Were Derwent the ones based next to the traffic lights at Swalwell?

They used to take us on many a school trip too.

Can anyone remember the temporary bus station in the car park of the disused factory on the river at Dunston by the Tudor Rose - during the Gateshead Garden Festival?
Buses would arrive and depart the site with clockwork regularity dropping off and picking up kids on school trips.
Go-ahead Northern must have picked up a contract, because on our frequent trips there, we had a range of buses take us.
The VRs and the 'Best Buy' branded Metrobus were my favourites.

Does anyone know why some of the Metrobus's had a single seat behind the staircase upstairs, rather than the normal double seat?