Stagecoach North East

[kuyoyo]

RE: Stagecoach North East
Review of 2012

2012 was mainly a quiet year for Stagecoach - the only new buses to arrive during the year was the last few ADL Enviro200s for South Shields. But while they were the only new buses, the year was marked by the Olympic loans and the first major departures of Low Floor buses from the division.

Apart from Enviro300 27736's accident in Seaburn at the start of the year, resulting in 21145 becoming the first (and only) B10BLE to be officially reinstated to front line service to replace it - the major changes didn't start until July when the Enviro300s and Enviro400s began moving south towards London for front-line Olympic shuttle duties and additional Enviro400s to Manchester to cover for their Enviro400s going to London. As such, the reserve B10BLE were reinstated into service at South Shields along with 4 MAN Enviro300s from Sheffield and 1 from West Scotland. A further 6 examples from West Scotland, plus 4 from Yorkshire's Barnsley depot were loaned to Slatyford to enable some of their Enviro400s to move to Walkergate. In addition, the Trident made its return to Walkergate depot with 4 Transbus ALX400 examples (3 at any one time, with two swapped over half way threw their stay) and two Alexander Dennis ALX400 examples loaned from West Scotland. A new type also made its first appearance in the North East fleet with the loan of Scania N230UD/Alexander Dennis Enviro400s - 6 from West Scotland, 2 from East Midlands' Chesterfield depot and 3 from Sheffield. Apart from the Shiffield MAN Enviro300s, the entire Newcastle loans departed in August with the Sheffield MANs moving to South Shields until the end of the Paralympics in September.

The Paralympics saw a number of South Shields' Enviro200s move south, with 36471/5 ending up at Hastings to allow two of their new Enviro200s to be used in London instead of 36471/5. With further MAN Enviro300s at South Shields during the Paralympics, their place on Towns were covered by MAN ALX300s, the B10BLEs and reinstated Dart SLFs 33491/2.

The major change in early 2012 was the end of the high floor Darts in Newcastle, replaced on the 15/15A and 32/32A/33/35 by the ALX200-bodied Darts, displaced from Sunderland by Pointer Darts cascaded from South Shields by the new Enviro200s. Further examples were moved from Hartlepool's reserve fleet. Hartlepool retain 3 examples.

Sadly, the days of the Volvo B10BLEs are now approaching the end - indeed, almost half of them have now been sold off. Likewise, the last short Olympians have also been offer for sale - almost a year after the last one was stood down from active service (16707).

The last big event of 2012 was the unexpected conversion of the X34 to Enviro400 operation with the transfer of 3 examples from Slatyford in exchange for 3 MAN ALX300s from South Shields. The 2 branded MANs were debranded yet retain the blue livery.