Highlights include:

- Optare Versas branded in Saltmeadows
- 610 on service X25
- 619 on Blaydon Racers service 32
- 3823 on Coaster 1
- 3828/3911 repainted yellow
- 3830 branded Yellow Bus
- 8175 on service 29

Highlights include:

- 3806 on Diamond 43
- 3825 branded Yellow Bus
- 3928 on Red Kite 46
- 4847/8 repainted white and refurbished
- 5250 on Diamond 43
- 8206 with LED destination blinds on Centurion 76
- 8232 on Angel X23

Go North East have a large number of vans which they use for Staff Shuttle duties when long distances are concerned. In addition to the photos in this collection, Go North East have been hiring a number of vehicles in the past, which generally carry fleet numbers in the 9*** series. We do not take photos of these since they are not owned outright by Go North East.

1001 is the tow truck for the fleet which is based at Gateshead depot. 1007/6 are the replacement for the Staff Shuttle MetroRiders at Deptford depot.

The only ever Bluebird LMD in the North East was new to Northumbria Coaches and was aquried via the takeover. It never moved from Ashington depot and was normally used on Kingston Park service M71. It is currently withdrawn and is sitting around the back of Saltmeadows depot.

Around 40 to 50 Bristol VRT were operated in service between 1980 and the late 1990's. All photos in this collection have been scanned in from Prints that were taken at the time.

This collection shows Buses & Coaches that once operated for Go North East but have since left the fleet.

The DAF DB250's with Optare Spectra bodywork were new to London Central. They came to the North East around about 2003. They worked for all depots apart from Deptford & Winlaton. They have all since left the Go North East fleet, with 3843 the last to go based at Chester Le Street. They were all sold via Ensign Bus & Coach dealer.

13 DAF SB120 - Wright Cadets arrived late 2002 and were split between Deptford & Winlaton. After a stay at Winlaton depot they all moved to Deptford depot and were mostly used on service 35. At present 8242/8252 are both based at Percy Main depot and are painted into the Centurion brand. The rest are based at Gateshead depot and are branded for Crusader service 27/27A. They all now carry LED blinds. 8274/8275 arrived from K-Line in 2005 and are based at Deptford depot and wear the Drifter brand.

6 Nortern Counties bodied DAF SB220's were new to Gateshead depot in 1997 and were branded for SuperShuttle service X66. After moving to Chester Le Street from Gateshead they went to Deptford for service X35, then Washington for services X3/4 and finally Winlaton where they are based today with 4820/4821/4822 painted Silver and branded for the Team Valley clipper service 91. They still appear on other routes in between peak times however. 4823/4824/4825 are floats and turn up on the majority of routes.

37 DAF SB220 with Optare Delta bodywork were bought in large numbers between 1989 and 1995. They operated in all colours apart from Coastline & Wear Buses. 4757/4758/4759/4760 were branded for SuperShuttle service X66 operting out of Gateshead depot. With the takeover of Northumbria Coaches they were given a lifeline and lasted a few years longer that intended with Ashington depot. They are all now withdrawn with 4789/4790 the last to see use, both based at Gateshead depot and being used as floats. Some were used as Driver Trainers.

15 Low floor DAF SB220S’s with Plaxton bodies entered service with Go Northern at Chester le-Street depot in 1998 as part of a continued effort to make the fleet low floor. They have since moved around a bit, with 4862 - 4870 & 4890 - 4893 now wearing the Bargain Bus branding and working out of Ashington depot on competitive service X42/X43/X44/X45 & 308. 4894/4895 still work out of Chester Le Street depot. Secondhand ones arrived in 2006 ex Airport and worked out of Stanley depot initally however they are all based at Chester Le Street depot.

This collection shows Buses/Coaches that Go North East have had on demonstration or on loan with a view to purchase. These carry 9*** fleetnumbers.

12 of these arrived in 2006 from East Thames buses. They all entered service at Deptford depot however a few have since moved around a little. 8282/8283/8284 are now working out of Chester Le Street depot after initially working for Washington depot. 8285/8286/8287 are based at Percy Main depot and are used on service 17.

