(28 Jul 2014, 9:55 am)Dan wrote Simply put, I think it'll be down to the cost.
Go North East's Volvo B9TLs cost near enough £200k each, to the Arriva equivalent of Sapphire specification. ADL E400s on the other hand, will cost £10k-£20k or so less.
I don't think it's a coincidence that GNE purchased so many (34) last year, given that the vehicle would no longer be manufactured, after those orders.
But what about the long term costs though? With the exception of the 6 on the TTX and 6049 that got a warranty job done by Volvo, the rest have been fine.