03 Aug 2015, 9:14 pm
#129
(03 Aug 2015, 8:36 pm)thetravelman Why aren't the changes pleasing everyone, I personally think it seems quite good and I think it would be good to see further improvement in the Tyne Valley areas.
What are people not happy about?
I travelled on the 12:10 682 to Colwell via Barrasford.
The sole passenger that joined at Barrasford remarked that they had lost the '10 o'clock' bus to Hexham (09:44 arriving 10:09), which had been very popular, returning after a couple of hours in Hexham (12:25), whereas now the bus arrived in Hexham @ 1 o'clock (13:09) then left after just an hour (14:10) leaving insufficient time for shopping. The alternative was leaving Hexham @ 16:49 or an early morning (07:40 - 08:15) leaving Hexham @ 12:10.
The Snaith service fitted in with leaving and collecting children at school, whereas she now had only one hour in Hexham (less allowance for getting from and to the bus station - soon to be further away from the shops).
I understand that the GNE 882 is only on a trial for a month (see below) - with those timings it seems certain to fail to attract sufficient pax.
Snaith 882
GNE revised Tynedale services
Edited to add (from the Hexham Courant):-
However, the 882 Hexham to Colwell service, which currently operates six days a week, has been “thinned out” because it exceeds an acceptable level of subsidy.
Travel manager Kirsten Francis said to bring the service within the allowed funding levels, the small numbers of users would have to be diverted on to fewer buses.
The five journeys per day serving Barrasford, Gunnerton and Colwell would be reduce to two inward journeys to Hexham and two return journeys, allowing a three hour stay in Hexham.
This contract would be piloted by Go North East as service 682 until October 10, to enable officers to assess whether it offered good value for money, or whether it should be scrapped.