8288 arrived in 2006 from Cheney Travel Services. It was originally based at Stanley and used on the Stanley Shuttle set of services, however it later moved to Percy Main where it can be found now. It is normally used on service 17.

In late 2004 24 Dennis Darts with Marshall bodywork arrived from London. They originally worked for Stanley with Stanley Shuttle branding however they later moved to Chester Le Street & Deptford. Later, they all moved to Deptford although 2 had a short stay at Washington depot. The majority of the Deptford based ones have Drifter branding. 483 arrived with the takover of Northumbria Coaches however was sold soon after. Go North East have started to sell these off, with all of these expected to have left by late summer 2009.

The Alexander Dennis MPD were the last MPD's the company bought, although 2 arrived with the takeover of Redby Bus & Coach. They are all based at Deptford depot and branded for the Doxford clipper. They were initially based at South Shields depot before it closed. The 2 that arrived from Redby (618/619) operated at Deptford in Redby livery for a while before being painted into Venture colours and being based at Stanley depot. They have since moved to Winlaton depot still without Venture vinyls.

The only ever Carlye bodied Dennis Dart had the fleetnumber 8000. It was based at Winlaton depot and is now with a company in the Midlands.

Around 30 Marhsall bodied Dennis Darts were operated. They were originally bought for the operations of Northern & Wear Buses. They have all since left the fleet via sale to Ensign Bus & Coach sales.

In total 10 Plaxton Pointer bodied Darts were owned by the company. With fleet number 8090-8092 and 8110-8116. 8110 was the last surviving member as lasted much longer than its sisters. They have all since left the fleet with 7 being sold to Go West Midlands and 2 being sold via Ensign Bus & Coach sales.

The Dennis Dart MPD was the main Low Floor minibus in the fleet until it was re-badged as Transbus. They were the succesor to the Optare Solo. 3 arrived with the takeover of Northumbria Coaches (607/608/609). In 2008 8186 - 8200 were re-numbered too 486 - 500. The carry various brands with 488/489 & 491 - 499 wearing East Durham branding and based at Peterlee depot while 502 - 506 wear Pink Panther brranding at Percy Main depot alongside Wallsend Links branded 507 - 514. 500/515/516 are currently in the White Spare livery at Peterlee (500) and Percy Main. 607/608/609 are Yellow and based at Stanley depot.

The Dennis Dart Super Pointer Dart was the main Low Floor the company bought after the Daf Prestiege. They arrived in 3 batches however the latter were badged as Tranbus. 51 Dennis Dart SPD's entered service from 1998 onwards. They replaced older buses in the fleet such as Leyland Atlanteens. At present they are all still in the fleet. 8201 - 8205 are branded as the Cross Tyne at Percy Main and 8219 - 8231 are branded as the Blaydon Racer at Winlaton depot. The rest remain in corporate livery and are split between various depots. In 2006 another 4 were aquired, initially based at Stanley for the Stanley Shuttle they then moved to Winlaton and Washington however they can since be found at Chester Le Street depot.

After buying the Dennis Mini Pointer Dart they continued to buy more, although these were badged as Transbus. They were originally split between Deptford & South Shields. Since then they have ended up at all depots apart from Gateshead. They are branded for various routes. 523 - 531 are branded for the Washington Street Shuttle after orginally being branded for Washington Local Services. 565 - 570 are braned for the Metrolink at Washington depot also. 535 - 540 are braned as the Kingfisher at Winlaton depot. At Deptord depot 543/548 - 554 are branded as the Black Cat, 544 - 547 are braneded as the Doxford Clipper and 555 - 562 are branded as the Magic Roundabout. With the takover of Northumbria Coaches 2 more were aquired (610/611) and they are currently both based at Winlaton and painted Yellow.

In 2001 8 Transbus Super Pointer Darts arrived and they were split between Deptford and Percy Main, they carried branding for Cross Tyne serfvices 310/319. Later, when all of the workings on the route moved to Percy Main depot they moved there, however shortly after they lost there branding and could be seen on any route. A few years later they were branded as the Centurion, however in 2007 were replaced by Cadets on the route and were cascaded to Deptford. They can normally be found on services 88 & 89.

