(04 Mar 2026, 10:19 am)Brampton Trev wrote Re 685. Are the buses breaking down out on the route thus requiring recovery or send a fitter and inconveniencing passengers, or is it the need to swap buses on return to Newcastle.
A radical suggestion - if Slatyford and Stagecoach NE do not have suitable vehicles for the 685 why not run the route as an outstation of Carlisle? Carlisle provide the buses which get swapped over in Carlisle as and when for maintenance, Slatford provides the drivers?
Whatever goes on the 685 has to be reliable which is why when Carlisle needed to allocate doucble deckers, they quickly redirected 2 new E400MMCs fthe back of an order or 20 for Morecambe as the 55 reg ALX400s (the newest double deckers Carlisle had at the time) used to breakdown too much somewhere enroute. The ALX400s only lasted one school term (Autumn).
Surely Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire have to be receiving some investment in New Buses soon as the large majority of the fleet is around 15 years old, particularly at Carlisle.
I know they have plans for Electric Buses by 2030 and have had previous failed Zebra Bids but I do think for the likes of the 685 they need something that can handle the demands of the route, something like a Volvo B8RLE MCV Evora or Mercedes Citaro Hybrid via a joint bid between both divisions.
In addition I think a batch of 4 buses for the X24 would be ideal as I was on an E12 yesterday and I didn't think they were suitable for the Motorway Section of the route.
Beyond that I can't think of any services that would require heavy duty diesel buses.