(22 Mar 2023, 8:55 am)Kuyoyo wrote Understand 3 E200s will move from Hartlepool to Stockton to operate the 1/2.


It's a tendered service funded by the Tees Valley CA and tendered on their behalf by Redcar and Cleveland Council, as an eventual replacement for Flex within the East Cleveland area. It's not planned to be part of the Stagecoach network, but certainly part of the overall Tees Valley Bus network.


How many times - Walkergate need those E200s for the 317, it just happens that to give enough spare cover you need more than the PVR (7 for 5) and at the end of the day, most customers would rather any size bus turns up rather than no bus turning up because the only spare isn't suitable (or the wrong brand - see the many complains in the past with Trent Barton and then Transdev, mainly during the tenue of a certain seemingly disgraced MD of both companies.....). Likewise, Slatyford need the E200s for the 32/32A/35 - and a quick look on Bus Times confirms the active examples are all on 32/32A or 35 (although the one on 35s is the one on-loan from South Shields).
You only have to look at Carlisle's recent use of an E200 on the 685 and their attitude to that - their 37034-7 are Euro6 so if they end up with issues with their E400MMCs or their 3 Euro6 E300s (given they do now seem hesitant to send any of their Euro6 MAN E300s on long 685s anymore after 22879 broke down at Corbridge), they are the only vehicles that can be used without a £50 fine. End of the day, a bus is a bus and the majority of passengers would rather a bus turn up than no bus at all.

So the only Carlisle vehicles we should see in Newcastle now are 11157/58, 27141/42 and 27226 ? Unless they are desperate and have to send a 37xxx.

Indeed 27141 appeared today. Shame the classic Enviro 400s don't appear anymore, they seemed to give a good account of themselves whenever I travelled on them over here.