(28 Mar 2014, 11:23 am)BJ10VUS wrote The 10 goes down the bottom to the Swing Bridge and then across it. The X66 would have to go up to The Sage and via Gateshead High Street to get to Gateshead using that route, which could add considerable time to the journey in comparison to the current route via the Centrelink (towards Gateshead). The journey towards the Metrocentre would be unaffected if double-deck buses were to be used.
The X66 is meant to use the Centrelink in both directions (and did previously) but the closure of West St (?), Gateshead, meant that the X66 was diverted via Askew Road.
When West St re-opened, a riverbank collapsed on the Centrelink so Go North East had to continue the diversion. A temporary path has now been set up, so the X66 should resume its usual route via Centrelink in both directions again (and indeed a number of drivers are using this route already).
Double decked vehicles are not only unsuitable for this reason, but because steps are harder to climb for the amount of elderly passengers that do use the X66.