(28 Jul 2024, 9:21 am)L469 YVK wrote 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!
I get what your saying but personally I'd look at the vehicles instead. If they didn't repaint more buses in pointless Super Shuttle liveries. I'd personally move all the Enviro 200 MMC's to Consett and then have a mixed allocation for the 6/X30/X31/X32/X45/X70/X71/X73
There's more than enough buses to do it ie.
Main Allocation:
14 Enviro 400 MMC
8 Enviro 200 MMC
Spares
2 Older Enviro 400 MMC
2 Enviro 200 MMC
I'm sure there's easily 8 boards which could be singles ie. most of the 5 boards on the 6 for starters.
The bridge is now no longer an issue.