(11 Sep 2015, 6:47 pm)tyresmoke Looks like Darlington will still be sending a bus light to Middlesbrough on a morning.

(18 Oct 2015, 10:14 am)Kuyoyo Having reviewed the timetable (too much time on my hands basically), Darlington send this bus light to operate the first X67 departure from Middlesbrough Monday to Friday while the two early X66s are Stockton turns. Saturdays are totally different when all 5 of Darlington's turns start at Faverdale while Stockton's start in Hartburn and Darlington.

(18 Oct 2015, 10:43 am)citaro5284 As long that is he only thng in your hand....

(30 Oct 2015, 11:16 am)Jimmi PB0002717/14 - ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LTD, 1 ADMIRAL WAY, DOXFORD INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PARK, SUNDERLAND, SR3 3XP

Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Darlington and Colburn given service number X27/26A/X26 effective from 08-Nov-2015. To amend Route and Timetable.

• Planning to retain 12 buses an hour between Middlesbrough and James Cook Hospital between the 28/29/29a and 63
  
• Services from Stokesley/Great Ayton and Lingdale/Guisborough/Nunthorpe would be rerouted via Longlands rather than via Linthorpe
  
• Saltersgill would see service level reduced from the present 20 minutes service back to the half hourly level of pre-February 2014
  
• Easterside and Marton Manor would see an increase from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes
  
• Every 15 minutes from Marton Shops (down from every 10 minutes) with 2 an hour operating faster journey times
  
• Cypress Road would return to the equal half hourly frequency instead of the 20/40 minute split at present
  
• Nunthorpe would revert to a half hourly service (vice every 20 minutes) operating to the faster journey times
  
• Eagle Park, Great Ayton, Stokesley, Guisborough and Lingdale would retain their present service level
  
• Evening and Sunday 28Bs would remain unchanged
  

(10 Nov 2015, 6:00 pm)Kuyoyo Following the Netherfields/Overfields consultation - now it's time for one for the Marton Road corridor

What they are looking at doing (they have specifically stated on the form that these are ideas, not set-in-stone plans)

• Planning to retain 12 buses an hour between Middlesbrough and James Cook Hospital between the 28/29/29a and 63
  
  
• Services from Stokesley/Great Ayton and Lingdale/Guisborough/Nunthorpe would be rerouted via Longlands rather than via Linthorpe
  
  
• Saltersgill would see service level reduced from the present 20 minutes service back to the half hourly level of pre-February 2014
  
  
• Easterside and Marton Manor would see an increase from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes
  
  
• Every 15 minutes from Marton Shops (down from every 10 minutes) with 2 an hour operating faster journey times
  
  
• Cypress Road would return to the equal half hourly frequency instead of the 20/40 minute split at present
  
  
• Nunthorpe would revert to a half hourly service (vice every 20 minutes) operating to the faster journey times
  
  
• Eagle Park, Great Ayton, Stokesley, Guisborough and Lingdale would retain their present service level
  
  
• Evening and Sunday 28Bs would remain unchanged
  
  

(11 Nov 2015, 9:28 am)Cock Robin Just can't leave anything alone for five minutes can they. Having said that, nothing came of the Netherfields consultation so hopefully the same will happen to this. Why did they take the services off Longlands in the first place?!

(11 Nov 2015, 11:12 am)Kuyoyo The routes of the 28/28b/29/29a haven't changed since Feburary 2014. As for the Netherfields one, considering they've done a second one to address concerns raised in the first, I'd say something might come of it.

(14 Nov 2015, 4:22 pm)Michael Christmas & New Year 2015 Bus Service Arrangements


The following arrangements will apply to all Arriva North East services over the Christmas and New Year period.


https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-east/Latest/christmas--new-year-2015/


A Thursday timetable will run on Christmas Eve and a Saturday timetable New Year's Eve with services gradually being withdrawn after about 1800.
A full list of affected journeys by area are available by clicking on the links below.


Teesside, Redcar & Cleveland and Whitby areas - https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/link/617a9e1f883e424ea007951049d2c766.aspx?id=80764

Darlington, Durham and County Durham areas - https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/link/7eb466d4cf4a40f39d6e77bdd37b2077.aspx?id=81939

Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland areas  (Coming Soon)

(14 Nov 2015, 4:30 pm)Jimmi ... And no service Boxing Day, yet again!

