(09 Nov 2014, 9:20 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote Reckon there is more chance of the Mercs getting a Repaint/Rebrand for the Crusader than there is of getting New Vehicles, take a look at the Blaydon Racers and Silver Arrows Mercs as an Example.
As for the X66/Toonlink i'd go with Versas to maintain Depot Standardisation as Dan likes to call it.
At Riverside, Go North East could invest in any of the 'mainstream' single deckers on the present market as they have Mercs, Versas and Streetlites there. If the Micro-Hybrid Streetlite delivers savings, might this be a good idea for GNE to look into?
Do also remember that, unlike Stagecoach, Go North East tends to invest into double deckers where it can be justified. There are a large number of journeys on the Red Arrows which perhaps don't justify the use of double deckers; however, there are quite a few that do. That is justification in the eyes of the company, providing the route in question yields enough profit to cover the extra costs.