1511 has now got a promotional livery for Teesside airport (seen on a group on Facebook)

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(30 Oct 2019, 3:31 pm)Ryland wrote </p><p>Query about redcar allocations

For the past 3 days 63 branded pulsars have been allocated onto the 62 ? Seems to be at least 2 on there each day</p><p><br></p><p>Any reason why&nbsp;</p><p>

</p><p><br></p><p>Haven't long seen an X3/X4 branded Streetlite on the 63, so there's obviously something up somewhere.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p>

Some of the X3/4 Streetlites have to be kept on the flat so that's not uncommon, but I have noticed more 63 branded Pulsars on the 62 and 64 lately. Maybe the allocator hasnt a clue?

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(27 Oct 2019, 5:43 pm)Storx wrote The Jesmond depot has been for sale for years - https://www.sw.co.uk/news-insights/wheel...n-jesmond/. I thought there were plans for a new 'super' depot to merge both Blyth and Jesmond together, rumoured to be in the Sandy Lane area?

Also, Stagecoach would be a better fit than GNE at Ashington since GNE have barely any experience in rural bus routes bar the Hexham local buses whereas Stagecoach have loads - just saying. No way GNE would be allowed Jesmond and Ashington neither, they'd have dominance in the whole of North Tyneside and the coast bar the 308.

</p><p><br></p><p>You're forgetting GNE's extensive network around Consett, Stanley and Chester le Street.&nbsp;</p>

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(30 Oct 2019, 9:03 pm)BusLoverMum wrote </p><p>
</p><p><br></p><p>You're forgetting GNE's extensive network around Consett, Stanley and Chester le Street.&nbsp;</p><p>

</p><p><br></p><p>They're not particually rural in the sense of the X14 / X15 / X18 where they travel miles between villages along country roads. Stagecoach have much better experience in bus routes of the sort with the bus routes in the lakes and their Highland operations which are operated by low floor coaches etc over long distances. Inverness to Thurso and Inverness to Aberdeen for example, which would be more more suited for the routes. Consett, Stanely and Chester Le Street are more sub-urban bus routes really in comparision.<br></p>

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(30 Oct 2019, 9:42 pm)Storx wrote </p><p>
</p><p><br></p><p>They're not particually rural in the sense of the X14 / X15 / X18 where they travel miles between villages along country roads. Stagecoach have much better experience in bus routes of the sort with the bus routes in the lakes and their Highland operations which are operated by low floor coaches etc over long distances. Inverness to Thurso and Inverness to Aberdeen for example, which would be more more suited for the routes. Consett, Stanely and Chester Le Street are more sub-urban bus routes really in comparision.<br></p><p>

</p><p><br></p><p>There's long stretches of the 8, 78,&nbsp;28s, X70/71 and the 16s that are most definitely rural. There's&nbsp;barely even any phone signal around much of beamish, no place, high handenhold and the peltons.&nbsp;In contrast, the services you mentioned all spend a good chunk of time on the A1 and are probably more comparable to the X21 than the county Durham services I've mentioned.&nbsp;</p>

To be honest, I don't think there's any chance of either Go Ahead or Stagecoach being allowed to buy Arriva (in parts or as a whole).

If they still go ahead with selling it, it'll probably end up being some Asian investment firm that buys it, and IMO that'd probably be for the best.
To me anyway, the main issue with Arriva is lack of investment, if a company with all of the money buys it, they might invest in renewing the fleet, training the drivers properly, or getting a customer service department that know what customers service is!

If any of the other big operators buy them, are they going to spend money on them? I don't think so, I think what would happen is they'd stick their logo over the Arriva logo and that'd be the end of that

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(30 Oct 2019, 10:49 pm)BusLoverMum wrote </p><p>
</p><p><br></p><p>There's long stretches of the 8, 78,&nbsp;28s, X70/71 and the 16s that are most definitely rural. There's&nbsp;barely even any phone signal around much of beamish, no place, high handenhold and the peltons.&nbsp;In contrast, the services you mentioned all spend a good chunk of time on the A1 and are probably more comparable to the X21 than the county Durham services I've mentioned.&nbsp;</p><p>

