I live in East Cleveland, and we've had the new Evoras last year for the X4 and the Yutongs for the Stagecoach 1 & 2. The 5 runs every day from early till late and is fairly reliable considering the length of the route. There will always be calls for more services or better buses but I think we generally do pretty well for being mainly an area of small towns and villages.

For a long time people were demanding a bus to Skelton Asda. We got it, few people used it. Those in Easington asked for it to serve them, which happened. Still hardly anyone uses it. Now people in Brotton are asking for it to serve more of that area, which is fair enough but really it isn't said often enough that people need to actually start using the heavily subsidised buses they are getting.

I cant imagine there's too many other places in the country that operate nice new electric buses on routes like the 1 & 2 that carry so few passengers. We are actually pretty lucky here, despite what many locals think.

Yes, I agree, mostly. The main corridors of East Cleveland are well served. 2 x 5, 2 x X4. The 5a and X3 do the Lingdale offshoot and commercially and viably that has to be enough given passenger usage. 
The 1 and 2 services trundling around the lanes are simply giving the Stagecoach drivers an easy shift and then,being serious, costing money the area can't afford. Usage is poor and you simply can't justify this for the odd few people that want to go to Asda. All the rest have made other arrangements and aren't coming back.
Investing in electric fleet to serve the routes I talked about can't be justified. Sadly we live in a commercially driven situation unless you hapoen to be in Moorsholm which has a regular service no buggar uses!!

(14 Mar 2026, 2:20 pm)robisdave4554 wrote Yes, I agree, mostly. The main corridors of East Cleveland are well served. 2 x 5, 2 x X4. The 5a and X3 do the Lingdale offshoot and commercially and viably that has to be enough given passenger usage. 
The 1 and 2 services trundling around the lanes are simply giving the Stagecoach drivers an easy shift and then,being serious, costing money the area can't afford. Usage is poor and you simply can't justify this for the odd few people that want to go to Asda. All the rest have made other arrangements and aren't coming back.
Investing in electric fleet to serve the routes I talked about can't be justified. Sadly we live in a commercially driven situation unless you hapoen to be in Moorsholm which has a regular service no buggar uses!!

It’s a rather big shame the TVCA don’t have an ounce of common sense. With the 2 buses currently used (on paper) for the 1 and 2 you could achieve a fair amount more by limiting the duplication of the 5 and X4 and reworking of what currently is the X3. A consultation with Arriva could see them have the Sunday 3 be the norm Mon-Sat between Saltburn and Lingdale. Which would allow the buses used on the 1 and 2 to focus on providing links between Skelton Asda-Brotton-East Cleveland Hospital-Loftus Estate-Easington. Although there’s calls for a Guisbrough-Saltburn service I can’t see there actually being enough demand to even warrant a TVCA funded service.

Well if a Guisbrough to saltburn was to happen maybe with the new 65 journeys that will terminate at flatts Lane could in future extend to Guisbrough then saltburn maybe as 65A ? If tcva fund it and it would be doable from operator pov.

(14 Mar 2026, 8:33 pm)220631612 wrote It’s a rather big shame the TVCA don’t have an ounce of common sense. With the 2 buses currently used (on paper) for the 1 and 2 you could achieve a fair amount more by limiting the duplication of the 5 and X4 and reworking of what currently is the X3. A consultation with Arriva could see them have the Sunday 3 be the norm Mon-Sat between Saltburn and Lingdale. Which would allow the buses used on the 1 and 2 to focus on providing links between Skelton Asda-Brotton-East Cleveland Hospital-Loftus Estate-Easington. Although there’s calls for a Guisbrough-Saltburn service I can’t see there actually being enough demand to even warrant a TVCA funded service.

Not even sure the 1/2 would need to exist there either.

Not a suggestion per say, but if they worked with each other something thrown up like this:


Would deal with all the problems, with a new Saltburn to Guisborough service being added.

Obviously you'd have to consult on stuff but it's easily doable without another service. It's not a million miles away from what is anyway really. The current 5, should be going via James Cook hospital imo, it's a major destination but instead they queue at Brambles Corner.

The X4 does the quick Middlesbrough links, so there's no need for the 5 to be fast East of Skelton bar saving resources.

(15 Mar 2026, 10:23 am)Storx wrote Not even sure the 1/2 would need to exist there either.

Not a suggestion per say, but if they worked with each other something thrown up like this:


Would deal with all the problems, with a new Saltburn to Guisborough service being added.

Obviously you'd have to consult on stuff but it's easily doable without another service. It's not a million miles away from what is anyway really. The current 5, should be going via James Cook hospital imo, it's a major destination but instead they queue at Brambles Corner.

The X4 does the quick Middlesbrough links, so there's no need for the 5 to be fast East of Skelton bar saving resources.

Too much duplication. The 5 would be all over the 63, absolutely no need for it to be. The hospital isn't the significant driver of traffic people seem to think it is. Cranmore Road would lose a service completely, along with most of Cargo Fleet Lane in this option.

The route suggested through Skelton Industrial Estate is logical, but not optional, its private land and the management company will not allow buses to do this (Arriva 5A did at once point in the dim and distant past, but was quickly changed within weeks for this reason). Apparently buses damage their unadopted roads (but seem to forget about the HGV's that do it daily). This is why Skelton ASDA is served in the odd way it currently is by everything that does (1/2 and Sunday 3).

No service to Hunters Hill?
Saltburn and Lingdale lose their direct links to Skelton ASDA?
Almost certainly more than the 2 PVR currently used by the 1 and 2.

The elephant in the room is that even drivers of the 1 and 2 say publicly (on the various FB posts about this that are around), the services are not used in any sensible volume at all. Appreciate they might not be perfect and people want small amends, but its providing for a majority of requested links and people still don't bother.


