(03 Sep 2014, 6:59 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote 8 buses would upgrade the Pronto with suitable vehicles, reliability at Riverside / Hexham and CLS would improve and PM would have 2 spares again.
I would prefer to have the likes of 6001-7 at Crook, rather than brand new. My reasons are as follows;
1. A B9 will be much more suitable for the service - yes I know that one day, our hands will be forced to use something like a B5 but that batch are still reasonably new.
2. They have a few miles under their belt, and any teething problems should be long gone. I am not keen on the idea of plonking brand new buses at an outstation.
3. They will have depreciated somewhat, and that wont impact on the depot costs.
4. 6001-7 are now almost four years old, and due a repaint, therefore would make ideal candidates for Pronto.
6038 could be replaced by one of the old X10 Gemini's, something like 3941, no need to have anything newer as a spare at Crook. We got that originally to run the Spenny-Framwellgate dupe but the College run now forms the 9th bus board and needs to be a Pronto as it does the 1639 X21 off Bishop.
I'm keen to hear any thoughts on this.....the last time I worked at a depot that got brand new buses closed 6 months later and ever since I see the arrival of new buses as a bit of an omen!
Stu