Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes

[Unber43]

Would the 342 not be a good loop service?

It could come down the A1, either go to Scotswood, or Metrocentre, then into Newcastle.

[DaveFromUpNorth]

Would the 342 not be a good loop service?

It could come down the A1, either go to Scotswood, or Metrocentre, then into Newcastle.

That would potentially make it a 40 mile circular bus service

[L469 YVK]

Thinking about this.

But with the impending ABTRL opening next year and the impact it could have on Blyth's services, it only leaves the 306/308 and 43/44/45 as the 'goldmines'. Plus these will still encounter operational issues such as dead mileage, remote reliefs and long layovers.

Arriva although expanding facilities at Blyth, have not made any investment since 2013/14 (308 B5LH's and X10/X11 refurbs). Could this signal Arriva eventually pulling Blyth and focusing their core operations around Bedlington, Ashington, Morpeth and the Northumberland Coast?

If Stagecoach were to lets say acquire Blyth's operations if Arriva sold up......

- 43/44/45 - have Walkergate or Slatyford for some boards

- 306/308 - have Walkergate for some boards plus they also have presence around parts of each routes

- X7/X8 - Have presence & competition around these routes

- X9/X10/X11 - Could make a good go of these

If Arriva re-trenched and just had Ashington, they could get by using all the E400MMCs + the 14x StreetLites for the 1/2/57/57A. Not forgetting that the X21/X22 will likely see a frequency reduction once the ABTRL opens.

[V514DFT]

See personally i dont know why the interworking is more sensible
like this
44/45
43/52/53
51/54 or 51/55
54/306/308
Would that not help combat dead mileage

i was on a GNE bus a while bacck when a W/c user who lived in my street tried to get on but the ramp didn't work. the driver went on his phone/radio and granted i didn't hear the whole conversation but the bus left with out them and by the time I got home they were just getting out of a Wheelchair accessible taxi ( they as in w/c user and person with them) and all the shopping at there door whilst i walked from the bus stop in the driving wind. Didn't sound like discrimination in that case!

The issue is that response shouldn't be required, and wheelchair users should be able to board buses. Obviously a broken ramp is slightly different (provided it was checked and worked on a first use inspection, and the defect happened in service), but the reports on here and elsewhere indicate that GNE have been knowingly sending out vehicles that cannot safely board wheelchair users at various bus stations, due to the centre door position of the ramp.

[Rob44]

could they not run the last 44 to dinnington then bakc through brunswick then follow the 43 rout to cramliniton or even up to blyth. I know it would add 20 minutes to the journy but im sure people woulnd mind that muche,. I mena ive got the 44 to dinnington then the same bus back to town via brunswick and I also have to put up with the " tour de gateshead" 29 serivice.

[mb134]

Arriva although expanding facilities at Blyth, have not made any investment since 2013/14 (308 B5LH's and X10/X11 refurbs). Could this signal Arriva eventually pulling Blyth and focusing their core operations around Bedlington, Ashington, Morpeth and the Northumberland Coast?

They're literally investing in electric vehicles and associated infrastructure for Blyth right now.

[Storx]

See personally i dont know why the interworking is more sensible
like this
44/45
43/52/53
51/54 or 51/55
54/306/308
Would that not help combat dead mileage

Dead milage isn't the problem. The problem is there's no where for the buses to go. Blyth and Ashington aren't big enough and they can't stay at Walkergate forever.

They were meant to go to Ashington but the expansion there isn't going ahead for whatever reason - they're claiming can't get land but it could be anything ie. Don't want to pay the price.

[L469 YVK]

They're literally investing in electric vehicles and associated infrastructure for Blyth right now.

And that defeats the whole scale of efficiencies as unless EV's were rolled out further, interworking the 43/44/45 with other Blyth based routes would be a no go for starters.

Then Arriva still have the issue of the 306 & 308 including dead runs to Tynemouth / Whitley Bay plus the long evening layovers too for the 306 given the fact that any interworking patterns would also gave to tie in with the 307 & 309 to maintain common headways.

