Pricing
Pricing
(05 Jan 2020, 9:18 pm)deanmachine Might stop a bit of the confusion with us GNE drivers when kids get on with £1 thinking it's the same as Stagecoach. Or maybe it won't, because kids.It was £1 for kids on GNE until September so it's an easy mistake to make.
(05 Jan 2020, 10:37 pm)Storx Depends on the journey I've found for that. Arriva have fare zones which are roughly every three or four bus stops whereas GNE have zones which cover miles so if you live at the start of the zone it's expensive but live at the end of it then it's cheaper.Arriva are definitely cheaper around Durham city. It used to be that it was cheaper to buy Arriva weekly/monthly tickets than GNE to get to Spenny, too, though the GNE zones change may have fixed that as an ANE durham district ticket has become more pricey as that area has expanded and GNE all zones isn't much more, now. It's still cheaper to get to Newcastle and back from durham on ANE but I've only ever done that once. I set out to do that another time and the X12 didn't even show up, so I just got the next Angel and a Castles daysaver. I'd rather pay a pound odd more for a guarantee that I don't have to wait an hour for a bus to show up.
I believe the 21 zones from Newcastle are Newcastle through to Harlow Green (£1.70) then there all the way through to Barley Moor (£3.10) then to Plawsworth (£3.60) then Durham (£4.60). So if you got on at Harlow Green it'll be quite cheap get on the next bus stop the Coach and Horses it's £3.10 and a rip off whereas Arriva will have a fare to The Cannon, Harlow Green, Coach and Horses, Birtley (£2.60'ish I believe), Barley Moor etc.
Arriva have an invisible boundary tax where if you cross the Tyne and Wear / Northumberland boundary there's a massive fare jump for no reason at all however. I know at one point it was cheaper to buy a single from Seghill to Annitsford then a single from there to Newcastle than it was to buy a single from Seghill to Newcastle on the X7.
(05 Jan 2020, 9:18 pm)deanmachine Might stop a bit of the confusion with us GNE drivers when kids get on with £1 thinking it's the same as Stagecoach. Or maybe it won't, because kids.It was £1 for kids on GNE until September so it's an easy mistake to make.
(05 Jan 2020, 10:37 pm)Storx Depends on the journey I've found for that. Arriva have fare zones which are roughly every three or four bus stops whereas GNE have zones which cover miles so if you live at the start of the zone it's expensive but live at the end of it then it's cheaper.Arriva are definitely cheaper around Durham city. It used to be that it was cheaper to buy Arriva weekly/monthly tickets than GNE to get to Spenny, too, though the GNE zones change may have fixed that as an ANE durham district ticket has become more pricey as that area has expanded and GNE all zones isn't much more, now. It's still cheaper to get to Newcastle and back from durham on ANE but I've only ever done that once. I set out to do that another time and the X12 didn't even show up, so I just got the next Angel and a Castles daysaver. I'd rather pay a pound odd more for a guarantee that I don't have to wait an hour for a bus to show up.
I believe the 21 zones from Newcastle are Newcastle through to Harlow Green (£1.70) then there all the way through to Barley Moor (£3.10) then to Plawsworth (£3.60) then Durham (£4.60). So if you got on at Harlow Green it'll be quite cheap get on the next bus stop the Coach and Horses it's £3.10 and a rip off whereas Arriva will have a fare to The Cannon, Harlow Green, Coach and Horses, Birtley (£2.60'ish I believe), Barley Moor etc.
Arriva have an invisible boundary tax where if you cross the Tyne and Wear / Northumberland boundary there's a massive fare jump for no reason at all however. I know at one point it was cheaper to buy a single from Seghill to Annitsford then a single from there to Newcastle than it was to buy a single from Seghill to Newcastle on the X7.
No mention of the 3-4 day ticket since MG tweeted about it. Hopefully it will be introduced soon. I think it will be a good addition to GNE's range of tickets, but we don't know much about it yet.
(06 Jan 2020, 10:49 pm)BusLoverMum It was £1 for kids on GNE until September so it's an easy mistake to make.
Arriva are definitely cheaper around Durham city. It used to be that it was cheaper to buy Arriva weekly/monthly tickets than GNE to get to Spenny, too, though the GNE zones change may have fixed that as an ANE durham district ticket has become more pricey as that area has expanded and GNE all zones isn't much more, now. It's still cheaper to get to Newcastle and back from durham on ANE but I've only ever done that once. I set out to do that another time and the X12 didn't even show up, so I just got the next Angel and a Castles daysaver. I'd rather pay a pound odd more for a guarantee that I don't have to wait an hour for a bus to show up.