For me the answer is arguably simple. Do something with an extension of the X3 to extend from Lingdale to Skelton ASDA, Brotton, Loftus and Easington (=1 PVR)
Divert the 62 to cover Cranmore Rd in Middlesbrough and send the 5 fast from Cargo Fleet Lane (saves enough time to serve Skinningrove again).
Extend the X2 to Skelton ASDA, and then across to Easington via similar route to X3 (=1 PVR). Massovely increasing bus availability in the area, all linked to Redcar or Middlesbrough as a minimum.
Liverton and Moorsholm (with the greatest of respect to them) shouldnt dictate about 1 third of the mileage, when the remainder of the populated area could be served significantly better. The current 1 and 2 waste time doing weird routes just to serve these areas. X93 could divert off peak for example for Moorsholm.

Much of that makes sense, particularly where you talk about the 1 and 2 serving Lingdale and Moorsholm. If these are operating to these places just.to serve the whims of the odd one or two who'll complain but then only use them odd times then I'm sorry but they are using resources that would be better used elsewhere, for example the Guisborough to Saltburn service which, when you listen to people, is really needed, particularly on a Sunday which brings its own problem? Find an operator that will provide it?
At present its more of less impossible to get to either Saltburn or Redcar on a Sunday without some complicated and lengthy journey. To divert the present service 3 to operate via Charltons into Guisborough then Skelton looks like an option but then it misses most of Boosbeck and all of Skelton Green and would be another lengthy journey. Pleasing all the people all the time is difficult..

(15 Mar 2026, 2:58 pm)Superman wrote Too much duplication. The 5 would be all over the 63, absolutely no need for it to be. The hospital isn't the significant driver of traffic people seem to think it is. Cranmore Road would lose a service completely, along with most of Cargo Fleet Lane in this option.

The route suggested through Skelton Industrial Estate is logical, but not optional, its private land and the management company will not allow buses to do this (Arriva 5A did at once point in the dim and distant past, but was quickly changed within weeks for this reason). Apparently buses damage their unadopted roads (but seem to forget about the HGV's that do it daily). This is why Skelton ASDA is served in the odd way it currently is by everything that does (1/2 and Sunday 3).

No service to Hunters Hill?
Saltburn and Lingdale lose their direct links to Skelton ASDA?
Almost certainly more than the 2 PVR currently used by the 1 and 2.

The elephant in the room is that even drivers of the 1 and 2 say publicly (on the various FB posts about this that are around), the services are not used in any sensible volume at all. Appreciate they might not be perfect and people want small amends, but its providing for a majority of requested links and people still don't bother.


For me the answer is arguably simple. Do something with an extension of the X3 to extend from Lingdale to Skelton ASDA, Brotton, Loftus and Easington (=1 PVR)
Divert the 62 to cover Cranmore Rd in Middlesbrough and send the 5 fast from Cargo Fleet Lane (saves enough time to serve Skinningrove again).
Extend the X2 to Skelton ASDA, and then across to Easington via similar route to X3 (=1 PVR). Massovely increasing bus availability in the area, all linked to Redcar or Middlesbrough as a minimum.
Liverton and Moorsholm (with the greatest of respect to them) shouldnt dictate about 1 third of the mileage, when the remainder of the populated area could be served significantly better. The current 1 and 2 waste time doing weird routes just to serve these areas. X93 could divert off peak for example for Moorsholm.

I would have  x2 to Easington  via Redcar  Saltburn Skelton retail park  but then have the x2 not interworking with the 64 64a 

X3 Lingdale via Redcar and new Marske  Which gives Newmarske a choice between Middlesbrough Redcar or Saltburn  via Skelton retail park  that way both east Cleveland folks have a direct link to asda


Then obviously x3a scholars carry on as normal

(15 Mar 2026, 10:23 am)Storx wrote Not even sure the 1/2 would need to exist there either.

Not a suggestion per say, but if they worked with each other something thrown up like this:


Would deal with all the problems, with a new Saltburn to Guisborough service being added.

Obviously you'd have to consult on stuff but it's easily doable without another service. It's not a million miles away from what is anyway really. The current 5, should be going via James Cook hospital imo, it's a major destination but instead they queue at Brambles Corner.

The X4 does the quick Middlesbrough links, so there's no need for the 5 to be fast East of Skelton bar saving resources.

X4 x3 x2 are all the fast links Middlesbrough from Redcar direction

(15 Mar 2026, 4:06 pm)Dan manger wrote X4 x3 x2 are all the fast links Middlesbrough from Redcar direction

this has nothing to do with new vehicles please keep it to service changes

(15 Mar 2026, 5:04 pm)ian foster wrote this has nothing to do with new vehicles please keep it to service changes

Nothing to do with the new fleet  that this tab is about

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Latest updates  that I know off 

18 E200MMCs to Redcar  6 e400mmcs for Whitby 

10 Evoras for Stockton  to see off 10 older Pulsar's

7401 to 7406 Whitby to Ashington

(13 Mar 2026, 6:37 am)robisdave4554 wrote No. Certain town routes are operated by the Stagecoach electrics but routes operating out of Middlesbrough into Redcar/East Clevelahd are Arriva.

The X66/67 is I think, operated by Arriva Darlington which may become electric. The X12 operated by both Stockton and Durham may be another candidate

Don't get me wrong. The concept is brilliant, much needed but living in East Cleveland I can't help feeling disadvantaged.

I did say Middlesbrough. I didn't mention Redcar and East Cleveland.
Buses going out of Middlesbrough are by definition not in Middlesbrough.