North East Buses

Anyone got any records for buses running late but haven't been taken out of service. I looked at the Arriva app tonight and an X21 was running 39 minutes late. I don't know if there was an error but blimey!

Here's one for starters. One cold and rainy night back in November, Newcastle was gridlocked and none of the Coast Road services showed up for a short while from either GNE or Arriva. The 1623 308 didn't show up neither did the 1635 306. The queue for stand L was more like a match night and just before 1645, the 1623 showed and left a couple of minutes later looking like a can of sardines! I knew not to get on that one and waited in good faith for the 1643 to show which it did and left at 1655. At about 1730, I was on the 1643 and passed the 1623 service at the Silverlink. We eventually got to Rake Lane at 1740 and as I was walking from there, the 1623 showed up 50 minutes later than scheduled.

Operators choose not to publish this data in full. Funny that. Under QCS, this data would be available for release under the Freedom of Information Act.

Arriva have publicly (on social media) stated that whilst the live app is a useful tool, it isn't the be all and end all.

The GPS data from the bus for example, has co-ordinates that are sent around every 20 seconds to the server, which then matches the bus to the right journey and plots it on the map for the end user. Its not a direct data connection between bus and your app.

However, this can be fooled if the driver incorrectly selects the wrong trip on the wayfarer - it will show the bus as silly late when it is actually on time, as the server thinks it is operating trip 14 of the day, when it is actually operating trip 15.

It can also be incorrect if the trip assignment at the server end is also incorrect - either with an out of date schedule on the server against a bus running to a revised schedule. This is more likely to happen when recent changes have occurred to the timetable however.

I remember the night when the Coca Cola truck came to the big Tesco Extra Stockton, and succeeded in gridlocking the whole area. I was waiting for a 37 in Stockton which eventually showed up 45 mins late... Operated to James Cook Hospital then went through to Park End and then basically drop off only all the way to Stockton and tried to get to North Tees Hospital to drop one passenger off, only to get stuck in traffic again.... in the end they gave up and walked so by the time I got back to Stockton to finish my shift I handed it over 30 mins late to the evening driver. Successful night that was.

I remember once seeing Service 8 Darlington - Spennymoor running over 50 minutes late once due to roadworks at Beaumont Hill in Darlington.

Also remember once getting Service 7 for Framwellgate Moor and The Honest Lawyer was flooded and it took us 1 hour 15 minutes to get to the Coach and Horses then we had to turn round at the roundabout and it took us about 20 minutes to get back to Thinford roundabout. After over 90 minutes on a horrid Dart I decided I'd had enough, so I walked to Ferryhill Market Place and caught Service 35 to Bishop Auckland which then changed to the 5/5A to Newton Aycliffe.

Years ago I was on the X5 and it broke down in Springwell Village. All the other passengers got on the next Express to come along as they were all heading to Washington.

When the replacement arrived, I was the only passenger to board it and the bus went NIS to Peterlee (where I was heading) and ran non-stop via the Sunderland Highway and A19.

Both Vehicles were Spectras.

Think the worst one for me must have been last year, when service 56 took about 40 minutes to cross the Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland - worst Match Day traffic ever.
Lots of people got off and walked. The driver said no at first, then he gave up refusing and just let them off.

Of course I could also bring up that time when three 56s in a row didn't turn up on a cold Sunday night and I was bed-bound for the following week... I did moan on about that for about a week - was it an hour and a half before a bus turned up?

(29 May 2014, 1:44 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Think the worst one for me must have been last year, when service 56 took about 40 minutes to cross the Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland - worst Match Day traffic ever.
Lots of people got off and walked. The driver said no at first, then he gave up refusing and just let them off.

Sometime last year - 1740 X9 left Newcastle bang on time, reached Gateshead 40 minutes later, 30 minutes late!

(29 May 2014, 1:47 pm)Kuyoyo wrote [ -> ]Sometime last year - 1740 X9 left Newcastle bang on time, reached Gateshead 40 minutes later, 30 minutes late!

Match day?

(29 May 2014, 2:18 pm)Marcus wrote [ -> ]Match day?

No, this was a weekday - very rare for me to be anywhere else but Teesside on Saturdays these days and even if I get any further, I'm normally back and on the bus home by that time.

Can remember waiting for a 21a in Houghton once.

GNE had a habit of not having the full PVR out on a Sunday when it got extended to Peterlee.
No idea if there were staffing issues or vehicle problems, but it happened quite often.

