(11 Jan 2025, 9:16 pm)L469 YVK wrote I agree engineering staffing needs sorting! But having your most capable modern double decks (although they're not perfect) being strangled by inefficient interworking patterns and poor route planning, whilst routes which need them most are struggling, is also poor planning on GNE's behalf.

Literally all GNE need to do to sort out the mess is:

- X32 2bph and omits Lobley Hill Est....improved links from Stanley to Gateshead
- X31 dropped
- X70 via Lobley Hill Est
- X30/X71 interwork (PVR 4) - low height
- X32 (1bph) / X70 interwork (PVR 4)
- X32 (1bph) / X45 / X73 interwork (PVR 9)

That reduces the low height PVR to 4x. Most of the E400MMC (10x in addition to 6352-55) can then move to  Riverside and that would cover a PVR of 12x (X10 & X21) with 2x spare + 6377.

All B5TL's + 6356-63 (inclusive of 2x spare) would cover the X32/X45/X70/X73 with X20 getting ex GAG stock until other B9TLs (ideally some of the Cobalts if 307/309 get soon to be ex Angel StreetDecks) become available from the Angel cascade chain.

I get what you're saying and not saying you're wrong. The problem is the Streetdeck's are absolutely useless and the B5TL's aren't much better. Both these should be on the likes of 51/52/93/94 doing town work. They're absolutely useless as an understatement. The problem is there's been no investment for years now.

If you want to get better buses for the X10, then investment for the 10/10A/10B/12 would be a better solution with something coming which can also do the X10. You could also make an option to throw another 8 in for the X21 aswell and have a shared pool for all the harder work there.

If you took the X21 option, the X21 Streetdecks going onto the 58 (and 21) until the electrics come which when they do turn up all the Streetdeck's going onto the 27/51/52/93/94 where they might actually be able to last the day which they're pretty much designed for.

GoNorthEast can't just keep going on without spending a penny, the fleet is aging badly and it's not like those routes I picked are basketcase routes they're flagship routes. 9 vehicles invested in 4 years is embarrassing and even those needed a boost from the tax payer. Arriva get slagged off about their fleet, and rightly so, but even they've invested more! Stagecoach is beating them this year never mind anything else and we're only 11 days into it.