(28 Jul 2024, 8:30 am)Storx wrote The X30's and X70's don't need a full decker allocation and they'd be wasted on there.
There's plenty boards like this one: https://bustimes.org/vehicles/gnel-5496?date=2024-07-25, which miss both peaks in both directions.
The buses aren't busy outside the peaks whenever I see them.
A Enviro 400 MMC/Enviro 200 MMC allocation on the Consett expresses is superior to the awful B5's, mind they are wasted on the X20.
The problem with the X30/X70 services is that there's far too much dependency on low height double deck vehicles. Taking individual opinions out of which vehicles should be allocated etc and based on the E400MMCs staying at Consett, there'd be a hell of a lot more flexibility with only 4x vehicles needing to be low height.
If the X31 was dropped and X32 increased to 2x PH and swapped in Lobley Hill so that the X70 served the Lobley Hill Estate instead, could go.....
X30 > X71 > X71 > X30 (PVR 4 - low height)
X70 > X32 > X32 > X70 (PVR 4)
X45 > X32 > X73 > X45 (PVR 4.5)
X45 > X73 > X32 > X45 (PVR 4.5)
Not forgetting ditching the need for most of the remote reliefs in Stanley too which was a big driver in previous service changes!