Of the current 186 strong fleet, 151 are route branded, 34 carry the black/yellow pool livery and Atlantean 364 retains the pre2001 green and cream livery. Pool liveried buses are the spare vehicles used to cover for branded buses under maintenance or repair. Their duties are naturally more diverse than their branded sisters.
Deltas (101, 102, 123, 124)
With 103's recent transfer to Line 6 there are just four pool Deltas left. One can normally be found operating on Line 2C to provide the busy 0742 Knott End to South Pier journey and normally stays on that board into the evening. Lines 6, 7 and 11 are common places to find the others. 103, 115 and 116 have also carried the black pool livery, while 122-125, 130-133 all carried the original olive/grey/yellow scheme.
Excels (218-223)
The six Excels (five currently as 218 is awaiting refurbishment) are frequently found on Line 7 or Line 14 - the latter substituting for Tridents to maintain the guaranteed low floor operation. The occasionally appear on the 6 and 11 too.
Solos (261-264, 273-278, 280) and Metrorider 593
The 11 Solos perform most of the pool minibus workings, generally operating on Lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 and 15. 593 is most commonly used on the 10. One Solo operates the dedicated employees shuttle service from St. Annes to Peel Park Government Offices, Monday to Saturday. They have also occasionally appeared on the 7, 11 and 14 when short of buses. Several other Metroriders appeared in black (584, 588-594, 596, with 501/2, 589-595 carried the original scheme)
Tridents 317-319
These normally run on the 11 and 14 covering for branded sisters - especially on the latter which has a guaranteed low floor operation. The make occasional appearances on school services, Lines 1, 6 and 7.
Atlantean 364
Used only for school services
Olympians 370-378
These are commonly found on Line 11, but also regularly appear on the 1 (at weekends), 6 and 7 as well as school services. (368/9/79 have also carried pool livery)
