Pricing
Pricing
We quite possibly have the most complex ticketing system in the whole of the UK. If I was an outsider looking in, I wouldn't have a clue what I needed to buy to get from A to B and back. Not to mention what happens if a bus operated by a different company turns up.
I don't know much about the Arriva or Stagecoach options up here, but having now looked on their websites, I'd say they offered the better commercial zonal ticket options up here. They both keep it simple, and it essentially means a day ticket is a day ticket - no confusion.
Go North East on the other hand; I think they had the right idea to begin with, but it's as if other options have just been glued on to the model they started with. To be honest, I was a fan of the old 'Go n Save' model. You could simply have a Tyne and Wear, Three Cities, or a Regionwide ticket.
I really dislike the Buzzfare system. The boundary drawings are nothing but a money squeezer - I can't see much other sense in them to be honest. For example, someone living in Washington and needing to travel to Chester Le Street and Shiney Row would need the same 3+ zone ticket that Boro, to Ashington, and across to Hexham.
On a more positive note, I think the town/city savers for shorter trips are quite good. I don't think they should be zonal though. The single/return fares however make little sense to me, and they confuse the life out of people. It makes no sense that getting from A to B costs more or less depending which bus you get on.