Go North East: Service Suggestions v2
Go North East: Service Suggestions v2
Mine is a straightforward suggestion.
For the buses running as service numbers 84 and 85 in Washington:
84 - to run in a continuous clockwise loop
85 - to run in a continuous anti-clockwise loop.
Presently, the two service numbers interoperate in that service number 84 runs from Concord in a clockwise direction Concord - Barmston - Columbia - Galleries - Oxclose - Blackfell - Concord while the 85 runs in the opposite (anti-clockwise) direction Concord - Blackfell - Oxclose - Galleries - Columbia - Barmston - Concord. Once a service returns back to Concord (eg the 84), the bus then changes to the other service number (eg the 85) and effectively doubles back on the route it has just travelled from. My suggestion would be to have the 84 run in a continuous clockwise route (i.e. don't change to the 85 when back at Concord) with the 85 doing likewise in an anti-clockwise route. This will help speed up travelling times between places which are near the start of one one service route (for example, Peel Retail Park on the 84) and near the end of the other service route (for example Donwell on the 85). Presently to travel from Donwell to Peel is a 40 minute journey. This would change to a 10 minute journey (plus layover times at Concord).
It also helps make it easier to track a bus on the app. At present, if I am at Concord waiting for the 84 I have to track the 85 to see where it is. It is the same for the 85 at Concord, I have to track the 84 to see where it is. With buses travelling in a constant loop under one route number this would not be necessary.
The 84 / 85 also serves Coach Road Estate once an hour. This would continue.
As per above, the actual route the 84 and 85 cover would remain the same. The change would be to how buses cover those two service numbers.