(06 Jan 2020, 10:49 pm)BusLoverMum It was £1 for kids on GNE until September so it's an easy mistake to make.
Arriva are definitely cheaper around Durham city. It used to be that it was cheaper to buy Arriva weekly/monthly tickets than GNE to get to Spenny, too, though the GNE zones change may have fixed that as an ANE durham district ticket has become more pricey as that area has expanded and GNE all zones isn't much more, now. It's still cheaper to get to Newcastle and back from durham on ANE but I've only ever done that once. I set out to do that another time and the X12 didn't even show up, so I just got the next Angel and a Castles daysaver. I'd rather pay a pound odd more for a guarantee that I don't have to wait an hour for a bus to show up.
(07 Jan 2020, 12:18 pm)streetdeckfan I used the X12 between Durham and Newcastle during CTBW, and I will never be doing it again!A service 6 routesaver is no good to me as I have to get the 64 before the 6, hence the Durham District ticket. I can get the X21 door to door but it's less frequent and I've spent enough time waiting at 4 lane ends for a lifetime, already.
I made an effort of trying to only use Arriva services that day and I was genuinely surprised how unreliable the Arriva services were, I know it's not unusual to have 2 6 services following each other from Bishop to Durham, but I just put that down to the 6 being far too frequent.
To be fair though, the X12 back down was actually on time, whereas the 21 never showed!
If we look at the pricing of the X21 and the Arriva 6, it's all a bit of a mess!
If you're travelling between Bishop Auckland and Durham, for a day ticket (Auckland Castle Saver and Service 6 Routesaver), it's the same price, but for the weekly ticket Arriva is £2.50 cheaper.
If you want to travel between West Auckland and Durham, for the day ticket (Xlines X21 Saver and Service 6 Routesaver Plus), GNE is 50p cheaper, but for the weekly ticket Arriva is 20p cheaper. However, the GNE ticket will allow you to travel between West Auckland and Newcastle, whereas the Arriva ticket is only West Auckland to Durham (Fram during peak times)
Now, if we look at single prices, from Tindale to Spennymoor on Arriva it's £4.80 (according to live chat anyway, I ended up buying a day ticket instead so don't know if it's accurate), with GNE it's only £3.10, but from Tindale to Bishop with Arriva it's £1.40 and GNE £1.60.
(07 Jan 2020, 12:18 pm)streetdeckfan I used the X12 between Durham and Newcastle during CTBW, and I will never be doing it again!A service 6 routesaver is no good to me as I have to get the 64 before the 6, hence the Durham District ticket. I can get the X21 door to door but it's less frequent and I've spent enough time waiting at 4 lane ends for a lifetime, already.
I made an effort of trying to only use Arriva services that day and I was genuinely surprised how unreliable the Arriva services were, I know it's not unusual to have 2 6 services following each other from Bishop to Durham, but I just put that down to the 6 being far too frequent.
To be fair though, the X12 back down was actually on time, whereas the 21 never showed!
If we look at the pricing of the X21 and the Arriva 6, it's all a bit of a mess!
If you're travelling between Bishop Auckland and Durham, for a day ticket (Auckland Castle Saver and Service 6 Routesaver), it's the same price, but for the weekly ticket Arriva is £2.50 cheaper.
If you want to travel between West Auckland and Durham, for the day ticket (Xlines X21 Saver and Service 6 Routesaver Plus), GNE is 50p cheaper, but for the weekly ticket Arriva is 20p cheaper. However, the GNE ticket will allow you to travel between West Auckland and Newcastle, whereas the Arriva ticket is only West Auckland to Durham (Fram during peak times)
Now, if we look at single prices, from Tindale to Spennymoor on Arriva it's £4.80 (according to live chat anyway, I ended up buying a day ticket instead so don't know if it's accurate), with GNE it's only £3.10, but from Tindale to Bishop with Arriva it's £1.40 and GNE £1.60.
(07 Jan 2020, 11:28 am)OrangeArrow49 No mention of the 3-4 day ticket since MG tweeted about it. Hopefully it will be introduced soon. I think it will be a good addition to GNE's range of tickets, but we don't know much about it yet.
(07 Jan 2020, 8:14 pm)Adrian It was only about 4 days ago he tweeted it. Give them a chance!