(14 Nov 2015, 4:30 pm)Jimmi ... And no service Boxing Day, yet again!

(15 Nov 2015, 1:19 am)Adrian Pathetic, isn't it? It's a working day for a lot of people nowadays.

(15 Nov 2015, 2:32 am)Jimmi Although some services are possibly not going to run making a profit, some services could run on a reasonable frequency, for example I think the 7 should run on Boxing Day (not just because it runs where I live), in years gone by I have actually seen a fair few people stood waiting for the bus at Aycliffe Town Centre and this is despite the fact there is no bus service that day, so I feel you could operate that service on a hourly frequency. Then you have services on Tyneside which could easily run and not running these services can in some cases can lose passengers to the competition.

Boxing Day is essentially a Bank Holiday these days and nearly all chain shops in major towns/citys like Darlington, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland and if you see the staff in many of these shops they will be aged around 18 and many of the people in this age group will be reliant on public transport such as buses, so I am completely puzzled on how some shops actually manage to get any staff to work in these shops on Boxing Day especially in the likes of Darlington where there is no bus service, I can only assume some staff working on that day are one of the following: live close enough that they can walk, have to call a friend/family member to give a lift or pay a small fortune for a taxi.

I was totally shocked the other day seeing adverts from the past about buses running on Christmas Day in a part of the North East whereas we now can't even get a even half decent service on Boxing Day, south of Durham Bus Station there must be no bus service for what must be a ridiculous number of miles.

So sadly once again Arriva will be leaving me stranded on Boxing Day, so once again those of you in Tyne and Wear or live on the GNE 20 & 21 routes be incredibly thankful that you can travel on this day getting your photos of the GNE odd allocations or if you are doing something else like taking advantage of the after Christmas sales or even if you don't use it, it is nice knowing you can use the bus if you want to. Meanwhile once again I will be climbing up the walls being bored mental.

(15 Nov 2015, 10:45 am)MrPottski To be honest, I believe the following services would all operate as a profit on Boxing Day from Darlington:
2 (full route), 3 (Skerne Park to Town Centre), 5A (full route), 7 (full route), 26A (possibly modified, terminating at Richmond or Catterick Tesco). Possibly added into this, a 13, 10 (inter working on an hourly frequency) X66 and an X75. Drivers would be volunteers (plenty would as long as there was a financial incentive) and there would have to be publicity to advise of the new services. It would make sense to use Solos, except on the 7, to keep costs at a minimum, especially for the first year of operation.

(15 Nov 2015, 8:58 am)RobinHood GNE have a pretty well established set of Boxing Day services, whereas Arriva have never done it.

I therefore suspect that Arriva would have much more rejection from drivers and engineering staff internally due to the historic nature of no service on these days, that they wouldn't be able to cover the service provision if they planned to. That lack of definitive heads to cover is probably the main reason why it doesn't happen.

That said, a decent pay rate can tempt pretty much anyone, but you wouldn't open a garage to run just one route (as that initial overhead cost of engineers and supervisors would all be loaded onto that single service along with drivers), you would want to run as much as you can to make it all worthwhile (just like GNE do when they run more routes from one depot for example) - then we come back around to the beginning of this post...

I suspect if it ever happens, it would be in the Northumbria end of the region, given demand already expects a service there. Darlington will never open just to run Service 7. It would be at a loss by lunchtime by the time overheads and background staff are taken into account.

(15 Nov 2015, 10:45 am)MrPottski To be honest, I believe the following services would all operate as a profit on Boxing Day from Darlington:
2 (full route), 3 (Skerne Park to Town Centre), 5A (full route), 7 (full route), 26A (possibly modified, terminating at Richmond or Catterick Tesco). Possibly added into this, a 13, 10 (inter working on an hourly frequency) X66 and an X75. Drivers would be volunteers (plenty would as long as there was a financial incentive) and there would have to be publicity to advise of the new services. It would make sense to use Solos, except on the 7, to keep costs at a minimum, especially for the first year of operation.