</p><p><br></p><p>They're totally different bus routes and are still very sub urban in comparison to the X14/5/6/8/20 where there's sections of 20+ mins passing nowhere (not express) and journey times of over 3 hours and are totally differently ran hence the streetlites on most of the above which would never work on those.<br></p><p><br></p><p>Other than the X21 and X22 it's what Ashington depot is plus the 35 which is more like the Stanley buses above. Stagecoach definitely have better experience in bus routes like them with the 685 (Carlisle to Newcastle), 10 (Aberdeen - Inverness via Moray towns) and the X98/X99 (Inverness - Thurso) just to the name a few which are run by low floor coaches for sthe 10/X98/X99 which would be more suited imo because of the length of the journeys. The X93 is the same down Middlesbrough.</p><p><br></p><p>I don't expect either of them to go to Stagecoach or GNE anyway tbh and think it will be floated rather than sold in the end anyway.<br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

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(31 Oct 2019, 12:00 am)Storx wrote </p><p>
</p><p><br></p><p>They're totally different bus routes and are still very sub urban in comparison to the X14/5/6/8/20 where there's sections of 20+ mins passing nowhere (not express) and journey times of over 3 hours and are totally differently ran hence the streetlites on most of the above which would never work on those.<br></p><p><br></p><p>Other than the X21 and X22 it's what Ashington depot is plus the 35 which is more like the Stanley buses above. Stagecoach definitely have better experience in bus routes like them with the 685 (Carlisle to Newcastle), 10 (Aberdeen - Inverness via Moray towns) and the X98/X99 (Inverness - Thurso) just to the name a few which are run by low floor coaches for sthe 10/X98/X99 which would be more suited imo because of the length of the journeys. The X93 is the same down Middlesbrough.</p><p><br></p><p>I don't expect either of them to go to Stagecoach or GNE anyway tbh and think it will be floated rather than sold in the end anyway.<br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>

</p><p><br></p><p>If GNE were to acquire it, wouldn't they acquire the people from Arriva who run these routes so would therefore be just as suited as Stagecoach?</p><p><br></p><p>I'm not saying you're wrong, just that it would necessarily make much of a difference.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Plus GNE also has coaching contracts with National Express, so they also have experience with longer routes, even if it's not a 'regular' bus route</p>

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(30 Oct 2019, 8:20 pm)Cock Robin wrote Some of the X3/4 Streetlites have to be kept on the flat so that's not uncommon, but I have noticed more 63 branded Pulsars on the 62 and 64 lately. Maybe the allocator hasnt a clue?

</p><p><br></p><p>Just seems off having them on these routes, is likely to become a perminate feature or just for the week</p>

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(31 Oct 2019, 12:00 am)Storx wrote </p><p>
</p><p><br></p><p>They're totally different bus routes and are still very sub urban in comparison to the X14/5/6/8/20 where there's sections of 20+ mins passing nowhere (not express) and journey times of over 3 hours and are totally differently ran hence the streetlites on most of the above which would never work on those.<br></p><p><br></p><p>Other than the X21 and X22 it's what Ashington depot is plus the 35 which is more like the Stanley buses above. Stagecoach definitely have better experience in bus routes like them with the 685 (Carlisle to Newcastle), 10 (Aberdeen - Inverness via Moray towns) and the X98/X99 (Inverness - Thurso) just to the name a few which are run by low floor coaches for sthe 10/X98/X99 which would be more suited imo because of the length of the journeys. The X93 is the same down Middlesbrough.</p><p><br></p><p>I don't expect either of them to go to Stagecoach or GNE anyway tbh and think it will be floated rather than sold in the end anyway.<br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>

</p><p><br></p><p>IMO, GNE would be perfect for Ashington's Operations. They already have long distance &amp; rural experience with the 10, X9, X10, X70, X71 and some of the Hexham local routes.</p><p><br></p><p>GNE would probably serve the area very well and I could imagine them introducing a hub &amp; spoke model to some degree.</p><p><br></p><p>- X21 (or new number) would become a high frequency hub &amp; spoke route between Ashington &amp; Newcastle with the Hartlands being served. Nedderton would be connected to Bedlington using other services.</p><p><br></p><p>- 35 (or new&nbsp;number) turned into a 'Connections 4' style service with newer buses and maybe an 'a' service with either a combined 10 or 15 min frequency on common sections of route. The 'a' service would serve current X21 route between Newbiggin and Ashington.</p><p><br></p><p>- New hourly&nbsp;express service from Newbiggin to Newcastle combining every 30 minutes from Ashington with X20 (or new service number).</p><p><br></p><p>- New 'Connections 4' style service covering the X22 &amp; 57 areas upto every 15 mins with connections to Ashington, Bedlington and Cramlington.</p>