(12 Nov 2023, 2:34 pm)mb134 wrote I think it possibly makes more sense to keep them all at Redcar than doing constant swaps with Durham, who realistically aren't the right depot to be sending buses to which might need engineering attention. As well, the "summer season" now seems to stretch to the start of November, so you'd not be sending the deckers back to Durham until well after college has started back up again.
Retaining 7401-6 would allow you to take some of the MMCs off the X93 over the winter for maintenance as required, and as Jimmi pointed out they can be used on the 62 now. It would give Redcar 13 deckers over the summer to play with, which is an additional 2 compared to this year, and the added bonus of 3 of them not being 7424-6.
If you were to swap them, I'd say Darlington might be more realistic? Once the summer season is over, you could send some there (including 7401-6) for use on the X66/7 in the run up to Christmas, with the added bonus of being able to plan easy swaps between depots if needed.
Aye see my thinking was more about actually getting them. I'm not sure the X93/X94 alone would have the power to get new buses. They basically had to beg to get the B9's for it and that was during a time we were seeing massive investment for the area.
If you bolted it to another route then it might stack up a bit more. The X66/X67 is a good shout mind to be fair, can't disagree with that. Having brand new buses on the 62 is a complete waste and would never stack up imo. I wouldn't be surprised if the X93 absolutely tanks money in the winter tbh.
Wonder if there ever might be scope to up the frequency but drop it down to singles instead, if you're trying to grow the route, there's clearly demand there if it's filling double deckers on an hourly freqency - how much better could it do at a 30 minute frequency. Might be able to attract more people to the area, even if it does come to a cost of scrapping the 5A and extending the 28 back to Lingdale which would mean Guisborough has 2 express services to Middlesbrough going again the flow at peak times to help it in the opposite direction.
Btw for the electrics, it seems most the similar bids on the ZEBRA that was announced at the same time, are turning up in Spring / Summer' 24 so I just assumed it would be roughly around then aswell. I know First and Transdev both in Leeds are getting there's at the time and Arriva Yorkshire have a bid under the same fund so I'd assume ours would come at the same time - save money ordering 60+ buses together rather than 2 smaller batches.