Then....the inevitable when the ABTRL opens too for the X7/X8/X9/X10/X11

i was on a GNE bus a while bacck when a W/c user who lived in my street tried to get on but the ramp didn't work. the driver went on his phone/radio and granted i didn't hear the whole conversation but the bus left with out them and by the time I got home they were just getting out of a Wheelchair accessible taxi ( they as in w/c user and person with them) and all the shopping at there door whilst i walked from the bus stop in the driving wind. Didn't sound like discrimination in that case!

The issue is that response shouldn't be required, and wheelchair users should be able to board buses. Obviously a broken ramp is slightly different (provided it was checked and worked on a first use inspection, and the defect happened in service), but the reports on here and elsewhere indicate that GNE have been knowingly sending out vehicles that cannot safely board wheelchair users at various bus stations, due to the centre door position of the ramp.

[mb134]

And that defeats the whole scale of efficiencies as unless EV's were rolled out further, interworking the 43/44/45 with other Blyth based routes would be a no go for starters.

Then Arriva still have the issue of the 306 & 308 including dead runs to Tynemouth / Whitley Bay plus the long evening layovers too for the 306 given the fact that any interworking patterns would also gave to tie in with the 307 & 309 to maintain common headways.

Then....the inevitable when the ABTRL opens too for the X7/X8/X9/X10/X11

You had said there was no investment though, where there clearly is. Also unsure why they'd want the 43/44/45 to be interworking with anything else, the operation of them as they are now looks pretty efficient. 

I don't see a huge difference in 306s running dead to Whitley Bay from Blyth compared to from Jesmond, Google actually indicates the dead run will now be fewer miles.

[Shrek]

If I remember correctly, the terms of the levelling up funding for the new electric buses for the 43/44/45 will require those buses to be running those routes. So they'll probably have to keep them together for that purpose.

[Storx]

If I remember correctly, the terms of the levelling up funding for the new electric buses for the 43/44/45 will require those buses to be running those routes. So they'll probably have to keep them together for that purpose.

In fairness the hybrids were meant to be kept on the 308 and currently the 306/308 is meant to be fully Decker operated. I wouldn't be surprised to see them start to wander onto other routes like usual after a few weeks especially when things get reallocated for time keeping.

[logidoodah]

Still mention it all the time

---

I'd renumber it 64 aswell, that way it matches up in more ways than 1, my concern about that idea is the 62, as 1 extends to Throckley every 30 mins, so would you use that one to extend to Cramlington so it would be a Throckley- Cramlington service every 30 minutes?, 62/63 arent great at the best of times in regards to being on time, its been said a few times on here that the 62/63 need another service to take some of the pressure off

That's why I believe the 71/72/87/X63 all still exist in their form at the frequencies they do. 

15 mins combined Freq on a corridor with a 7.5 min Freq I'm surprised they still exist except for the Westerhope connection which they could replace them with the X63 except serving central station (instead of serving Blackett St) and extend that up to Cramlington. It is more realistic than adapting the already struggling 62/63 debacle which is only getting worse with cuts to nearby services.

i was on a GNE bus a while bacck when a W/c user who lived in my street tried to get on but the ramp didn't work. the driver went on his phone/radio and granted i didn't hear the whole conversation but the bus left with out them and by the time I got home they were just getting out of a Wheelchair accessible taxi ( they as in w/c user and person with them) and all the shopping at there door whilst i walked from the bus stop in the driving wind. Didn't sound like discrimination in that case!

The issue is that response shouldn't be required, and wheelchair users should be able to board buses. Obviously a broken ramp is slightly different (provided it was checked and worked on a first use inspection, and the defect happened in service), but the reports on here and elsewhere indicate that GNE have been knowingly sending out vehicles that cannot safely board wheelchair users at various bus stations, due to the centre door position of the ramp.

[solsburian]

In fairness the hybrids were meant to be kept on the 308 and currently the 306/308 is meant to be fully Decker operated. I wouldn't be surprised to see them start to wander onto other routes like usual after a few weeks especially when things get reallocated for time keeping.

Of course that is going to happen , will be interesting to see how they would handle a X10/11 board.

