North East Buses

(07 Aug 2013, 6:32 pm)Michael wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 6:30 pm)Brandon wrote [ -> ]Cheers! :s I can get the 40 half way there which I've done before but that involves a 20 minute walk alongside some fields which sets my hay fever which isn't good either!

haha it would set mine off to = (

Michael "sighs", bazza the link was already posted but thanks for giving full details

yeah i like to make sure everyone is up to date on things anyhow today i saw a crusader citaro on orbit 52 and a lime on 28 plus 3967 on 307 got a rather rude driver who shouted abusive stuff while me and adam were taking photos

(07 Aug 2013, 6:38 pm)CatsFast101 wrote [ -> ]Worth noting that the latest set of changes also list 'Northern 39' seemingly confirming the end of Doxford clipper once and for all. Most services will probably have the updated timetables after these changes too.

Yeh iv'e just noticed it, i know it was said earlier that it's probley's just slight changes but could the full frequency be dropped to 15 mins with these changes. - also keeping looking to what is on the timetable for it, could it be a cadet, SPD/MPD haha

Remember GNE didn't tell us that the 61 was dropping to every 30 mins on a Sunday, same as the 51/52.

These minor changes are really the ones what need to be checked as GNE never post's info about them

Wonder if we could get more runs on the 18 now since the OK1 will be gone this week

Service X84 will make quick stops in Ovingham, Wylam, Heddon and Throckley on the way.

Any quicker than the stops the 684 currently makes in Ovingham, Wylam, Heddon and Throckley?

Sorry to change subject but does anyone know what the X43 Stanley-MetroCentre usually operates with?

If I'm reading right looks like no Waggonway change yet with 28A and 29 being Kibblesworth service outside 1A

So do we think March when Coaster is changed? No obvious change around Wrekenton and Harlow Green. Clearly the twirlts wanted their beach service back

I'm sure its a trident, not sure

(07 Aug 2013, 7:04 pm)CatsFast101 wrote [ -> ]Sorry to change subject but does anyone know what the X43 Stanley-MetroCentre usually operates with?

It depends. Sometime it's Diamond-branded and at other times it's just a normal Northern liveried bus (sometimes a double-decker, sometimes a single). Over the past two weeks, its been a combination of all three, however, the Diamond-branded Citaro usually appears on Sunday workings. Sorry that I can't be more specific.

(07 Aug 2013, 7:10 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 7:04 pm)CatsFast101 wrote [ -> ]Sorry to change subject but does anyone know what the X43 Stanley-MetroCentre usually operates with?

It depends. Sometime it's Diamond-branded and at other times it's just a normal Northern liveried bus (sometimes a double-decker, sometimes a single). Over the past two weeks, it's been a combination of all three, however, the Diamond-branded Citaro usually appears on Sunday workings. Sorry that I can't be more specific.

No that's great. Thanks guys.

(07 Aug 2013, 5:42 pm)cbma06 wrote [ -> ]Have GNE not learned from last time when service 1 was extended passed Gateshead into Gateshead area, where the buses was always late and not turning up due to if there was a delay or big delay on north Tyneside then the southern end gets the flack of no buses and vice versa as buses were taken off to be put back on time.

In the customer consultation they sent out about the 24, customers were given the choice of whether they wanted the 24 to remain at a frequency of every 20 mins and terminate at Gateshead, or 1/2 hourly and serve the centre of Newcastle.

If the timings allowed they should have just kept the 24 and extended it to Newcastle, even if it did mean reducing the frequency from 20 to 30 mins, rather than bringing back the Coaster and making it vulnerable to severe delays, which as you say, was a big problem the last time.

(07 Aug 2013, 6:40 pm)CitaroFavourite wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 6:32 pm)Michael wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 6:30 pm)Brandon wrote [ -> ]Cheers! :s I can get the 40 half way there which I've done before but that involves a 20 minute walk alongside some fields which sets my hay fever which isn't good either!

haha it would set mine off to = (

Michael "sighs", bazza the link was already posted but thanks for giving full details

yeah i like to make sure everyone is up to date on things anyhow today i saw a crusader citaro on orbit 52 and a lime on 28 plus 3967 on 307 got a rather rude driver who shouted abusive stuff while me and adam were taking photos

I didn't see what happened just to clarify as I walked straight past you bazza, didn't even see you until you said my name.

In regard to the changes to the 1/24/24a, we can simply compare the consultation results and justifications made by GNE when the service was split circa Nov 2011.

