Metrolink colours at North Star

[1116]

2435 is in Metrolink colours with North Star emblem operaing 843 today.

Is Metrolink the new colour scheme for Auckland?

[Vitalstatistix]

2435 is in Metrolink colours with North Star emblem operaing 843 today.

Is Metrolink the new colour scheme for Auckland?

I spotted Metrolink 2400 series shooting past Smales Farm station coming from Takapuna on the 23rd.

[kaiwhara]

Yes.

2435 is in Metrolink colours with North Star emblem operaing 843 today.

Is Metrolink the new colour scheme for Auckland?

[kaiwhara]

Probably wasn't Metrolink Scott, was likely that it was indeed North Star. Brandings falling apart due to cost apparently.

2435 is in Metrolink colours with North Star emblem operaing 843 today.

Is Metrolink the new colour scheme for Auckland?

I spotted Metrolink 2400 series shooting past Smales Farm station coming from Takapuna on the 23rd.

[1116]

Definitely metro link colour with north star branding. Clearly just repainted.

[1116]

2016 has been metro link with north star branding at north shore for a while.

[Cordes Express]

They also have one of the 1200 series scorpions with North Star logos on Metrolink livery.

[Vitalstatistix]

They also have one of the 1200 series scorpions with North Star logos on Metrolink livery.

Moreover I was surprised to see quite a few 1200's still in inter peak services on some of the Shore routes.

[1116]

1447 is also on Metrolink colours operating from North Shore.

[kaiwhara]

Metrolink's Colour Scheme is confirmed as the new colour scheme for Auckland, although all depots retain their own branding with a few alterations. This only applies to buses repainted from now on, and does not apply to buses that remain in their own fleet. This is due to the cost of repainting buses in so many colours.

[walky]

The individual depot branding was a joke to start with. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to see the ongoing costs that were going to be involved with repainting buses everytime they relocated to another depot. For me I would have liked to see the Go West colours stay, I thought the colours were a nice mix. Btw, 2435 and 1447 were in Go West Colours before being painted Metrolink.

[stadt80]

I would agree, I always thought that the Go West branding was the most appealing. The Metrolink blue is quite dark in contrast on a grey Auckland day. Buses need to be brighter and stand out.

[Vitalstatistix]

The Metrolink blue is quite dark in contrast on a a grey Auckland day. Buses need to be brighter and stand out.

Now that you mention it, it does seem like a rather depressing livery. I think the North Star blue and yellow with its Rangitoto motif would look much better and resembles something more Auckland than the Metrolink livery.

[Mr OC Benz]

I agree with you there Scott, I always thought it was a crazy idea to have had all these colours in the first place!

[CB80]

It was very silly, but I can understand why they wanted to do it.

[BusPlaneTrainTram]

I did a quick count and the answer may lie in numbers in each livery, rather than the smartest livery!

Metrolink - at least 270.
Waka Pacific - approx 140.
North Star - approx 120.
Go West - approx 80.

which means 340 repaints, a few years after having repainted the entire fleet!

As noted by walky, this allows for easier switching between depots as only the brandname needs to be changed as against a whole relivery.

Unfortunately, the least interesting, local livery is the survivor as it has the most vehicles already in the livery.

[Vitalstatistix]

I quite like the idea of having the name of the depot printed above the fleet number at the front of the bus like some Pamure buses were, or still are? However that in itself could become costly as well.

[Mr OC Benz]

If NZ Bus didn't move buses around as frequent as they do, they could do that. The Roskill buses also use to have Roskill on but on the inside of the bus, dunno whether they still do this, but I'd gather that most would've had that taken off when being transferred to Onehunga.

[Vitalstatistix]

If NZ Bus didn't move buses around as frequent as they do, they could do that. The Roskill buses also use to have Roskill on but on the inside of the bus, dunno whether they still do this, but I'd gather that most would've had that taken off when being transferred to Onehunga.

I think this was implemented during the Stagecoach days. I remember buses with Wiri on the inside.

[1116]

Depot location was in place with the Yellow Bus Company

[kaiwhara]

Still is

Depot location was in place with the Yellow Bus Company

[Vitalstatistix]

It was with the sticker they had up which listed of the fare stages.

[ka9102]

The Roskill buses also use to have Roskill on but on the inside of the bus, dunno whether they still do this, but I'd gather that most would've had that taken off when being transferred to Onehunga.

yep,roskill buses used to have the stickers with depot name printed on affixed to the front panel above drivers head..panmure buses used to have their depot name written on the outside of bus slightly below the fleet numbers.and whatever navy blue buses left must all belong to city depot...