North East Buses
Tees Flex - Printable Version

+- North East Buses (https://northeastbuses.co.uk/forums)
+-- Forum: Local Bus Scene (https://northeastbuses.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Stagecoach North East (https://northeastbuses.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=57)
+--- Thread: Tees Flex (/showthread.php?tid=2568)

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5


Tees Flex - Rapidsnap - 16 Jun 2020

Does anyone know (other than the depot) where the Tees Flex buses tend to gather between pick ups.

I know Stillington is one location as I found 3 gathered there on Monday. Just need 2 more of the things to get photos of, and annoyingly they don't track anymore.


RE: Tees Flex - Andreos1 - 16 Jun 2020

(16 Jun 2020, 10:58 pm)Rapidsnap Does anyone know (other than the depot) where the Tees Flex buses tend to gather between pick ups.

I know Stillington is one location as I found 3 gathered there on Monday. Just need 2 more of the things to get photos of, and annoyingly they don't track anymore.

Weekends tend to see a handful parked up at Ron Perry/American Diner on the A19.
I've also noticed one or two parked up in Carlin How (opposite the steel works) at various times of the week.
Skelton Asda seems to be a common haunt and might be worth looking in, before heading to Carlin How.
When I was faffing with the app early on after launch, Skelton (outside the pubs on Marske Lane) often seemed to be the location the vehicle was parked at prior to collection. No idea if that's still the case.


RE: Tees Flex - tyresmoke - 17 Jun 2020

Yeah the drivers tend to have their own favourite spots, and from what I gather are enjoying it. Carlin How in the club car park is a favourite spot as there's usually a burger van there, and as said Skelton Asda is another good one.


RE: Tees Flex - Kuyoyo - 24 Aug 2020

More stops being added to Tees Flex in the near future

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/north-east/tees-flex

Billingham Town Centre being one that I've questioned for a good while as being missing.
Interesting addition of East Cleveland to James Cook Hospital for an additional £2 surplus charge - I wonder if something like that could not be offered for destinations in Hartlepool to North Tees Hospital. In addition, note the addition destinations added in Hartlepool.


RE: Tees Flex - ASX_Terranova - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 10:06 am)Kuyoyo More stops being added to Tees Flex in the near future

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/north-east/tees-flex

Billingham Town Centre being one that I've questioned for a good while as being missing.
Interesting addition of East Cleveland to James Cook Hospital for an additional £2 surplus charge - I wonder if something like that could not be offered for destinations in Hartlepool to North Tees Hospital. In addition, note the addition destinations added in Hartlepool.
Maybe even Towards Peterlee. I dont know if they would want to muscle in on Arriva though.


RE: Tees Flex - Kuyoyo - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 11:50 am)ASX_Terranova Maybe even Towards Peterlee. I dont know if they would want to muscle in on Arriva though.

This is a scheme paid for by the Tees Valley Mayor - it won't be operating outside of the Tees Valley area.


RE: Tees Flex - stagecoachbusdepot - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 10:06 am)Kuyoyo More stops being added to Tees Flex in the near future

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/north-east/tees-flex

Billingham Town Centre being one that I've questioned for a good while as being missing.
Interesting addition of East Cleveland to James Cook Hospital for an additional £2 surplus charge - I wonder if something like that could not be offered for destinations in Hartlepool to North Tees Hospital. In addition, note the addition destinations added in Hartlepool.

Seems a bit morally wrong to be adding the surcharge for passengers travelling to hospital - most won't be doing it for leisure purposes after all


RE: Tees Flex - tyresmoke - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 6:09 pm)stagecoachbusdepot Seems a bit morally wrong to be adding the surcharge for passengers travelling to hospital - most won't be doing it for leisure purposes after all
Also seems a bit wrong to be competing with commercial services using a tendered alternative!


RE: Tees Flex - James101 - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 10:06 am)Kuyoyo More stops being added to Tees Flex in the near future

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/north-east/tees-flex

Billingham Town Centre being one that I've questioned for a good while as being missing.
Interesting addition of East Cleveland to James Cook Hospital for an additional £2 surplus charge - I wonder if something like that could not be offered for destinations in Hartlepool to North Tees Hospital. In addition, note the addition destinations added in Hartlepool.

Great news - don’t suppose you know when these go live? See the on-demand area has been expanded into West Park in Hartlepool, will be interesting to see how this maps out on the app.