In total 89 Dennis Darts with Wright Handybus bodywork were operted in service. They worked for all depots and the last of these were withdrawn in 2003. A lot of these have survived with other operators and only a handful have been scrapped so far. 8084 was the last to be withdrawn. 8017 - 8024 carried branding for Saltwell Park services 53 & 54.

The Dennis Lance Pathinder was the first low floor bus the company bought and was new to Coastline. 4769 was also the first low floor bus outside of London in 1994. They have spent all there life working for Percy Main depot, they were bought for services 325/326 and they still see use on the same route, alhough now numbered 85/86. 4770/4771/4772/4773 are branded for Centurion. 4769 remains un branded in the old Go North East livery. Although these are supposed to stick to services 85/86 they rarely do and they can turn up on any Big Bus route.

Like its sister 4774, 4768 arrived with the takeover of Low Fell Travel. It was an ex demonstrator and before Low Fell Travel bought it, it had operated with Clevland Transit and Redby Bus & Coach. It spend the majority of its time with Go North East in use at Percy Main & Winlaton depot. Often coming out of reserve to be used once again. However in 2009 after being withdrawn for nearly 3 years it had been sent to Barnsley Bus Brakers.

Upon delivery of the Optare Sigmas, they were used to compete against OK Travel. These have spent most of their time working for Go-Ahead Gateshead. They were later divided betwen various depots before being withdrawn. 4779 and 4784 were the last 2 surviving corporate examples. These operated for Winlaton before being withdrawn. 4782 was sold to Redby Buses, but was then re-acquired with the purchase of this company. All of these vehicles have now been withdrawn and sold.

4774 arrived with the takover of Low Fell Travel. It was based at South Shields before moving to Gateshead & Percy Main from where it was withdrawn. It was sold to Stanley Taxis soon after to work contract service 711 which Go North East had contracted to them. After Go North East took over the bus operations of Stanley Taxis it was sent to Ashington to work a scholar contract before moving to Washington and finally Depftord depot. It is now withdrawn and up for sale.

Go North East's most popular double-deck low floor vehicle by far has to be Dennis Tridents. These are numbered 3801-4 and 3858-80. Upon delivery, a selection were allocated for use on service 723 (Newcastle-Durham) and services 301 (Gateshead-Whitley Bay) and 305 (Newcastle-Wallsend). The Tridents have been frequently repainted other than 3801 which still retains its original livery. 3802-4, 3860-65, 3868, 3870-2 and 3875-80 are allocated to Chester-le-Street depot. 3802, 3868 and 3870 are allover white, with 3803-4, 3860-65, 3871-2 being allover pink for the Angel. 3875-80 are in the New Go North East livery after they were used on the TWENTY-ONE 24 HOUR service. 3801, 3873 and 3874 are currently allocated to Deptford depot with 3866/7 allocated to Percy Main for DFDS Services.

In 2001 15 Plaxton President bodied Tridents arrived after earlier batches of East Lancs Tridents. They were new to Bishop Auckland for service 724 and Chester Le Street for the 21 group of services. Percy Main also gained 2 to work DFDS Service 327, for which they are currently painted for. At present there is only 5 left at Chester Le Street and these are in Agel livery while 2 still remain at Percy Main. 3881 - 3884/3892-3895 were all sold to Oxford Bus Company.

Many Leyland Atalnteens were operated between the 1980's and early 2000's. They were not common to one bodywork style and many different types were used. The Eastern Coach Work examples where the last to go, they gained an extended lift at Percy Main being used on DFDS Seaways service 327. All photos in this collection have been scanned in from prints.

Go North East have owned Lynxes up to 4817 from their original purchase. Leyland Lynx Mk2s 4818/9 were acquired with the acquisition of Redby Buses. These have all now left the fleet. However, in 2005, the Lynxes made a return into the Go North East fleet with the acquisition of Northumbria Coaches. These were numbered 4995-4999, although these have now all been sold on to other companies.

The Leyland Nationals were very popular single deck vehicles and operated for Go-Ahead North East with Go-Ahead Northern, Go-Ahead Gateshead, Coastline, Metro Taxis, Voyager, Wear Buses, VFM Buses, Go Coastline, Go Gateshead, Go Wear Buses and Go Xpress. These were finally phased out in 2006, after the last few survivors had been placed into the driver training fleet. A number of these are now being preserved and are commonly found at North East bus rallies.