Here's the section of the bus briefing concerning the 1/24/24a

Coaster 1 and 2

The Coaster service will be shortened to run between Gateshead, Newcastle City Centre, Byker, Wallsend, North Shields and Whitley Bay. All journeys will run as service 1 and there will be no changes to the existing route between Gateshead and Whitley Bay.

Buses will run every 15 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes and every 30 minutes in the evening. Later evening buses will run between Newcastle City Centre and North Shields only.
South of Gateshead, the current Coaster services will be replaced by the new Angel 24, the revised Waggonway 28A and the Nexus 29.

Full details of through ticketing options for customers who wish to change on to the new Coaster service 1 to travel beyond Newcastle city centre will be published on line and in the new Angel 24 timetable.

New Angel 24

The new Angel service 24 will run between Newcastle, Gateshead, Low Fell and Wrekenton. It will replace the Coaster service 2 along this route.

Wrekenton will benefit from a more frequent and reliable service, as the Angel 24 will run every 10 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes. The 24 will also combine with the Angel 21 to provide a co-ordinated 5-minute frequency service between Newcastle, Gateshead and Low Fell.
In the early evening and on Sundays, buses will run every 20 minutes. In the late evening, buses will run every 30 minutes. At these times, one bus per hour will run as service 24A and will operate from Low Fell to Kibblesworth and will not serve Wrekenton.

The new Angel 24 will adopt the well recognised pink livery, while the Angel 21 will sport a new red version of the brand making both services easy to recognise.

Regular travellers can save money with the Angel Weekly Saver ticket. Priced at £15, this will give unlimited travel on Angel services 21 and 24.

And here's the consultations results: [attachment=4528]

Coaster and the Waggonway – 1/2 and 28/28A

• 81%of people didn’t care about our plan to shorten the Coaster route at the same time as we increase our Angel frequency between Low Fell, Gateshead and Newcastle. 12%were ‘in favour’ or ‘strongly in favour of this, while 7%were ‘against’ or ‘strongly against’ it.
  
  
• Customers in Kibblesworth said that it is most important to have direct bus links with Gateshead, Newcastle and Low Fell. Birtley, Chester-le-Street and Bensham were seen as less important for direct links.
  
  
• 41%of respondents were ‘against’ or ‘strongly against’ our plan to divert the 28/28A via Kibblesworth. 28%were ‘in favour’ or ‘strongly in favour’ of this. 36% said they didn’t care.
  

Several other comments were made in the consultation, although not in response to specific questions. There were four particular themes, as follows:

• Concerns that any diversion to the 28/28A will increase journey times for people travelling between Ouston and Newcastle.
  
  
• Concerns about losing a direct bus link between Kibblesworth and Low Fell.
  
  
• Requests to reduce the journey time between Kibblesworth, Gateshead and Newcastle.
  
  
• Requests for early morning Angel buses to run to a better timetable to allow people to get to work in Newcastle for 0600.
  
  

We are very pleased about the positive response to the majority of our ideas. We are currently finalising plans for these services, taking into account all of the responses to the consultation and the additional concerns that have been raised.

(Quick suggestion: maybe a GNE Consultation section should be added to the bygone era to ensure that these results are not lost forever?)

(07 Aug 2013, 8:06 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]In regard to the changes to the 1/24/24a, we can simply compare the consultation results and justifications made by GNE when the service was split circa Nov 2011.

Here's the section of the bus briefing concerning the 1/24/24a

Coaster 1 and 2

The Coaster service will be shortened to run between Gateshead, Newcastle City Centre, Byker, Wallsend, North Shields and Whitley Bay. All journeys will run as service 1 and there will be no changes to the existing route between Gateshead and Whitley Bay.

Buses will run every 15 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes and every 30 minutes in the evening. Later evening buses will run between Newcastle City Centre and North Shields only.
South of Gateshead, the current Coaster services will be replaced by the new Angel 24, the revised Waggonway 28A and the Nexus 29.

Full details of through ticketing options for customers who wish to change on to the new Coaster service 1 to travel beyond Newcastle city centre will be published on line and in the new Angel 24 timetable.

New Angel 24

The new Angel service 24 will run between Newcastle, Gateshead, Low Fell and Wrekenton. It will replace the Coaster service 2 along this route.

Wrekenton will benefit from a more frequent and reliable service, as the Angel 24 will run every 10 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes. The 24 will also combine with the Angel 21 to provide a co-ordinated 5-minute frequency service between Newcastle, Gateshead and Low Fell.
In the early evening and on Sundays, buses will run every 20 minutes. In the late evening, buses will run every 30 minutes. At these times, one bus per hour will run as service 24A and will operate from Low Fell to Kibblesworth and will not serve Wrekenton.