When I trailed Tees Flex head to head with scheduled buses  a few weeks ago I sent some feedback to Ben Houchen highlighting how disconnected public transport to North Tees is. Curiously he advocated using Flex and splitting the journey in Wynyard, kind of missing the point about making passenger jump through hoops. Hopefully direct journeys as per this new James Cook connection are made possible soon.


RE: Tees Flex - Economic505 - 24 Aug 2020

The Flex is a good DRT service but the Mayor’s party wrecked bus services with the 1985 Transport Act . Bus competition fizzled out by the early 1990s.


RE: Tees Flex - James101 - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 8:09 pm)Economic505 The Flex is a good DRT service but the Mayor’s party wrecked bus services with the 1985 Transport Act . Bus competition fizzled out by the early 1990s.

Good point, everyone who isn’t a shareholder in the big 4 lost out from dereg - most of all the passengers. But I dint think the Mayor can be held too accountable considering he was about a month off being born on deregulation day.

It’d be fantastic to see Bristol REs swinging by every lamppost in Hartlepool but in the real world The Flex is the most positive thing to happen to public transport in the Tees Valley for a decade.


RE: Tees Flex - Storx - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 8:09 pm)Economic505 The Flex is a good DRT service but the Mayor’s party wrecked bus services with the 1985 Transport Act . Bus competition fizzled out by the early 1990s.

(24 Aug 2020, 8:39 pm)James101 Good point, everyone who isn’t a shareholder in the big 4 lost out from dereg - most of all the passengers. But I dint think the Mayor can be held too accountable considering he was about a month off being born on deregulation day.

It’d be fantastic to see Bristol REs swinging by every lamppost in Hartlepool but in the real world The Flex is the most positive thing to happen to public transport in the Tees Valley for a decade.

It's very hard to blame it all on that. Nottingham and Edinburgh aren't doing no better than anywhere else and they're both council ran and the Tyne and Wear Metro which has been nationalised throughout bar a few years with DB Regio is way below it's 1985 levels and that's with an extension to Sunderland.

There's more to it such as the price of a car dropping and out of town shopping centres (remember the Metro Centre wasn't open then) that's done way more damage.


RE: Tees Flex - James101 - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 9:02 pm)Storx It's very hard to blame it all on that. Nottingham and Edinburgh aren't doing no better than anywhere else and they're both council ran and the Tyne and Wear Metro which has been nationalised throughout bar a few years with DB Regio is way below it's 1985 levels and that's with an extension to Sunderland.

There's more to it such as the price of a car dropping and out of town shopping centres (remember the Metro Centre wasn't open then) that's done way more damage.

Curious to hear by what measure you think Edinburgh and Nottingham are doing no better than Stagecoach in Hartlepool?

Network population coverage? Passenger satisfaction? Profit? Emissions?


RE: Tees Flex - Storx - 24 Aug 2020

(24 Aug 2020, 9:11 pm)James101 Curious to hear by what measure you think Edinburgh and Nottingham are doing no better than Stagecoach in Hartlepool?

Network population coverage? Passenger satisfaction? Profit? Emissions?

They're two totally different networks for a start, ones an isolated town with multiple operators whereas the other two are in large cities with large areas of monopoly. No-one looks upto Lothian or Nottingham City Transport as the way to run a bus network, they're just more of the same as everyone else.

Lothian vs Stagecoach in Newcastle
Nottingham City Transport vs National Express West Midlands

There's not a big deal between them. There's lots of other factors which will have impacted things much more than who runs the buses. Back in the 1985 supermarkets were rare for starters. Who wants to go shopping on a bus with 10 bags of shopping. That's before you bring in things like online shopping etc. Times have changed but some won't accept that.

To bring it back to Stagecoach in Hartlepool what are exactly meant to do, no-one wants to shop in Hartlepool so people will be shopping at numerous other places not to mention the 3 large supermarkets you have all with car parks, 2 retail parks and a cinema and bingo hall nowhere near the centre. Blame the council for giving planning permission for them.

Also just to add personally I think DRT will be the future of buses in quite a few areas, it would work quite well in some places up in Tyne and Wear imo. North Tyneside for example would be a good spot for it for a replacement of the W1, W2, W3, 59, 335, 359, 41 etc. possibly the 11 aswell. Could give some areas ie. Murton and Briardene a decent service which they don't have atm.


