(11 Dec 2024, 11:53 pm)Mark66t wrote Could move the lites to Stockton  then 5  Pulsars from Stockton to Ashington  could easily work  perhaps .

You'd need 13 vehicles up here. Be better to have the older vehicles at Stockton though imo. Think it would be easier to build a case for investment there rather than attempting to get newer buses for the likes of the 1/2/57/57A up here which isn't happening, especially with the upcoming franchising lingering over the area.

Stuff like the 5, 7, 8, 9 and 15 deserve better stuff than 10 year old Streetlite's anyway imo but it's going to be a harder argument with 'newer' buses on.

Mind the rumours lingering around, it seems like the 09 Plates are getting dumped down there anyway for no doubt that reason tbh. The 5/5A, in particular, is ideal for Evora's with the hills etc at the Easington side.

Mind you could make the argument of making Darlington Streetlite free instead though, if you wanted to keep the Streetlite's at Stockton, because the 1, 5, 7 and X66/X67 there are much of the same really and they're all Evora type of routes aswell. Without working it out those combined probably are about enough to wipe out all the 09 Plate Pulsars aswell including Stockton's 5.