(10 Aug 2023, 7:37 pm)wibblejunior wrote To be honest, regardless of what they could do with them (keep the Orbit branding, leave them unbranded, apply new branding, etc), people would still complain on here about it. Most of the public care more about their bus actually turning up on time than what colour the bus is. A bus is a bus is a bus.

(10 Aug 2023, 10:18 pm)mb134 wrote If only he'd painted everything into corporate livery, and vehicles could be freely moved onto a new set of routes without being fully rebranded. Imagine the operational simplicity that could provide.

Exactly. Thank you.
Keep public transport simple to understand and easy to use.

(10 Aug 2023, 10:18 pm)mb134 wrote Indeed they do, and this was brought up by numerous people on here while MG was in the middle of his Best Impressions spending spree. 

If only he'd painted everything into corporate livery, and vehicles could be freely moved onto a new set of routes without being fully rebranded. Imagine the operational simplicity that could provide.

Although, to be fair branding wasn’t started recently, I think it was round about 2006 when the Sunderland area got its first branded routes - Magic Roundabout etc.

(11 Aug 2023, 5:21 am)ne14ne1 wrote Exactly. Thank you.
Keep public transport simple to understand and easy to use.

When branding was introduced it was intended that if it wasn,t successful on one route then the bus could have it removed and new branding applied. Also route branding could also be transfered as happened with the Pink Panthers firstly in Durham then North Tyneside. This however does not work with localised brands. It has only been in recent years where the branding has got a bit to carried away especially in Sunderland and up until the covid pandemic GNE were usually pretty good at keeping branded buses to their specified route.

(11 Aug 2023, 8:49 am)RMF1254 wrote Although, to be fair branding wasn’t started recently, I think it was round about 2006 when the Sunderland area got its first branded routes - Magic Roundabout etc.

Earlier than 2006

(11 Aug 2023, 8:49 am)RMF1254 wrote Although, to be fair branding wasn’t started recently, I think it was round about 2006 when the Sunderland area got its first branded routes - Magic Roundabout etc.

(11 Aug 2023, 11:02 am)V514DFT wrote Earlier than 2006

Route branding became more 'in your face' in 2006 when Peter Huntley replaced Paul Matthews at MD.

Up to that point, there was little bits (like Route 308) and Expressliner.

Is the new logo gonna replace the logos on buses?

(11 Aug 2023, 12:32 pm)citaro5284 wrote Route branding became more 'in your face' in 2006 when Peter Huntley replaced Paul Matthews at MD.

Up to that point, there was little bits (like Route 308) and Expressliner.

Could of sworn the "loop" solars were black from new back in 2004

(11 Aug 2023, 3:56 pm)V514DFT wrote Could of sworn the "loop" solars were black from new back in 2004

5223-5228 I believe were new branded for RYB Loop, 5218-5222 were branded for TwentyOne24hour.


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(11 Aug 2023, 4:23 pm)pbjd wrote 5223-5228 I believe were new branded for RYB Loop, 5218-5222 were branded for TwentyOne24hour.


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Ahhhhh interesting, learned something new today

The East Durham Explorer streetlights have had there cant rails updated to show.... Sunderland/Ryhope/Dalton Park/Murton/Peterlee., And there rear branding of Seaham seaside changed.

(11 Aug 2023, 3:56 pm)V514DFT wrote Could of sworn the "loop" solars were black from new back in 2004

Google 'The Loop Solar GoNorthEast' and the original should come up, I tried to link but this forum is broken and won't allow &'s in links.

It was based on the corporate livery.

Edit: https://www.pmpfilms.com/uploads/4/3/7/8...9_orig.jpg - That should work.

North Tyne Rockets branding on 5444

https://flickr.com/photos/rpbsp/53110772...cJ-2oUTaEn

(12 Aug 2023, 5:22 pm)nova347 wrote North Tyne Rockets branding on 5444

https://flickr.com/photos/rpbsp/53110772...cJ-2oUTaEn

Looks good.  First of the fleet to carry the new logo too?

I really like the NTR better than the EG Orbit imo.

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Not a fan of the 93/94 losing the loop branding the black on the solars was so iconic should have kept with that.

We have the discussion about branding and whether it just stays or go but getting rid of nearly two decades of branding basically ruins the idea of branding and route recognition

There’s an X10 and some corporate on the 21 whilst some angels roam on the 10 and soccer bus

It’s dead man, just paint the lot in corporate, works in London and it’s where franchising will end up anyway

I don't get how hard it is to allocated branded buses on the correct route, and any corporate spares on routes which are missing a bus.

Its not bloody rocket science

(13 Aug 2023, 6:58 am)Unber43 wrote I don't get how hard it is to allocated branded buses on the correct route, and any corporate spares on routes which are missing a bus.

Its not bloody rocket science

It's much harder than you think since buses are lined up in lines. 

