Go North East: Service Suggestions v2

414

14 Jan 2023, 12:22 am #2,677

(13 Jan 2023, 11:17 pm)Storx I'd imagine it's a bit too long via Gateshead and you'd damage the 93/94 which has it's own purpose of getting people around Gateshead.
Personally I'd look at splitting the Q3 into more routes maybe something like:

Q1 (Yutong's): Great Park - Gosforth - Jesmond - John Dobson Street (omit Haymarket) - Newcastle Quayside - Swing Bridge - The Sage - Gateshead - X66 Metro Centre (Every 15 Minutes)
Q2 (Versa's): St Peter's Basin - Newcastle Quayside - Central Station - Redheugh Bridge - Lobley Hill Road - Team Valley (Every 30 Minutes)
Q3 (Versa's): Hadrian Park - Wallsend - Walker - St Peter's Basin - Newcastle Quayside - Central Station (Every 30 Minutes)
Q3A (Versa's): Hadrian Park - Wiltshire Drive - Wallsend (Every 30 Minutes)

41/41A/91/X66: Withdrawn
53/54: Back over Tyne Bridge / High Level

The route just feels forced together now, feel the above would be more popular especially linking Gateshead Quays and the Quayside to the Metro Centre if the new arena ever opens. Not to mention links across the river from Gosforth and linking all the student accommodation and the university together, maybe discounted travel for students? The 41 and Quaycity services just seem to make sense being the same route. I'd say merge the Q2 and Q3A aswell but not sure there needs to be 2 extra buses between St Peter's Basin and Wallsend tbh. Plus you'd get the flashy electric buses running a flagship route like the X66 rather than the back waters of Walker.

I think splitting the Q3 is potentially a good idea but I just don't think GNE would do it as it probably would cause a lot of confusion.

The point of the 93/94 is getting around Gateshead, but I feel like extending it to Newcastle would create better links and connections, as the 1 would just go through Bensham the exact same way the 94 goes from Gateshead, while that would create links to North Tyneside, I would think its more likely to just extend the 93/94 to Newcastle with the extra 1 PVR, though Percy Main does have the drivers to run it. But a regular link between Newcastle and the spine of Team Valley especially if you only need to do a little extension, it's not like its a whole new route, grab a versa from Depford then either stick it on the 93/94 or grab 2 versa's from Depford or use the Quaycity's for a 1 extension. Not to mention the 93/94 are Euro 6 and don't even go to Newcastle, out of all of them I would pick the 1 extension, just due to the improvement in links in North Tyneside and the driver shortage issues that never seem to affect Percy Main.

nova347