(26 Dec 2017, 12:26 pm)Andreos1 Thornaby station on a Saturday is just as busy (if not busier), than Hartlepool.
There's obviously a demand for transport to Newcastle from Hartlepool. Just as there is from Teesside to York.
The transport (whether it train or bus), needs to meet the demands and needs of the people. Not the other way around.
As it stands, the train is doing that from Hartlepool. Buses (of whatever colour) haven't been able to meet the demands or entice enough people to switch.
Gonna take an awful lot of effort again, if the rumoured service to York is going to work.
I would suggest that last service out of York on a Saturday afternoon is a little later than the last one out of Newcastle.
It may not be appealing for drivers, but if they wan't to get enough people to use the service TO York. It needs to work so that they can get back FROM York.
I'd personally make the first departure from Teesside later than the X55 departed (which was about 07:15), I'd think the absolute earliest it should depart is around 08:30 arriving into York around 10am, ideally you would want the last trip from York to be sometime after 6pm (the 18:32 CrossCountry service towards Newcastle and beyond is usually fairly busy). If you were going to do multiple trips a day, I would run it from Middlesbrough rather than Stockton to potentially entice a few people from York to travel to Teesside as well (Middlesbrough sounds more appealing than Stockton to most), if you went with my idea of calling at Thirsk, you could possibly possibly do something like this:
Middlesbrough Bus Station
08:30 - 12:00 - 15:45
Thirsk Market Place
09:02 - 12:32 - 16:17
York, Station Avenue
09:45 - 13:15 - 17:00
York, Station Avenue
09:55 - 14:25 - 18:25
Thirsk Market Place
10:38 - 15:08 - 19:08
Middlesbrough Bus Station
11:10 - 15:40 - 19:40
I'd also have it stop at Exhibition Square before/after Station Avenue in York as Station Avenue would allow somewhere to lay over and turn the bus round.