In 2005 6 Alexander Olympians arrived from Dublin Bus via Ensign. They all entered service in there previous livries at Bishop Auckland & Deptford. 3947/3948 then moved to Percy Main in Bargain Bus livery however when the Bargain Bus was converted to low floor at Ashington depot these lost there Bargain Bus vinyls and gained Yellow Bus ones instead. The other 4 are all based at Stanley depot and are still on the old Go North East livery, they mainly see use on Scholar & Work contracts. 5 earlier Alexander examples had already operated in the fleet, they were new in 1989 and worked out of Winlaton to start with before moving around as floats and later being withdrawn.

Go North East's ECW Olympians were all bought during the 'Northern' era. They were latterly operated by Go Northern, Coastline, Go Coastline, Wear Buses, Go Wear Buses, VFM Buses, Go-Ahead Gateshead, Go Xpress and finally Go North East livery. In 2006, due to a shortage of buses, Go North East loaned a few ECW Olympians from Ensign with Arriva London livery. These gained 9*** series fleetnumbers.

Leyland Olympians 3806-3810 were acquired from OK Travel in the 1990s. Of 3806-10, only 3806 and 3808 remain with 3806 being based at Stanley and 3808 at Chester-le-Street. However, in 2005/6, Go North East acquired a number of NC Olympians from Ensignbus (3953-3961). 3954 and 3959 were never repainted and have now left the fleet. 3953/5/7/8 are all at Stanley depot, with 3953 being painted into Yellow Bus livery. Chester-le-Street have 3956/60-1 which are also in Yellow Bus livery. 3953/56/60-1 were originally painted for Bargain Bus and allocated to Percy Main/Ashington depots until the service was converted to low floor allowing these to transfer to the Yellow Bus fleet.

The Leyland Tiger, fleet numbered 4994 was acquired with the takeover of Northumbria Coaches. Shortly after the takeover was completed, this vehicle was withdrawn and was swiftly sold on to another buyer.

The MCW Metrobus was the most popular double decker chosen by Go-Ahead North East for a long period of time. They were phased out in 2005/6 by Volvo Olympians which were bought secondhand from London. The MCW Metrobuses were operated by almost all North East divisions and wore many different liveries.

The MCW Metrorider was the original design before Optare began manufacturing the vehicle. The main operator of these minibuses were Go-Ahead Gateshead & Wear Buses which mainly used them on their local services services. Coastline also operated a few, however these were few and far between.

470 (BU53 AXC) was acquired with the takeover of Northumbria Coaches. This minibus did not stay in the Go North East fleet long enough to gain Northumbria Buses lettering. This has now been sold to Scarlet Band who now use it on an East Durham Hospital Link service. It was normally used on services K1/K2 & 106.

These Mercedes-Benz Beavers were acquired with the takeover of the services of Stanley Buses. These 3 never actually entered service with Go North East and have sat around the rear of Saltmeadows since the acquisition actually took place. They were not given fleet numbers and are up for sale.

Since 2007, Go North East have favoured the Mercedes-Benz Citaro. These vehicles are now used on the Red Arrows, Silver Arrows, TEN, Citylink and Laser. These services are classed as 'Gold Standard' due to the high standards of the Mercedes vehicles themselves. The depots which currently have these Mercedes are Gateshead, Winlaton, Deptford and Washington.

The Optare Excels have lasted the least amount of time of any low-floor buses that Go North East have owned. They were operated by Coastline and Go Wear Buses until their withdrawl in 2005. They were withdrawn because of poor reliabilty and because of the amount it was costing to repair these. The vast majority have been transferred to Ireland, whereas only 3 have gone to Blackpool Transport.

The Optare Metrorider was Go North East's most popular minibus in the '90s and were operated by a variety of divisions: Coastline, Go-Ahead Gateshead, Wear Buses, Go Wear Buses and Go Coastline. The 2 original survivors were 416/7 which were allocated to Deptford depot for staff shuttle duties. In late 2008, these were joined by 484 from Northumbria Coaches. However, it didn't last long in the Go North East fleet - all 3 were withdrawn in early 2009.

