(09 Feb 2026, 10:43 pm)Storx wrote imo the problem, is they're not fit for purpose and can't do a full days service because they don't have the capacity when the weather isn't nice.

It's affecting everywhere, including Stockton. Stockton just isn't as noticeable because they're not route branded and they're just going back into the depot for what I assume a little top up, before coming back out later to do the late boards.

Because Stockton, like Sunderland and many other Stagecoach operations with electric vehicles, have running boards designed around the battery life. Apart from a few exceptions, the majority of Stockton's late evening runs are on boards which drop back to the depot around 5pm (some exceptions do apply - one board on a Saturday goes back to the depot at quarter past 1, goes on charge then goes back out about quarter past 6 to do East Cleveland lates). Heck, go have a look at Chesterfield's blocking on Bus Times - and see how many times early afternoon X17 boards swap onto the slower Sheffield-Chesterfield routes (43 44 or 50) while buses on those boards (either 43 or 44) go onto X17s (last summer, there was a period mid-afternoon in Sheffield where an X17 arrived in from Chesterfield and worked onto a 50, with the arrival off the 50A going onto the now-withdrawn 42 to Lowedges and the 43 which arrived in from Chesterfield heading back that way as an X17).