(07 Jan 2020, 8:14 pm)Adrian It was only about 4 days ago he tweeted it. Give them a chance!
The bus users UK twitter feed is a cracking read today.
Hopefully it has woken a few from their ignorant slumber and we see changes ahead.
https://twitter.com/BusUsersUK/status/12...90177?s=19
https://twitter.com/BusUsersUK/status/12...21321?s=19
Just two examples.
(16 Jan 2020, 2:14 pm)Andreos1 The bus users UK twitter feed is a cracking read today.Hell, they came across an account that seemed to be run by Katie Hopkins in her bus driver days.
Hopefully it has woken a few from their ignorant slumber and we see changes ahead.
https://twitter.com/BusUsersUK/status/12...90177?s=19
https://twitter.com/BusUsersUK/status/12...21321?s=19
Just two examples.
(16 Jan 2020, 2:14 pm)Andreos1 The bus users UK twitter feed is a cracking read today.Hell, they came across an account that seemed to be run by Katie Hopkins in her bus driver days.
Hopefully it has woken a few from their ignorant slumber and we see changes ahead.
https://twitter.com/BusUsersUK/status/12...90177?s=19
https://twitter.com/BusUsersUK/status/12...21321?s=19
Just two examples.
(16 Jan 2020, 11:14 pm)BusLoverMum Hell, they came across an account that seemed to be run by Katie Hopkins in her bus driver days.
(16 Jan 2020, 11:14 pm)BusLoverMum Hell, they came across an account that seemed to be run by Katie Hopkins in her bus driver days.
(16 Jan 2020, 11:59 pm)streetdeckfan Is that necessarily a bad thing?I think it is a bad thing when the responsibility is put on often vulnerable people not to be upset by other people's unpleasantness.
These days, especially on social media, the only way to get your point across is to be louder than everyone else.
It's no use hiding behind a corporate image, the most successful people/companies are the ones that say exactly what they think, have a bit of fun, have arguments, heck even cause 'offence' (though as we all know, offence can only be taken, not given). It's why the likes of Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan are so popular.
(16 Jan 2020, 11:59 pm)streetdeckfan Is that necessarily a bad thing?I think it is a bad thing when the responsibility is put on often vulnerable people not to be upset by other people's unpleasantness.
These days, especially on social media, the only way to get your point across is to be louder than everyone else.
It's no use hiding behind a corporate image, the most successful people/companies are the ones that say exactly what they think, have a bit of fun, have arguments, heck even cause 'offence' (though as we all know, offence can only be taken, not given). It's why the likes of Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan are so popular.
(16 Jan 2020, 11:14 pm)BusLoverMum Hell, they came across an account that seemed to be run by Katie Hopkins in her bus driver days.
(15 Feb 2020, 7:51 pm)OrangeArrow49 Stagecoach fares going up tomorrow. Ridiculous.
(15 Feb 2020, 7:51 pm)OrangeArrow49 Stagecoach fares going up tomorrow. Ridiculous.
(18 Feb 2020, 11:58 am)omnicity4659 Nothing to do with having to fund Euro 6 mods, paying their staff in line with inflation and buying new buses then? Not to mention the fluctuating fuel prices which are bouncing up and down by 10p every so often...
(18 Feb 2020, 11:58 am)omnicity4659 Nothing to do with having to fund Euro 6 mods, paying their staff in line with inflation and buying new buses then? Not to mention the fluctuating fuel prices which are bouncing up and down by 10p every so often...
(18 Feb 2020, 11:58 am)omnicity4659 Nothing to do with having to fund Euro 6 mods, paying their staff in line with inflation and buying new buses then? Not to mention the fluctuating fuel prices which are bouncing up and down by 10p every so often...
(18 Feb 2020, 11:58 am)omnicity4659 Nothing to do with having to fund Euro 6 mods, paying their staff in line with inflation and buying new buses then? Not to mention the fluctuating fuel prices which are bouncing up and down by 10p every so often...
(18 Feb 2020, 11:58 am)omnicity4659 Nothing to do with having to fund Euro 6 mods, paying their staff in line with inflation and buying new buses then? Not to mention the fluctuating fuel prices which are bouncing up and down by 10p every so often...
"Operating costs within our business have risen, predominantly due to the growing effect of congestion in our towns and cities, which pushes up the cost of delivering our services and impacts our ability to keep fares low for our customers. For example, in Newcastle over the last five year, Stagecoach North East has increased the number of vehicles required during peak times by an additional 10 buses as a direct result of traffic congestion.
