and such so will remain to be seen how they cope on the 57/57A.

When Darlington gain 2701-14 presumably Ashington will gain 5 Solo's for the 57/57A and Jesmond will gain 3 for the 55, so 6 Solo's should be withdrawn, presumably the remaining Darlo 08 plates 2830/32/33/35/36/41. That would leave 2815/16/18/20/23/38/39/50 of the 08 plates at Durham, with 2824/34 presumably due for withdrawal when no longer needed as repaint floats. Assuming only 8 of the 59 plates go to Northumbria that would leave 2 at Darlington, with 4 of the 11 plates at Whitby for the 95, 4 at Durham and 2 at Darlington. 

Hopefully Durham will either get some new MMC's of its own or at least some secondhand replacements to replace the 8 08 plates and displace the 11 plates back to Darlington, I reckon the 11 plates could last on the likes of the 3 and 19 for another year or two.