North East Buses

Emergency timetables being introduced some Ashington services from 14th April to combat driver shortages

I did notice a lot of Ashington services cancelled. Is there a link or what the timetables are?

Blyth have been just as bad as Ashington for no shows this month too. Think they could do with the emergency timetables too, at least to give some consistency as you never know day by day what will show up.

(29 Mar 2024, 9:35 pm)Arriva7446 wrote [ -> ]Blyth have been just as bad as Ashington for no shows this month too. Think they could do with the emergency timetables too, at least to give some consistency as you never know day by day what will show up.

There's nothing at Blyth which can realistically be dropped. Making one of the express routes every hour is unacceptable and would be counter productive, the Coast Road due to the partnership is a no go and the 43/44/45 would be complicated because of the subsidised 43 extensions.

unfortunately making some routes hourly is one of the only realistic options - 3hr 10min gap in the 1 between Ashington and Blyth the other day...

(30 Mar 2024, 12:49 am)omnicity4659 wrote [ -> ]unfortunately making some routes hourly is one of the only realistic options - 3hr 10min gap in the 1 between Ashington and Blyth the other day...

That's an Ashington route, Blyth hasn't been 'that' bad

(30 Mar 2024, 8:08 am)Storx wrote [ -> ]That's an Ashington route, Blyth hasn't been 'that' bad

Blyth have recently been operating some 1 boards, and 2 are due to transfer over from April.

(29 Mar 2024, 9:40 pm)Storx wrote [ -> ]There's nothing at Blyth which can realistically be dropped. Making one of the express routes every hour is unacceptable and would be counter productive, the Coast Road due to the partnership is a no go and the 43/44/45 would be complicated because of the subsidised 43 extensions.

Wouldn't be a massive deal if the 306 & 308 were dropped to every 30 mins. Yes would be a pain losing the common headways, but would still be at least a bus every 10 mins which outside the peaks, is more than adequate.

Also, if GNE's driver issues have subsided at Percy Main, could GNE not be subcontracted the evening 306 journeys similar to when they took some 51/351 journeys on during covid?

(30 Mar 2024, 8:08 am)Storx wrote [ -> ]That's an Ashington route, Blyth hasn't been 'that' bad

Going off the data I've collected, it appears that existing hourly services are mostly preserved and operated. I haven't gone through everything for the X21/X22 yet, but most days since the timetable change on services 1 and 2, the majority of services are severely delayed, cancelled or operated part route. It also looks like evening journeys on service 1 are being started short at Ashington mid way through a shift.

I think the staffing situation may be getting to the point where having the X21/X22 every 30 minutes may also be difficult, and that some pretty difficult decisions are going to need to be made on maintaining some sort of frequency.

If the worst comes to worst, then pretty much everything would cope with having deckers on an hourly frequency, with the X21/X22 each running half hourly...

(30 Mar 2024, 9:24 am)mb134 wrote [ -> ]Blyth have recently been operating some 1 boards, and 2 are due to transfer over from April.

Guessing temporary during the cancellations to try and get more things running?

(30 Mar 2024, 10:31 am)L469 YVK wrote [ -> ]Wouldn't be a massive deal if the 306 & 308 were dropped to every 30 mins. Yes would be a pain losing the common headways, but would still be at least a bus every 10 mins which outside the peaks, is more than adequate.

Also, if GNE's driver issues have subsided at Percy Main, could GNE not be subcontracted the evening 306 journeys similar to when they took some 51/351 journeys on during covid?

It's more that it wouldn't be allowed if anything, because of the partnership agreement, rather than technically.

If they done something it would be the 43/44/45 down to it's COVID timetable again imo. If I'm right the Morpeth to Cramlington section is only actually tendered for one bus an hour with the other commercial. It would be dirty tactics and would annoy the council, but shouldn't breach the contract, on paper.

(30 Mar 2024, 11:46 am)omnicity4659 wrote [ -> ]Going off the data I've collected, it appears that existing hourly services are mostly preserved and operated. I haven't gone through everything for the X21/X22 yet, but most days since the timetable change on services 1 and 2, the majority of services are severely delayed, cancelled or operated part route. It also looks like evening journeys on service 1 are being started short at Ashington mid way through a shift.

I think the staffing situation may be getting to the point where having the X21/X22 every 30 minutes may also be difficult, and that some pretty difficult decisions are going to need to be made on maintaining some sort of frequency.

If the worst comes to worst, then pretty much everything would cope with having deckers on an hourly frequency, with the X21/X22 each running half hourly...

The Ashington runs on the 43/44/45 have been severely impacted recently as well. Several days when at least two boards have been missing from what I've experienced. 

Apparently one of the local Councillors has a sit down with Arriva management soon. It'll be interesting to see what they say to him.

(30 Mar 2024, 11:46 am)omnicity4659 wrote [ -> ]Going off the data I've collected, it appears that existing hourly services are mostly preserved and operated. I haven't gone through everything for the X21/X22 yet, but most days since the timetable change on services 1 and 2, the majority of services are severely delayed, cancelled or operated part route. It also looks like evening journeys on service 1 are being started short at Ashington mid way through a shift.

I think the staffing situation may be getting to the point where having the X21/X22 every 30 minutes may also be difficult, and that some pretty difficult decisions are going to need to be made on maintaining some sort of frequency.

If the worst comes to worst, then pretty much everything would cope with having deckers on an hourly frequency, with the X21/X22 each running half hourly...

Aye you're probably right there, it's a mess mind, or they'll get some agency staff in again to bail them out but obviously not a wise move with the strike action as it's just going to cause tension. It appears they're actually being adults rather than causing a PR war in the public unlike the other company though, so hopefully they can get it sorted asap.

Don't worry NorthStar Dan to the rescue

Horrendous allocation from Ashington this morning. 0651 and 0711 X21s both single deckers, meanwhile the 0702 35 which is booked a single decker gets a 72 plate E400. 0704 and 0729 X22s cancelled, so obviously they put a single decker on the 0749. Single decker on an X14 board, which is mental given the loadings on those now. The use of brain cells is minimal, although at this point the presence of brains at all should be questioned.

(02 Apr 2024, 7:23 am)mb134 wrote [ -> ]Horrendous allocation from Ashington this morning. 0651 and 0711 X21s both single deckers, meanwhile the 0702 35 which is booked a single decker gets a 72 plate E400. 0704 and 0729 X22s cancelled, so obviously they put a single decker on the 0749. Single decker on an X14 board, which is mental given the loadings on those now. The use of brain cells is minimal, although at this point the presence of brains at all should be questioned.

I’m assuming that the Solos aren’t Euro 6 as I’m sure they would have been allocated by now if the were.