The new Angel 24 will adopt the well recognised pink livery, while the Angel 21 will sport a new red version of the brand making both services easy to recognise.

Regular travellers can save money with the Angel Weekly Saver ticket. Priced at £15, this will give unlimited travel on Angel services 21 and 24.

And here's the consultations results:

Coaster and the Waggonway – 1/2 and 28/28A

• 81%of people didn’t care about our plan to shorten the Coaster route at the same time as we increase our Angel frequency between Low Fell, Gateshead and Newcastle. 12%were ‘in favour’ or ‘strongly in favour of this, while 7%were ‘against’ or ‘strongly against’ it.
  
  
• Customers in Kibblesworth said that it is most important to have direct bus links with Gateshead, Newcastle and Low Fell. Birtley, Chester-le-Street and Bensham were seen as less important for direct links.
  
  
• 41%of respondents were ‘against’ or ‘strongly against’ our plan to divert the 28/28A via Kibblesworth. 28%were ‘in favour’ or ‘strongly in favour’ of this. 36% said they didn’t care.
  

Several other comments were made in the consultation, although not in response to specific questions. There were four particular themes, as follows:

• Concerns that any diversion to the 28/28A will increase journey times for people travelling between Ouston and Newcastle.
  
  
• Concerns about losing a direct bus link between Kibblesworth and Low Fell.
  
  
• Requests to reduce the journey time between Kibblesworth, Gateshead and Newcastle.
  
  
• Requests for early morning Angel buses to run to a better timetable to allow people to get to work in Newcastle for 0600.
  
  

We are very pleased about the positive response to the majority of our ideas. We are currently finalising plans for these services, taking into account all of the responses to the consultation and the additional concerns that have been raised.

(Quick suggestion: maybe a GNE Consultation section should be added to the bygone era to ensure that these results are not lost forever?)

They really are a shambles of a company.

(07 Aug 2013, 8:06 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ](Quick suggestion: maybe a GNE Consultation section should be added to the bygone era to ensure that these results are not lost forever?)

I agree - it would be great if these could be saved on the forum somehow - I suspect this won't be the only 180 done by GNE given their approach to 'consultation', then doing what they wanted anyway.

Thanks Adam that's a great idea. I'll get started on this. There was a consultation carried out in 2009 I believe for the Mid-Tyne area and the results and data were compiled into a large and very informative PDF report. I'm sure I have a copy of it somewhere on a USB drive but I can't for the life of me find it. Sadly the wayback machine didn't "save" a copy of the Go North East webpage that the link was embedded on - at that particular time.

Regarding that section, I'm rather keen to set up a section for dedicated features on iconic routes; including photos, timetables, route histories etc. Maybe this could include the 638

(07 Aug 2013, 6:37 pm)danpick wrote [ -> ]south tyne 88/a changing again south tyne 5 only changed end july
and now they've changed 39 to northern

So it looks like the left hand didn't know what the right was doing after all when they published the new timetables in June complete with Doxford Clipper branding while at the same time removing the brand from all buses and - as is now clear - deleting the brand all together.

Here's the Wayback Machine link if you want it: http://web.archive.org/web/2012050613583...sultation/ - It gives you all of GNE's consultation reports from 2009 - May 2012. Get downloading

So we'll consult the Low Fell area because we make money there and they've got noisy councillors but bugger the rest of the route that suffers as a result of these changes we'll just send them a voucher for a key card when they complain

(07 Aug 2013, 8:41 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]Here's the Wayback Machine link if you want it: http://web.archive.org/web/2012050613583...sultation/ - It gives you all of GNE's consultation reports from 2009 - May 2012. Get downloading

That wasn't me who stated his concerns about lack of evening or Sunday buses in Fencehouses mind!

It is interesting to see how they have interpreted the results of the 'interchange' in Houghton though. 17% thought it was very good. 17% thought it was poor/very poor...

(07 Aug 2013, 8:54 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 8:41 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]Here's the Wayback Machine link if you want it: http://web.archive.org/web/2012050613583...sultation/ - It gives you all of GNE's consultation reports from 2009 - May 2012. Get downloading

That wasn't me who stated his concerns about lack of evening or Sunday buses in Fencehouses mind!

It is interesting to see how they have interpreted the results of the 'interchange' in Houghton though. 17% thought it was very good. 17% thought it was poor/very poor...