[EastCoastMXZ1751]

In fairness the hybrids were meant to be kept on the 308 and currently the 306/308 is meant to be fully Decker operated. I wouldn't be surprised to see them start to wander onto other routes like usual after a few weeks especially when things get reallocated for time keeping.

Can't even keep deckers on the busiest 308/306 duties, the 14.40 off town that takes Monkseaton & Billy mill schools is 1586 meanwhile 7526 is on a dead 50s duty hopefully when the 50s go so will all the blyth/Walkergate lites & pulsars and run them as fully decker operated

[Busu284]

See the problem u have is there isn't enough deckers at Walkergate/Blyth to cover the 43/44/45/X7/8/9/10/11 alongside shoving decekrs on the 306/308 as well. Reason we are seeing the occasion of the E400 from Ashington randomly appearing and 7524/25/26/56 appearing at Blyth & Walkergate

[mb134]

See the problem u have is there isn't enough deckers at Walkergate/Blyth to cover the 43/44/45/X7/8/9/10/11 alongside shoving decekrs on the 306/308 as well. Reason we are seeing the occasion of the E400 from Ashington randomly appearing and 7524/25/26/56 appearing at Blyth & Walkergate

This isn't correct. 

There are enough deckers on paper to cover what they should be covering. The X7/8/9 you mention have 5 Pulsar boards, with the 43 also having one booked Pulsar. 

7524-6 were transferred to replace 7515-7 for school boards which require E6 deckers. In reality they join a pool of E6 compliant deckers there, there was no net change in the amount of deckers at Walkergate after their transfer. 

I notice that the board 1586 was put onto today for it's one 308 run has only been a single deck for one other day in the past fortnight. I'd imagine once all work moves to Blyth and vehicle allocation becomes easier then we may see an improvement in 306/308 decker allocation, at the moment I think the runout from Walkergate is somewhat restricted - and don't forget Blyth depot isn't fully complete, so they're limited in engineering capacity I believe.

i was on a GNE bus a while bacck when a W/c user who lived in my street tried to get on but the ramp didn't work. the driver went on his phone/radio and granted i didn't hear the whole conversation but the bus left with out them and by the time I got home they were just getting out of a Wheelchair accessible taxi ( they as in w/c user and person with them) and all the shopping at there door whilst i walked from the bus stop in the driving wind. Didn't sound like discrimination in that case!

The issue is that response shouldn't be required, and wheelchair users should be able to board buses. Obviously a broken ramp is slightly different (provided it was checked and worked on a first use inspection, and the defect happened in service), but the reports on here and elsewhere indicate that GNE have been knowingly sending out vehicles that cannot safely board wheelchair users at various bus stations, due to the centre door position of the ramp.

[Jimmi]

Some service changes are planned in Durham from July 9th

Info circulated via some local Facebook groups and pages.
  FB_IMG_1684258168783.jpg (Size 84.94 KB / Downloads 40)

[tyresmoke]

Some service changes are planned in Durham from July 9th

Info circulated via some local Facebook groups and pages.

I gather this is just one sheet of many but the only one to go public so far


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Storx]

Some service changes are planned in Durham from July 9th

Info circulated via some local Facebook groups and pages.

Wonder if the X46 is going up to every 30 minutes on a Sunday to replace the 49A. Can't see what other improvements they can realistically do.

[Unber43]

Anything for the 6/22/23/X12?

i was on a GNE bus a while bacck when a W/c user who lived in my street tried to get on but the ramp didn't work. the driver went on his phone/radio and granted i didn't hear the whole conversation but the bus left with out them and by the time I got home they were just getting out of a Wheelchair accessible taxi ( they as in w/c user and person with them) and all the shopping at there door whilst i walked from the bus stop in the driving wind. Didn't sound like discrimination in that case!

The issue is that response shouldn't be required, and wheelchair users should be able to board buses. Obviously a broken ramp is slightly different (provided it was checked and worked on a first use inspection, and the defect happened in service), but the reports on here and elsewhere indicate that GNE have been knowingly sending out vehicles that cannot safely board wheelchair users at various bus stations, due to the centre door position of the ramp.