Reversing the decline in passenger numbers

14273

31 Aug 2021, 11:23 am

#206

(31 Aug 2021, 4:47 am)deanmachine Do the older style services work in a modern environment though, when there's say multiple buses that use the same corridor that go to completely different places work in the modern environment though? And I don't just mean the 56, 35, 12/13 and 3 all using North Hylton Road.

For example there was a time when there was a bus that followed the current 20 route to Sunderland then onto Seaham. It was and still is my main route to Sunderland, yet I don't seem to remember it in my childhood? I only ever remember getting the 535/536, or E6. I'm not sure how you'd incorporate that into a modern bus network. If I actually wanted to get to Seaham by bus, I think I'd probably just jump on the first bus that got me to Park Lane, then the first bus to Seaham from there, which I think the current system is built for? Would more people who don't plan public transport journeys like I do just wait for the bus that had Seaham written on the front, even if it was hourly, despite their being buses every 12 minutes across the whole route from the same operator?

I'm not really sure where the solution is, and whether people would use it more than the current system. Or am I missing a third option that is better than the old and new system?

I think frequency is a major part in someone using a service. I also think there are other factors to take in to account such a pricing, journey time, branding and any other conditioning factors that come from familiarity or something else.

I've mentioned ratio and probability in the past and I think it plays a part in the success (or lack of) with a particular service.
Old Durham Road is probably a key example. It has a mixture of frequent and in-frequent services and I'd hazard a guess that for someone travelling between Gateshead and the QE, they would end up on one of the more frequent buses such as the 56 or 57 as opposed to something like the 28 - regardless of any stand allocations at the Interchange.

It is probably why the likes of the 925, 938 etc never survived and why the 238 was withdrawn. The 238 was never going to compete between Sunderland and Seaham, versus the 60 and probably struggled for local trips too.

I genuinely don't think hub and spoke works as well as operators believe it does or want it to work.

I know someone who lives in the Roker/Fulwell area and who works in Seaham Business Park near Blast Beach. He doesn't drive.
Whilst I'm not saying he deserves a bus to take him to/from work, I do know that using public transport is always his last resort.
He will do anything to get a lift, over using the bus.

The train isn't an option to/from Sunderland (despite it being quicker), due to the poor connectivity to other modes of transport at Seaham.

Yes, it is just one example - but it is possibly a snapshot of the issues commuters face in that because there's never been an established, regular connection between two points, operators think that should never be a regular connection between the two points.
Except, maybe there should be. Or at least something that is better than what we have now.

'Illegitimis non carborundum'

Andreos1