Stagecoach North East

[riverside motors]

RE: Stagecoach North East

(11/06/2013 08:30)kuyoyo Wrote:  

(11/06/2013 06:53)riverside motors Wrote:  

(10/06/2013 18:40)kuyoyo Wrote:  Having travelled on the 12, I can safely say it doesn't need double deckers all the time. Most routes have the odd one or two trips that do warrant double deckers but they are mostly trips that pass schools at school finishing timing and also on a morning. In fact, the only routes that warrant full-time decker operation are actually the 36/37/38 (the 38 can get packed if the 36 in-front of it is running late). However, the opposite is true for the 59/61 - the Enviro200s would be too small on the current frequency (as they would also be on the 13) but increasing the frequency wouldn't be justify not just by investment or an increased patronage. The 36/37/38 and 12 are indeed the most likely to get the new stuff but likelihood is it would be deckers on the 36/7/8 and singles on the 12 (and of course, they would likely be Scania chassis Enviros given they aren't likely to spend that much on a depot that could be relocating in the next few years).

At several points during the day nearly all the bus services look very full, so putting only doubles on the services which call Norton (yes the 37 and 38 stop at Park end but routes to M'bro and Stockton are frequent at Park End) wouldn't make the customers happy when an empty double decker goes past and there waiting for a alx300 to Coulby Newham. I wouldn't be suprised if DDA cascades come to town...

As I said, the 36/7 are the only routes that are busy all day. It's pointless getting deckers for the 12 when the only busy trips on there are peak time trips. The simple answer would be to have the school buses operate extra trips at peak times once finished on the Macmillan runs.

I'm not saying that the 12 should get doubles, i was using coulby as an example. My point was that giving both the 37 and 38 doubles would be pointless as they would not be as full as buses going out of stockton high street/middlesbrough on the afternoon and tea-time. I doubt stagecoach would run the macmillians after 2016 as, if they were to buy double deckers, they would be used on the 'principal' route service 36.
But lets not argue about this anymore and just wait and see what does happen before we all get too excited.