The Optare Solo was the first ever type of low-floor minibus that Go North East ever bought. These were numbered 448-469. A few of these were branded as Pink Panthers, Park and Ride or Venture. 480-481 were acquired from Jayline and were painted into Venture, with 482 acquired from Northumbria Buses. In 2004, 4 vehicles were acquired for the MetroCentre Circulars (599-602), of which 599 was repainted for Venture. 613-617 were acquired from Stanley Buses.

16 Optare Versas's are due. 8 each for Deptford and Gateshead. The Gateshead examples are to be used to cascade the Saltlwell Park SPD's onto other routes while the Deptford examples are to be used on Drifter service 60 so that the fleet of Dennis Dart SLF's with Marhsall Capital bodywork can be returned to their lease company.

This collection shows a small amount of photos from other Go-Ahead companies.

In late 2006, Go North East purchased their first and possibly last batch of Scania Omnicities. 5235-42 are all allocated to Stanley depot and are branded for Red Kite services 45/46. 5243-50 are also allocated to Stanley and are West Durham Swift. 5251-59 are branded for the Cobalt Clipper and are allocated to Percy Main depot. 5260/73-4 are allover red awaiting branding at Stanley depot, with 5261 as the spare for all Stanley Omnicity services. 5262-72 are branded as the Coaster and are allocated to Percy Main depot.

Go North East purchased Scania Levantes to displace the Volvo B10M coaches from National Express work onto general services/driver training. 7094-7102 are all allocated to Chester-le-Street depot.

The CentreLink was the first service in the North East to be operated by articulated vehicles. The bendies were refurbished in 2006, and repainted into their new vibrant livery which is operated from Gateshead depot. They see use on the X66 at all times apart from Weekday mornings when they are used on service X11 and Sunday mornings when they are used on service 63.

The Scania Solar has been Go North East's most popular choice by far. They are distributed between Gateshead, Percy Main, Deptford and Washington depots. They are branded for: Prince Bishops, Fab Fifty Six, Fab Fifty Seven, Loop, Orbit, Allover white, Old Go North East, ROUTE 19 and Metrolink.

The VDL SB120s are the latter versions of the DAF SB120s which Go North East also own. The major external difference between these is that these have an air-con pod on the top. 8253-60 are allocated to Percy Main depot, of which 8253-7/9 are branded for Centurion, 8258 is still corporate and 8260 being white. 8267-9 are currently allocated to Gateshead depot, with 8268/9 being allover white. 8270-3 are allocated to Deptford, with 8270 being the white spare for 8271-3 which are branded the Drifter.

OK Travel Motor Services bought 6 of these before being acquired by Go North East. 4808 was burnt out after a few years in service and was withdrawn, leaving only 5 in active service. They are now allocated to Ashington depot and operate parts of the Bargain Bus network. These vehicles are the last step-entrance single deck vehicles remaining in the fleet.

Go North East ordered 4 of these and they were originally allocated to Winlaton depot in Go-Ahead Gateshead livery. They were then transferred to Bishop Auckland and latterly Deptford. They were withdrawn in early 2007, upon their transfer to Go West Midlands.

4993 is the only Alexander ALX300 in the Go North East fleet. It was originally owned by Felix and Beestons before being purchased second-hand. It has been thrown from depot to depot continuously. It began service at Gateshead branded for X11, then Stanley depot and then it returned to Gateshead depot. It has now been transferred to Percy Main depot and can see use on any service.

The Volvo B10BLE was the most popular single decker operated by Go North East until the Scania L94UB was first manufactured. The vast majority are now allocated to Stanley and Gateshead depots. However, there are a few at Percy Main and Chester-le-Street. 4837-4846 are allocated to Stanley and are branded as the Diamond. 4847/8 are also at Stanley as the white spares. 4849-55 are allocated to Chester-le-Street with 4849 the spare and 4850-5 branded as the Lime. 4896-4902 are at Stanley branded for the Lime and 4903-5 allover white. 4906-9 are branded for the Diamond, with 4910 white with BuzzFare adverts. 4911/12/4923 are allocated to Percy Main depot, leaving 4913-22 and 4924-25 at Gateshead. 4913-20 and 4924-25 are branded for The Highwayman, with 4921-22 allover white.

