(01 Jun 2025, 4:50 pm)col87 wrote Actually Hartlepool does need better full sizes along with some smaller buses. The 1 6/7 can all get full at various times of the day, i know this because I regularly see it happening and use them services. Some smaller could be handy for some but not all areas of the town. You could actually use the same excuse to downgrade Stockton considering it’s mostly town services why do they need full size buses ?
Why rebuild the depot you ask because if you did and made the pits your making it better for the future, full size buses could actually be used not just on town services but a few more out of town services as well. The bus users in Hartlepool are sick of getting knackered midi buses and want to see better services.
Out of town services do not exist though, and they won't.
The whole point of a bus is to get full at various points of the day, I bet the 1, 6 and 7 run empty at times too. And again, all this money for what buses that can carry a few extra people? You're missing the point, the investment will come in the years to come. For now, they decided to focus on Stockton and Sunderland and in the future Slatyford. A refit of the depot will come in the form of electric buses and the chargers.
Stockton has midi buses, the new E12s have less seats than the E300s, but as long as the bus turns up it's already done its job.
95% of passengers just want a bus that turns up, people are not having conversations on the bus because a 2009 E200 turned up rather than at 2015 E200...