(03 Mar 2015, 11:19 am)Scott wrote I though the Toon Link services were due for new buses. The Red Kite route does have some hills, but there are alos large sections of higher speed running, which would make the Citaros a better choice. Indeed the 45/46 are both busy routes, but would that not be a case for larger vehicles?
I think it's more a case of upgrading the brand overall - the OmniCities are 56-reg buses, making them 9 years old. I know it's not the first thing you think of, but I have heard passengers complaining on Lime services about having R-reg vehicles, which makes them 16/17 years old!
The Lime is definitely receiving investment, long overdue, although I do agree with Greg in Weardale's point about them handling the route like masters; they do have years left in them and it is a shame about DDA.
So, my point is, with the Red Kites being a fairly busy pair of routes - they require an upgrade. No doubt a lot will complain about them not having Wi-Fi, etc, and personally I think it's great GNE have acknowledged this brand in particular and selected it for this years investment.