There were many different orders for Volvo B10M coaches with Plaxton bodywork placed with Go North East. All of them have, at some point, operated for National Express. Only 7078/80-5 remain in active service with Go North East. 7078/80-1 are branded for X9 HOURLY and are based at Gateshead depot. 7082-84 are branded for the Bargain Express and are based at Ashington depot. 7085 is the last Volvo B10M to be used on National Express duties. 7082/3/4 were used on the X10 in 2009 but were to be deemed to small.

These were bought for National Express work and are currently allocated to Chester-le-Street depot. Go North East operate services 332/380/381/531/663.

These were bought for National Express work and are currently allocated to Chester-le-Street depot. Go North East operate services 332/380/381/531/663.

These were bought for National Express work and are currently allocated to Chester-le-Street depot. Go North East operate services 332/380/381/531/663.

Go North East have never bought a B6 from new. 8434 and 8435 were acquired from Redby Buses, whereas the others were acquired from OK Travel Motor Services. However, all of these vehicles have now left the Go North East fleet.

Go North East never bought these vehicles as new, they were acquired from other companies. They were allocated to Go Gateshead and operated in the Go Gateshead livery only.

After the acquisition of Northumbria Buses, Go North East took ownership of one of the rare Plaxton Concepts. It has not left Ashington depot, nor has it had a repaint. The sole difference between its acquisition and now is the fact that it now holds a Go North East sticker on the front. It is normally used on service 331 however it is also used as a spare for the X41 during the day.

Two of these are currently on trial at Chester Le Street depot. If they turn out to be a success they will be used on the Angel service to replace the East Lancs Tridents.

5 Volvo B7RLEs were purchased to trial in comparison to the Scania Solars in 2005. There are very few differences between these vehicles in general, other than the larger rear grill on the B7RLEs. These 5 vehicles are based at Winlaton depot for use on the 47, while 4982 is White and is a spare for TEN.

In 2005, Go North East bought 3 Geminis for use on service X10. However, these have not aged well and they are considering in replacing them. In 2006, they bought a further 4 for the 724. This brand didn't last very long and were almost instantly replaced by the TWENTY-ONE 24 Hour Service brand. In 2007, they were again repainted into the Angel livery. 3941-3 are currently based at Gateshead depot, with 3962-5 at Chester-le-Street.

In 2005, Go North East bought 3 of these Olympians from Nottingham City Transport. They operated at Bishop Auckland in Nottingham City Transport livery with a Go North East rear before having a chance to be repainted. Upon the closure of Bishop Auckland depot, they were all transferred to Deptford depot where they currently reside.

Go North East inherited 45 of these Volvo Olympians from Go-Ahead London. They are currently allocated to all depots but Ashington, Washington and Percy Main. 3896-3902 and 3919 are allocated to Gateshead and are branded as Yellow Bus. 3903-3905 and 3916-3918 and 3939/3940 are allocated to Chester-le-Street and are branded as Yellow Bus. 3906 and 3932-3938 are branded as Yellow Bus at Deptford. 3907-15 and 3920/21 are at Winlaton depot with 3907/8/9/11/13/15/20/21 branded for Yellow Bus. 3922-3931 are at Stanley depot, all of which are branded for Yellow Bus except 3930.

When ordered new, the Palatines were bought to displace older Leyland Atlanteens from the fleet. At present 3811-3 are at Ashington depot, 3814-23 are at Percy Main, 3824-5 are at Washington depot. 3826-7 are at Gateshead depot and 3828-31 are at Washington. Finally, 3832-3 are at Percy Main depot. 3832/3 were branded for the DFDS Seaways shuttle but have since been repainted Yellow. All but 3826-9 are now branded as Yellow Bus.

Go North East acquired 6 Volvo SB120 Merits from dealer stock. They are similar to the generic Cadets that Go North East already owned. They have the headlights of the DAF (early) version, and the rest of the body from the VDL (later) version. These do not have the air con pod as the VDLs do. 8261-6 are all allocated to Gateshead depot and are branded as the Highwayman.