If you want to get things on right routes then you have to allocate everything the night before or spend (waste) time moving everything round in the morning to get things in the right order otherwise they'll be trapped between 2 other buses.

(13 Aug 2023, 8:15 am)Storx wrote It's much harder than you think since buses are lined up in lines. 

If you want to get things on right routes then you have to allocate everything the night before or spend (waste) time moving everything round in the morning to get things in the right order otherwise they'll be trapped between 2 other buses.

Or have a plan on where to park buses before and park them in the correct location, or have them in the order for them to leave the depot

(13 Aug 2023, 8:31 am)Unber43 wrote Or have a plan on where to park buses before and park them in the correct location, or have them in the order for them to leave the depot

Easier said than done though when they're all coming in at different times especially at the smaller depots. It's all just operational inconveniences imo for little benefit. It's much better to do what Arriva do and have them as vehicle type and anything goes out on anything pretty much.

Believe Stagecoach is similar but they do it by vehicle type rather than Double / Single / Midi.

Gateshead Central Taxi seem to allocate right down to indiividual boards as 313/323/324 is the 19 allocation every day, unless something goes wrong with one them and 313 is always on the shorts.

(13 Aug 2023, 8:31 am)Unber43 wrote Or have a plan on where to park buses before and park them in the correct location, or have them in the order for them to leave the depot

That's not always possible, and even if you do manage to get it right then it'll inevitably be thrown off by drivers finding defects with vehicles during first use inspections. 

There may also be reasons for engineering to want branded vehicles off route. For example if something is returning after major mechanical work, it's likely to be kept relatively local for at least a couple of days to bed it in - i.e if an X10 MMC has just had major work completed, I'd say it's extremely unlikely to be allocated to the X10 on its first day back in action.

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(13 Aug 2023, 9:01 am)Storx wrote  It's much better to do what Arriva do and have them as vehicle type and anything goes out on anything pretty much.

Believe Stagecoach is similar but they do it by vehicle type rather than Double / Single / Midi.

Arriva also do it by vehicle type, rather than Double / Single / Midi. 

For example all Blyth X10 and X11 boards are down for VDL DB300 Gemini's. 

In reality though, there's no real difference between an E400 and a DB300 to them, which is why they'll be used interchangeably. It's obviously different at Stagecoach where they only have 1 type of decker.

(12 Aug 2023, 8:47 pm)Ambassador wrote There’s an X10 and some corporate on the 21 whilst some angels roam on the 10 and soccer bus

It’s dead man, just paint the lot in corporate, works in London and it’s where franchising will end up anyway

as long as they don't repaint them cooperate then get a different lot in who think branding is great and bring back the fab 56 in orange and the fab 57 in blue with lovely flowers on!

(12 Aug 2023, 8:47 pm)Ambassador wrote There’s an X10 and some corporate on the 21 whilst some angels roam on the 10 and soccer bus

..and the Q3:  https://flic.kr/p/2oVVgtf

(15 Aug 2023, 6:08 pm)ne14ne1 wrote ..and the Q3:  https://flic.kr/p/2oVVgtf

Probably the peak time extra - it usually an E400

(15 Aug 2023, 6:08 pm)ne14ne1 wrote ..and the Q3:  https://flic.kr/p/2oVVgtf

was taking out alot of low hanging trees on the way back to newcastle from what ive read

North Tyne Rockets 1 

Cobalt and Coast 353…
to Coast Rd, Battle Hill, Cobalt and the Coast, possibly, as the 309/310/311/307 service numbers have been removed from alongside the destinations within the C&C livery:

https://x.com/atyldsley/status/1698356124196516137?s=46&t=tPuGEygnn6BhKgNFiA4yAw

I would say go. Paint them all in red. Waiting for 94 today and a loop came round corner. who queue stood up and it was a 52! Then the 94 came in in corporate colours.

Get used to it as the 51/52/93/94 interwork now. Plus given two of the Loops have been repainted (into Sunderland Connect), I wouldn't be suprised if the rest ended up being painted into fleet livery when they find the time.

Ah so the temp change of the 51/52 stopping going into Newcastle and become permanently same with the 97 yet to be publicly said by GNE

I drive all over County Durham and Northumberland for work, and have been quite surprised at how effective a bland corporate livery is in making sure I have absolutely no interest in where these buses go anymore.

I just see numbers, and they don't mean anything, not least since it is not a given that the number 52 you saw in one remote village is the same one you saw a few towns over. The uniformity is even worse given there are now only a few vehicle types in use, the length and frequency much less the traffic type being no determinant to what turns up in in bland red. Not that the paying punter should really have to become a bus nerd to be able to comprehend the utility of the network.

The real tragedy is, given how many of GNEs routes actually travel vast distances while still somehow finding the time to call in at assorted nooks and crannies, it is exactly where route branding would make sense.

London uses route branding too btw, when it is trying to grow new markets and transform travel habits. That was of course the whole damn point of branding the GNE fleet in the first place.