(22 Jun 2014, 6:34 am)Richard Smiles wrote While speculation is always interesting, I prefer to work directly from the Official Stagecoach North East Fleet Allocation Cards, kindly supplied each month.

I am somewhat puzzled, as to why Slatyford would suddenly wish to replace 22479 & 22492, as these two vehicles, as you have rightly pointed out, have already been de-licenced, but they have been so now, for many months.

It would be just about possible, to replace ALL 12 of Slatyford's T4xxBNL non-DDA compliant MANs, but this in part would be down to whether South Shields could reduce the capacity slightly on Service X20 from a MAN operation (ALX 300) to an Enviro 200, using slightly fewer seats. Perhaps the South Shields Members of the Forum MrNutt85 & Half Pint could help us with this, as those two gentlemen, are in a far better position to know than I.

Sunderland are currently in the process of receiving 23 Scania GAS buses, replacing 23 MANs, but there is a requirement of 27 vehicles, so at least four of the DDA compliant MANs will have to be retained at Sunderland. Lets say for argument sake 22079 - 22082. This would then release 8 DDA compliant MANs (22021, 22072-22078) from Sunderland to Slatyford, to replace 8 out of their 12 non-DDA compliant vehicles, so you now need to find a further four.

South Shields have an Allocation of 5 MANs, of which only two appear to be formally allocated for use on Service X20.

I would therefore surmise that the additional 3 MANs allocated to South Shields, act as back up vehicles, probably for Service X34. So, if service X20 were to be operated by E200s, say the two New vehicles 37143 & 37144, potentially 4 MANs could be transferred to Slatyford to replace the remaining four non-DDA compliant vehicles, with the remaining MAN, acting as the X34 back up vehicle.

This is pure speculation on my part of course & so as previously mentioned, would rather wait for the Official Fleet Cards & the feedback to my comments from our South Shields Members.

There will still be several non-DDA compliant MANs to be replaced at Stockton Depot, even after delivery of our 25 New E300s later this year. So perhaps for next year, South Shields could get a batch of the New Enviro E400 MMC Double Deckers to Upgrade the E services, allowing the 27723 - 27740 batch of E300s to be cascaded to Stockton to oust the remaining non-DDA compliant MANs, and thus keeping ALL of the same type, at the one Depot.

Or better still, for Stockton to receive a batch of New Enviro 400 MMC vehicles. Just spotted a Flying Pig!!!!.