Think so but didn't GNE take their Black Cats, Pronto brands and made a right mess of them.
Not sure, im looking on thier wiki page (not the best as random people can change it) but i cant find when they started to brand their buses.
Here's thier route list from thier site...
https://www.trentbarton.co.uk/bus-inform...route-list
RE: Go North East
Ooo Friend, Bus Friend.