Lies, damned lies and GNE consultations

(07 Aug 2013, 8:54 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 8:41 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]Here's the Wayback Machine link if you want it: http://web.archive.org/web/2012050613583...sultation/ - It gives you all of GNE's consultation reports from 2009 - May 2012. Get downloading

That wasn't me who stated his concerns about lack of evening or Sunday buses in Fencehouses mind!

It is interesting to see how they have interpreted the results of the 'interchange' in Houghton though. 17% thought it was very good. 17% thought it was poor/very poor...

Going back to the Kibblesworth consultation. I would love to know how many of the 28% were 'strongly in favour' of rerouting the 28a through the village and also why, despite customers thinking it was more important to have links with Low Fell, they decided to do so.

(07 Aug 2013, 9:02 pm)gtomlinson wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 8:54 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 8:41 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]Here's the Wayback Machine link if you want it: http://web.archive.org/web/2012050613583...sultation/ - It gives you all of GNE's consultation reports from 2009 - May 2012. Get downloading

That wasn't me who stated his concerns about lack of evening or Sunday buses in Fencehouses mind!

It is interesting to see how they have interpreted the results of the 'interchange' in Houghton though. 17% thought it was very good. 17% thought it was poor/very poor...

Lies, damned lies and GNE consultations

Does anyone know if they have a team of people who come up with these changes? Or is it a computer? Or do they get consultants in?

(07 Aug 2013, 9:02 pm)gtomlinson wrote [ -> ]Lies, damned lies and GNE consultations

That's why I feel they need to be archived for posterity. If you search the site now, they don't appear anywhere.

(07 Aug 2013, 9:06 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Does anyone know if they have a team of people who come up with these changes? Or is it a computer? Or do they get consultants in?

I would like to think it's computer.

Input: 'Is it possible to give Fencehouses a wider range of transport links without having to change service'

Response: Computer says no.

(07 Aug 2013, 9:11 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 9:06 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Does anyone know if they have a team of people who come up with these changes? Or is it a computer? Or do they get consultants in?

I would like to think it's computer.

Input: 'Is it possible to give Fencehouses a wider range of transport links without having to change service'

Response: Computer says no.

I would like to think they could get their money back!

(07 Aug 2013, 9:14 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 9:11 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 9:06 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Does anyone know if they have a team of people who come up with these changes? Or is it a computer? Or do they get consultants in?

I would like to think it's computer.

Input: 'Is it possible to give Fencehouses a wider range of transport links without having to change service'

Response: Computer says no.

I would like to think they could get their money back!

Neargh. There's no chance of a refund on the JML Consult-o-matic 3000.

(07 Aug 2013, 9:08 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 9:02 pm)gtomlinson wrote [ -> ]Lies, damned lies and GNE consultations

That's why I feel they need to be archived for posterity. If you search the site now, they don't appear anywhere.

GNE consultations are up there with the Hitler Diaries when it comes to works of fiction. They are a tick box exercise in lip service

I'd respect the company more if they admitted they are screw ups who do what they want

(07 Aug 2013, 9:08 pm)AdamY wrote [ -> ]

(07 Aug 2013, 9:02 pm)gtomlinson wrote [ -> ]Lies, damned lies and GNE consultations

That's why I feel they need to be archived for posterity. If you search the site now, they don't appear anywhere.

They are still on there back to 2009, just not very intuitive path to navigate to them! Link for anyone who's interested: http://www.simplygo.com/customer-consultation/

Can someone explain what 8254 is doing on a 24 to Newcastle in Gateshead at this time (0730)?
Also, the 92 in Heworth at 0720 was a Metrolink (albeit repainted) Scania if that helps anyone!

(08 Aug 2013, 6:35 am)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]Can someone explain what 8254 is doing on a 24 to Newcastle in Gateshead at this time (0730)?
Also, the 92 in Heworth at 0720 was a Metrolink (albeit repainted) Scania if that helps anyone!

Caught up with said Cadet on Pilgrim St where it was waiting to head to Team Valley on a 91... I presume this must be either a part day board or it works onto 88 (you'd hope!)

(08 Aug 2013, 6:35 am)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]Can someone explain what 8254 is doing on a 24 to Newcastle in Gateshead at this time (0730)?

I believe I read something a while back about the first 5 of the morning being operated by Washington depot with a "South Tyne 88" branded Cadet. This then works a 24, and then goes off onto a Team Valley workers service prior to performing 88s for the day.

EDIT: I have a photo of a "South Tyne 88" branded Cadet on the 91 here.