(10 Sep 2014, 4:23 pm)Dan wrote It certainly suggests that the company is expecting to sell the vehicles on to another operator, rather than sell them for scrap.

It's not uncommon of other operators to repaint the buses immediately before sale or straight after withdrawal, but Go North East likes to keep its fleet looking smart and presentable (which I'd argue could not be said for Arriva North East, who - for now - still have vehicles in the fleet which haven't been repainted since new). Presentation is key, and regular repaints are critical to ensure a good presentation of the fleet. Single colour livery repaints also make this operation a lot more cost effective, and of course, Go North East will bulk buy red paint to allow for further cost savings.

Those of you who follow my Flickr photostream and read my captions will know I am a huge advocate of the repainting of vehicles to make them look smarter. Indeed, a vehicle which is freshly repainted, almost looks brand new (and it goes without saying that some customers will notice this).

Let's not forget that Go North East wishes to remove the "Northern" name from the fleet. The Dennis Trident vehicles were merely repainted this summer because they're usually surplus to requirements with the absence of scholar services. Further Volvo B10BLEs, DAF SB120s and Volvo B7TLs will receive this treatment over the coming months.