(24 Jun 2025, 8:55 am)Kuyoyo wrote At least 1 of the Stockton E400s is due to go to Hartlepool mainly for use on the 1 due to high loadings on certain afternoon trips out of Middlesbrough (and some morning ones into Middlesbrough) and additionally to be available if Stockton's Yutong decker is unavailable for any reason to work the school contract to Sedgefield (although there are now rumours that an additional two Yutong U11DDs have been ordered for Stockton).They are rumours from drivers that some of the Stockton fleet is actually going to be coming to Hartlepool with work happening on the pits although at this point I don’t actually know what to believe anymore as things are constantly being said then getting changed. If the buses are surplus though then ideally you send them to Hartlepool with like you say some also going to South Shields with the rest used as floating vehicles between all the north east depots ( if euro 6). That would make the most sense.
36970 has replaced 34605, leaving just 35234 and 35236 in use at Hartlepool - with the 16 ending on Saturday, you would assume 36968 would follow that across (36969 is presently VOR). 37315 is one to query as to where that ends up.
Let's not also forget that while we know 27160-27174 are off to the Cumbria and North Lancashire fleet (8 for Morecambe, 7 for Carlisle), that still leaves 27175-27181, 27238-27251, 27615, 27805/9/12 and 27913/4 unaccounted for as yet - although I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of those didn't end up at South Shields (as Dart replacements and maybe to release some more newer E200s to Hartlepool to allow the worst of the 36081-36094 batch to be withdrawn) and Sunderland (as gas bus replacements, and maybe the same as mentioned as South Shields).
Except said power failure did not affect Stockton - and it would be the same situation if Stockton was as now with the diesel fleet, given the fuel pumps would also be off in a power cut (hence the issue one day the other week - someone blew a fuse within the depot and as a result, there was 16 buses that didn't get refuelled that evening).
To be honest I don’t think Stagecoach really know themselves what’s actually happening especially when one of the man 18.220 was tested on Thursday for just two days extra in service so that can actually see further use for a bit longer.