(05 Mar 2018, 9:42 pm)Andreos1 Haven't had need for a good rant recently. I think the last was about the fare structure on the purple Streetlites.
Previous rants have been about the purple Solar's.
Unfortunately, this one is also about the Purple Streetlites.
I recently had need to get from South Shields and the bus I needed to complete my journey was the 20A.
It's not a journey I enjoy and although the introduction of the 20A has opened up a lot of travel opportunities, quite a number of the trips on them have been expensive. Needless to say, they can be painful too.
Knackered Solar's replaced by painful Streetlites.
A return for the trip I wanted is £5.00. Unfortunately, I only needed a single (£4.40). Don't worry, I will try my best not touch on the frankly bizarre fare structure in place on the 20's anymore in this post.
Unfortunately, my adventure ended as soon as I looked at the timetable.
It isn't possible to use the 20A beyond Sunderland after 5pm.
Seeing as I needed to get beyond Sunderland and to a portion of route not served by the 20, it instantly meant that the only ticketing option available to me (other than a single and a walk), was a red zone day ticket and the prospect of hanging around in Houghton waiting for a connection.
Genuinely amazed that a service ran off in the peak, I re-read, re-checked and then shook my head in shock.
Buses from Durham run well beyond 5pm. But absolutely nothing starts off at the other end beyond 5pm.
Prior to discovering the flaw in the timetable, I had debated using a return ticket when the time was needed.
Unfortunately, this is no longer an option as the trip south will probably be beyond 5pm.
I investigated time vs cost on the 4/50, 4/Metro and a GNE red zone ticket.
Given the freedom and flexibility a Network Ticket allows me, then any required trips (which will be limited due to the duration of them), there is only one winner.
A frankly bizarre operating decision, that despite looking at, analysing and trying to understand, is one I struggle to get my head around.
Given the frequency of the 20 around Hall Lane during the early part of the evening, sending one around the other Houghton loop must be easy enough to resolve.
After all, there are passengers to provide a service for...
Just planning my return journey from Durham to South Shields with a choice of the 20 or 50 both taking 91 minutes and both costing £5.10 single fare. Now looking at a return ticket the 20 is £6.20 whereas the 50 is £7.20 a massive £1 difference on the same point to point journey with the same time duration. This lack of transparency in pricing is another example of Go North East being a supplier that is loosing the trust and respect of their customers.