The worst example was watching the bus leave Houghton to go to Peterlee - I was still there when the bus returned from Peterlee.

Here's another one:

- I got the 1633 309 back in September when the students were starting Northumbria and Newcastle Universities respectively. The bus (Omnicity) was quiet. We left on time however, we didn't get to Corner House until 30 minutes later. The driver reported a 35 minute late running via the Radio when we reached Benfield Road. Took an hour to get home for a 39 minute journey. God knows how long that would've taken if the bus was full to the brim.

Another day, another late GNE bus. 13 minutes late on the 8, and guaranteed to miss my connection.

(29 May 2014, 4:36 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]Another day, another late GNE bus. 13 minutes late on the 8, and guaranteed to miss my connection.

Is it a Stanley-bound one or a Sunderland-bound one?

If it's the latter, I can't provide an excuse for GNE. If it's the former, then it takes them between 10 and 20 minutes to get down the bank on Chester Road from 16:00 to about 17:00 - every weekday, without fail. The roundabout should be controlled by traffic lights and there should be two lanes for the bank and perhaps it wouldn't cause such hideous traffic each day.

(29 May 2014, 4:42 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Is it a Stanley-bound one or a Sunderland-bound one?

If it's the latter, I can't provide an excuse for GNE. If it's the former, then it takes them between 10 and 20 minutes to get down the bank on Chester Road from 16:00 to about 17:00 - every weekday, without fail. The roundabout should be controlled by traffic lights and there should be two lanes for the bank and perhaps it wouldn't cause such hideous traffic each day.

I use the Lime 8 and 78 on a daily basis, like I do the 21. I don't travel on the 8 in the direction of Stanley every day, but on the many times I have on 'adventures', I can't name a single time it's pulled out at exactly 15 or 45 minutes past or to; even if late by just a minute or two.

I suppose that may also ought to driver changeovers, traffic etc.

(29 May 2014, 4:46 pm)Marcus wrote [ -> ]I use the Lime 8 and 78 on a daily basis, like I do the 21. I don't travel on the 8 in the direction of Stanley every day, but on the many times I have on 'adventures', I can't name a single time it's pulled out at exactly 15 or 45 minutes past or to; even if late by just a minute or two.

I suppose that may also ought to driver changeovers, traffic etc.

On each of the Get Around trips out I've done (typically on Saturdays), the 8s always get into Chester and have about five minutes where they just sit there and do nothing. Same story for the 78s too.

Guess I'm just lucky.

(29 May 2014, 4:48 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]On each of the Get Around trips out I've done (typically on Saturdays), the 8s always get into Chester and have about five minutes where they just sit there and do nothing. Same story for the 78s too.

Guess I'm just lucky.

You are the luckiest bus enthusiast I have ever met. I must admit, most of the time on those 8s where they leave late; it's the busy 'return from the market' runs where everyone gets on after their morning shop. Not too bad in the afternoons, barely a sole on in the early mornings.

(29 May 2014, 4:42 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Is it a Stanley-bound one or a Sunderland-bound one?

If it's the latter, I can't provide an excuse for GNE. If it's the former, then it takes them between 10 and 20 minutes to get down the bank on Chester Road from 16:00 to about 17:00 - every weekday, without fail. The roundabout should be controlled by traffic lights and there should be two lanes for the bank and perhaps it wouldn't cause such hideous traffic each day.

The Stanley bound 775/778 was often regulated around that time of day.
Would come down Chester front street picking up and dropping off but then miss the market place out completely.

No idea if this happens now, but back then (when there wasn't an 8) it was quite a regular occurrence, so there was always a wait. The following bus would be often late too, having been caught in the same queues of traffic out of Sunderland.

(29 May 2014, 4:51 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]The Stanley bound 775/778 was often regulated around that time of day.
Would come down Chester front street picking up and dropping off but then miss the market place out completely.

No idea if this happens now, but back then (when there wasn't an 8) it was quite a regular occurrence, so there was always a wait. The following bus would be often late too, having been caught in the same queues of traffic out of Sunderland.

It's a nightmare. I remember one night I got off at the hospital and ran up to The Wavendon. I had time to go home and get back to the bus stop (it had been an unusual allocation so I wanted to get a pic of it), and I still had a five or so minute wait for it to get back...

I'm nee Olympic runner either!

(29 May 2014, 4:42 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Is it a Stanley-bound one or a Sunderland-bound one?

