(24 Nov 2019, 11:30 am)L469 YVK Another bit of a daft question here but when the X30 is going to Newcastle via the A184, why does it go down and up the slip road at the Askew Road junction rather than going straight over the bridge? Is this just specific to double deckers?

height restriction on the flyover Newcastle bound only. 10ft 6 limit, Mercs had to go down to roundabout being 10ft 10 (some drivers didn’t), Streetlites being 10ft 1 can go over.

(24 Nov 2019, 9:53 am)pbjd Streetlite 5459 involved in a thermal incident in Swalwell yesterday afternoon.

(22 Nov 2019, 9:25 am)streetdeckfan Exactly that. I mean the X30 is still pretty quick, it only takes about 10-15 minutes longer than the car assuming it has a clear run, and the car follows the speed limits

My main gripe though is with the X45/46/47. Having them run limited stop for the short section between MetroCentre and Newcastle is not enough to call it an express route in my eyes.
And no matter how you put it, a journey with 71 stops (in the case of the X21) is not express!
 

(24 Nov 2019, 3:35 pm)big mac If GNE have stuck an X on the front of the 45/46/47 because of the short section of route from the metrocentre to Newcastle where it is non-stop, why haven't they with the 10/10A/10B, as they do the same thing?

(24 Nov 2019, 3:40 pm)streetdeckfan Exactly. Its all marketing bull! They didn't have enough 'express' routes to make the X-lines 'network' so they just made some up!

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(24 Nov 2019, 2:43 pm)L469 YVK Thanks, probably also clears up my previous question about the TVT / Red Kites going via the Gas Works rather than Pitz Soccer & Lookers Ford as it takes the same amount of time. Can the X30 also come off at the Askew Rd junction and divert via Centrelink if required?

(24 Nov 2019, 4:21 pm)big mac I also think the X prefix could be confusing to passengers, who will see the X and presume that means limited stop, but on the x45/x46/x47, and also the x21, there are large sections of the route where the services serve every single stop along the way. People will just get baffled about which service stops where.

(24 Nov 2019, 5:05 pm)S813 FVK Even before the July changes, the journey time of the Red Kites wasn't that much longer than the X70/X71. In that sense, it could be argued that they may as well portray them as express services given they aren't that much slower than the actual 'expresses'. 

However, that doesn't persuade me away from the view that the rebrand is only taking place for the operational convenience of getting drivers of the X31 back to Consett instead of having to do any driver swaps at Stanley, with the non-stop section being introduced to justify the rebrand on a public-facing level.

A good approach to reduce fuel consumption, but not one that has been entirely favourable with passengers (hello to those in Lanchester, Burnhope and Quaking Houses!).

(24 Nov 2019, 7:25 pm)OrangeArrow49 Is an internet connection required to use an M-Ticket? Is using the onboard WiFi possible or does the M-Ticket need to be shown upon boarding? I have never used the app. Can I save the M-Ticket somehow to be used offline? Thanks.

(24 Nov 2019, 7:37 pm)streetdeckfan You need to activate it when you're online, but it should stay available on the app even if you have no signal. But I wouldn't count on it working, it's known to have many issues with the barcode not showing even with internet!

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(24 Nov 2019, 4:21 pm)big mac I also think the X prefix could be confusing to passengers, who will see the X and presume that means limited stop, but on the x45/x46/x47, and also the x21, there are large sections of the route where the services serve every single stop along the way. People will just get baffled about which service stops where.

(24 Nov 2019, 7:42 pm)OrangeArrow49 So I activate it on the app within 3 month of issue, when I am online and then I can use it offline after that? I wasn't sure if the app worked offline. What happens when there are issues, with or without internet?

(25 Nov 2019, 10:45 am)Rob44 Andreos.... that a X service!!!  I used to travel on the x4 to Sunderland interchange a lot, and I don't think that journey took to long either!