RE: Tees Flex - Economic505 - 24 Aug 2020

I m old enough to remember the integrated network in T&W , and still think it’s far better than what we have today imo. DRT is good but I have had some scheduled journeys cancelled at the very last minute, resulting in the need for a taxi .
Also , Flex doesn’t operate on a Sunday. - Which on one occasion meant, rather than pay for a taxi , I walked several miles in order to connect with a train.


RE: Tees Flex - Rob44 - 25 Aug 2020

As a regular up in Edinburgh i have to disagree. The bus service up there is 100% better than anything down here ( from my experience). Great prices, regular buses, real time information that actually works. Clean bus and MOST of the time pleasant drivers.


RE: Tees Flex - citaro5284 - 25 Aug 2020

(25 Aug 2020, 8:17 am)Rob44 As a regular up in Edinburgh i have to disagree. The bus service up there is 100% better than anything down here ( from my experience). Great prices, regular buses, real time information that actually works. Clean bus and MOST of the time pleasant drivers.
I notice you mention great prices.  If you take Lothian and then compare it to say Stagecoach Newcastle with been the main operator in Newcastle and Lothian the main operator in Edinburgh.  Fair enough there is others in Newcastle, but there is also First and Stagecoach in the Edinburgh area.  I think some people put Lothian in high regard but are they any better than any others.

Lothian Day Ticket - £4.50
Stagecoach Newcastle Day Ticket - £4.30

Lothian Weekly Ticket - £20.00
Stagecoach Newcastle Weekly Ticket - £15.00

Lothian 4 Weekly Ticket - £60.00
Stagecoach Newcastle 4 Weekly Ticket - £57.50


RE: Tees Flex - Adrian - 25 Aug 2020

(25 Aug 2020, 8:17 am)Rob44 As a regular up in Edinburgh i have to disagree. The bus service up there is 100% better than anything down here ( from my experience). Great prices, regular buses, real time information that actually works. Clean bus and MOST of the time pleasant drivers.

I used to complain about real time information regular, but the two apps I use (GNE and Arriva) have actually evolved to the point that it is excellent. The GNE app in particular is extremely easy to use, and probably the best mTicket transport app that I have used - something else that I used to regularly complain about.

I think more passengers would benefit from real time information at bus stops though, rather than just on an app, but there has been very little notable investment in this from the local authorities. The existing screens at bus stations in Tyne and Wear are poorly maintained (Galleries has been off for over a year), so I would have very little faith in Nexus' ability to manage a large network of street infrastructure.

Brighton & Hove is a good example of partnership working to achieve this.


RE: Tees Flex - Rob44 - 25 Aug 2020

Citaro - you are correct i was thinking more GNE and Arriva. You are comparing to Stagecoach Newcastle.... would you say they both serve the same type/size of area? Plus with the Lothian ticket can you not also use the ( tiny) tram network?

Adrian - i agree with you too. the The appt from GNE has improved.. On several occasions on the old version the bus looked like it was heading to the bus stop but when i arrived and waited ages only to find out from fellow passenger that it hadn't been or it had gone just before I arrived.. Also 90% of bus users can see the real time information. How many have a Smart phone, have the app down loaded and know how to use it? Also in the right place real time information could encourage bus use.


RE: Tees Flex - Andreos1 - 27 Aug 2020

Used this for the first time recently. 
Ordered it from Saltburn Station to Guisborough.
It was chucking down, so rushed to the canopy outside the station and saw a bus parked at the main bus stops.
Rushed over, approached bus and found out that it wasn't ours. Driver was freindly enough, pointed out he only had one booking and that was to go to Skelton. 
Reminded us of the reg details appearing on the app and waited for his passenger. Seconds later, our vehicle appeared (it was one of the new 69 plates) and we boarded. As MrsC had already paid by PayPal, there wasn't much else for us to do. The driver confirmed we paid and we made our way to our seats.
Got to Guisborough just a few minutes later and off we went. 
There was already one vehicle in Guisborough dropping someone off and another pulled in, dropping someone else off.

Didn't use the USB ports and thought the seats were reasonably comfortable (not luxurious at all) for the trip.

The trip cost £4.50 - which is cheaper than a taxi.
I can't help feeling that even in these times of social distancing, that the service could be used in a more cost effective manner. 
Sticking us on the bus which went to Skelton and having it continue down the road would have added 5mins to the journey.
The buses arriving either side of us in to Guisborough, can't have come that far bearing in mind the size of the zone. Could loads have been consolidated from these 4 vehicles on to fewer?