If it's the latter, I can't provide an excuse for GNE. If it's the former, then it takes them between 10 and 20 minutes to get down the bank on Chester Road from 16:00 to about 17:00 - every weekday, without fail. The roundabout should be controlled by traffic lights and there should be two lanes for the bank and perhaps it wouldn't cause such hideous traffic each day.

Sunderland bound.

If it takes between 10 and 20 minutes every weekday without fail, I'd expect the running times to be adjusted? The Traffic Commissioner's office states that timetables should be both realistic and achievable.

(29 May 2014, 5:02 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]Sunderland bound.

If it takes between 10 and 20 minutes every weekday without fail, I'd expect the running times to be adjusted? The Traffic Commissioner's office states that timetables should be both realistic and achievable.

I have no idea then.

As for your last comment, I do agree. Having said that, you'd have to add two extra buses in for the Silver Arrows (where do we find 2x Mercs?), an extra bus for the 39 (again, where do we find another Versa?), and add another bus or two in for the Lime too.

Same applies for SNE's 5/5A and 16 too. It would be a massive cost, when you could argue the road infrastructure could be altered to allow things to flow more easily?

(29 May 2014, 5:07 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I have no idea then.

As for your last comment, I do agree. Having said that, you'd have to add two extra buses in for the Silver Arrows (where do we find 2x Mercs?) and add another bus or two in for the Lime too. Massive cost.

I don't dispute the cost, but it's to ensure the passengers are provided with a reliable service at the end of the day. Not to ensure a company maintains it's profit targets. Councils could do more to support in terms of infrastructure though.

(29 May 2014, 5:10 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]I don't dispute the cost, but it's to ensure the passengers are provided with a reliable service at the end of the day. Not to ensure a company maintains it's profit targets. Councils could do more to support in terms of infrastructure though.

The attached document appears to be related. Have no idea what it is as I've only briefly looked over it.

[attachment=5560]

On a related note, a Facebook status I've just spotted on my news feed regarding Stagecoach in Sunderland's service 3...

The number 3 is actually on time, ya fucker keep wishing that I'll Mary gerard way and that might actually happen anarl

I could only just understand the status and had to Google who 'Gerard Way' was, but did find it funny.

Many moons ago when I was doing a Drama Course in Stanley I was living in Framwellgate Moor, but one night was going back to my folks in Murton, got on the bus at Durham about 4:10pm, bus got to Hetton School and was turned round as parts of Hetton was flooded because of heavy rain, I finally got to Murton 2.5 hours late, making the return the next day to College, got on the bus in Murton at 8am, supposed to get to Durham just before 9am and onto Stanley for just before 10 am, I rolled into Durham at 11:30 and Stanley for 12:30, only to find to college had cancelled that day, I was the only idiot who managed to make it through...It had been belting down all night and the bus to Durham was stuck in traffic all the way from the Blacksmiths Arms in Pittington

(07 Jun 2014, 4:12 pm)AIG20 wrote [ -> ]Does anyone have any story's relating to public transport on Thunder Thursday (28th June 2012) - the day when the whole of Newcastle was flooded and when lightning struck the Tyne Bridge; as apparently nearly all traffic was at a standstill for several hours that afternoon.

metro got cancelled and there was a landslide at felling i found the link to alex thorkilsdens video(all credit to him) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbDaST0ZGL4

Someone I know was at Haymarket and no buses of the Coast Road pulled in until 7pm that night. It took him 4 hours on the 309 to get from Newcastle to New York. I wonder whether or not that run made it into Blyth.

I've got some photos from Chester Le Street on that night. Horners was practically a pub in the middle of a lake. You couldn't see the middle traffic island between the two 21 stands. GNE kept running, and I recall wading through water to jump on a President. The best bit was running through the A167, and the bus took in water on the stretch between Plawsworth and Pity Me. Everyone on the lower deck sitting with their feet in the air avoiding the river running through the bus

Wednesday 7th August 2013 - 2 fatal accidents on the major traffic arteries of the A19 and A66 brought Teesside to a standstill (and followed from one the previous day on the A19). The latest a bus got that day was 2 hours late (an Arriva 17 or 17a or 17b, can't exactly remember). At one point, a duplicate 36 had been out to help out and it had to finish in Stockton about half 2/3pm as the driver would have been out of hours before he'd even reached the next timing point (he'd only have just made it back to the depot, and when that light journey from the High Street gets 5 minutes shows how bad it was).