RE: Go North East - State of the Fleet
Took the bus for the first time in months—only the second time since Covid. My little one loves them, so I thought, why not? Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best start. The first journey was cancelled, and the second was running 30 minutes late, so I waited for the third bus instead.
We took the Xlines X5 to Durham and rode 6181, an ex-Lothian decker in Voyager livery. It seems like this bus was never intended for regular service—hence the seatbelts and lack of retrim—but all five of them now seem to be rotating between the Durham routes. Despite that, the driver was helpful, and the engine sounded beastly. However, the NSA (Next Stop Announcements) wasn’t working.
We made it as far as Witton Gilbert before breaking down due to an engine overheating issue. The driver mentioned he had just swapped onto this bus because his previous one had an overheat warning as well.
Luckily, the X20 arrived about five minutes later, so we hopped on board 6311. Externally, it looked better, but inside, the first thing I noticed was an overflowing bin at the top of the stairs. The seats have aged terribly, and the bus rattled the entire way to Durham. The NSA worked this time, and again, the driver was friendly.
After finishing up in Durham, I checked the app and saw that the next X5/X15 was cancelled, so we decided to take the 16 to Stanley instead. We rode 6185, another second-hand bus from Manchester. It looked like it had been refurbished when repainted and was noticeably cleaner than the previous two buses. It didn’t seem to have NSA, but overall, the journey was pleasant. I also noticed several other 16/16A services using more ex-Manchester B9s and even a Voyager-branded B9. Still, I’ve yet to see any of these "new and improved" Enviro 400s from London on the Durham Diamond. Seems like removing the hybrids hasn’t solved the reliability issues after all.
Finally, we waited for the 6 to Lanchester. Another friendly driver, but again, no working NSA. This time, we got 5413, a bus I used to ride frequently when I couldn't drive and relied on the Red Kite services. Surprisingly, this was the least worn-out bus of the day. The seats and poles were in excellent condition, the interior was very clean, and the wood-effect flooring has held up impressively well for a 10-year-old bus. A huge improvement over the other three. However, it struggled mechanically—barely making it up hills, feeling like it might roll backward at times, and generally lacking power. It really wasn’t fit for the inclines. The brakes also sounded quite worn—probably due for new pads.
Overall, GNE’s declining service is the reason I learned to drive back in 2014/15. There was a brief resurgence of better buses and improved care pre-Covid, but now, I wouldn’t even consider ditching the car for a simple trip to Durham from Lanchester. Reliability is still a major issue, and the buses themselves aren’t in great shape. Calling the X5/X15 an "XLINES" service feels like misleading branding—there’s nothing premium about it.
I really feel for the drivers, as they bear the brunt of public frustration. A bus is certainly better than no bus, but this attitude seems to have led to many routes deteriorating to this point without any real financial consequences. At this rate, they’re relying solely on those who can’t drive and older passengers, rather than making an effort to attract new customers.