"Using additional vehicles and drivers to try and maintain punctuality for customers adds almost £2m each year.
(18 Feb 2020, 11:58 am)omnicity4659 Nothing to do with having to fund Euro 6 mods, paying their staff in line with inflation and buying new buses then? Not to mention the fluctuating fuel prices which are bouncing up and down by 10p every so often...
"Operating costs within our business have risen, predominantly due to the growing effect of congestion in our towns and cities, which pushes up the cost of delivering our services and impacts our ability to keep fares low for our customers. For example, in Newcastle over the last five year, Stagecoach North East has increased the number of vehicles required during peak times by an additional 10 buses as a direct result of traffic congestion.
"Using additional vehicles and drivers to try and maintain punctuality for customers adds almost £2m each year.
To be fair to Stagecoach most their tickets are reasonably priced and even with the increases aren't bad value. The day ticket in Newcastle is the same price as a single for certain journeys with GNE and Arriva from just just outside of T&W (the same distance as Ponteland where it's only £4.70 for a day). It's £4.60 for a single from Ouston to Gateshead for example.
(18 Feb 2020, 9:45 pm)Storx To be fair to Stagecoach most their tickets are reasonably priced and even with the increases aren't bad value. The day ticket in Newcastle is the same price as a single for certain journeys with GNE and Arriva from just just outside of T&W (the same distance as Ponteland where it's only £4.70 for a day). It's £4.60 for a single from Ouston to Gateshead for example.
(18 Feb 2020, 9:45 pm)Storx To be fair to Stagecoach most their tickets are reasonably priced and even with the increases aren't bad value. The day ticket in Newcastle is the same price as a single for certain journeys with GNE and Arriva from just just outside of T&W (the same distance as Ponteland where it's only £4.70 for a day). It's £4.60 for a single from Ouston to Gateshead for example.
(18 Feb 2020, 10:04 pm)Andreos1 I agree that compared to some, the prices are more attractive.
Could it be that there's more competition on the local SNE services (longer distance ANE and GNE ops and Metro as an example) or are they pricing their offer in such a way that it meets the financial demands of the markets they're serving?
(18 Feb 2020, 10:04 pm)Andreos1 Either way, I can't see the logic in their statement at all.
Using basic economics and following the demand curve principle, then passenger numbers will fall.
That's forgetting that any traffic they're blaming, could get worse.
(18 Feb 2020, 10:04 pm)Andreos1 I agree that compared to some, the prices are more attractive.
Could it be that there's more competition on the local SNE services (longer distance ANE and GNE ops and Metro as an example) or are they pricing their offer in such a way that it meets the financial demands of the markets they're serving?
(18 Feb 2020, 10:04 pm)Andreos1 Either way, I can't see the logic in their statement at all.
Using basic economics and following the demand curve principle, then passenger numbers will fall.
That's forgetting that any traffic they're blaming, could get worse.
(18 Feb 2020, 11:58 am)omnicity4659 Nothing to do with having to fund Euro 6 mods, paying their staff in line with inflation and buying new buses then? Not to mention the fluctuating fuel prices which are bouncing up and down by 10p every so often...
(18 Feb 2020, 9:12 pm)Andreos1 Surely a business like Stagecoach have bought their fuel well in advance? Most if not all of the big operators hedge their fuel.
However going back to the other points you raise, they might all be true. Except that isn't what SNE are telling the media.
They're telling the media that traffic is causing issues and to counter that traffic, they're having to use extra buses.
Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on...e-17760592
We all know that raising prices isn't going to reduce the amount of traffic on the road. I would hazard a guess and say that it may have the opposite effect and increase traffic on the road.
(18 Feb 2020, 11:58 am)omnicity4659 Nothing to do with having to fund Euro 6 mods, paying their staff in line with inflation and buying new buses then? Not to mention the fluctuating fuel prices which are bouncing up and down by 10p every so often...
(18 Feb 2020, 9:12 pm)Andreos1 Surely a business like Stagecoach have bought their fuel well in advance? Most if not all of the big operators hedge their fuel.
However going back to the other points you raise, they might all be true. Except that isn't what SNE are telling the media.
They're telling the media that traffic is causing issues and to counter that traffic, they're having to use extra buses.
Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on...e-17760592
We all know that raising prices isn't going to reduce the amount of traffic on the road. I would hazard a guess and say that it may have the opposite effect and increase traffic on the road.
