(16 Apr 2014, 6:30 pm)peter wrote Abbots currently have 6 buses: A Plaxton Beaver, 3 Optare Solos and 2 Optare Solo SRs. Abbots of Leeming operate 3 bus services, the 1 from Northallerton-Brompton running Wednesday and Saturday only (PVR: 1-Optare Solo) and then of course the 80 and the 89 from Northallerton to Stokesley (PVR: 2-Optare Solo SRs). Therefore Abbots have the same number of spare vehicles as required vehicles (though I presume the 'spares' can be found on scholars when not in use rather than sitting in the depot rotting)! As a result of the NYCC subsidy reductions, Service 1 is withdrawn from the 10th May this year (which will presumably allow Abbots to sell the Plaxton Beaver and possibly the older Optare Solo) and from the 22nd of April the 80 and 89 will see a revised timetable with only a two hourly service (this will decrease the PVR of the services to just 1 between them). As a result, in six days time, Abbots will have a spare Optare Solo SR and subsequently have decided to set up the new services X80 and X89 which will give the Solo SR something to operate on (rather than it just being used on scholars) and may also make the company some money/make up for the profit that will be lost from the withdrawn journeys on the 80 and 89 as there is no direct bus service between Middlesbrough and Northallerton - at the moment your main (only?) public transport option would be the train.

Wonder if they have deliberately shied away from it extending to Leeming itself.

Haven't checked the timetables out, but hopefully it ties in with the North/South train arrivals/departures from Northallerton - as it probably couldn't compete with the eastbound Middlesbrough trains for speed.