I agree the wider boundaries are easier to understand, and I feel represent good value in the main. Still not sure with the boundary fares though. Taking the Gateshead one as an example, I can travel Blackhall Mill to Wardley and back for a bargain £4.10, but if I live in say Greenside and work on Scotswood Road that's a Tyne & Wear ticket at £5.50?
The Tyne Valley Ten RouteSaver is valid on the 12/A according to the website, but I can't see a one day option for it?
Three very quick observations:
1) Bournmoor seems to be the only place falling outside its county/borough line, it’s County Durham but appears to be in the Tyne and Wear Zone - a mistake?
2) Seaton Sluice and Holywell, I can’t make out what zone they are, Northumberland or Tyne and Wear? Or both?
3) They still haven’t sorted the messy titles of “City of Sunderland” ticket and “Sunderland Central” ticket, despite the former now extending down to Blackhall, which is closer to Hartlepool than Sunderland! I’m not sure why they haven’t renamed it “Sunderland + East Durham” to safe confusion across the board. How many folk in Sunderland may end up with the more expensive ticket when they’re just going Doxford Park to The Bridges?
Looks like they've finally saw sense and are allowing normal tickets on the X10.
What is happening with the single tickets, they mention there will be "some pricing changes to adult single, adult return and on bus daily and weekly prices", but don't mention the changes to the adult single or returns!
I do feel for the folks on the borders who are forced into buying a ticket (the likes of Ouston, Hetton, Seaham) who are probably as a whole travelling North towards the city.
It's crazy it's cheaper to travel from Ouston to Bishop Auckland than Ouston to Birtley (which is a more likely journey lets be honest!) - I get there has to be a cut off at some point but it seems very straight cut vs potential travel patterns.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:16 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]I do feel for the folks on the borders who are forced into buying a ticket (the likes of Ouston, Hetton, Seaham) who are probably as a whole travelling North towards the city.
It's crazy it's cheaper to travel from Ouston to Bishop Auckland than Ouston to Birtley (which is a more likely journey lets be honest!) - I get there has to be a cut off at some point but it seems very straight cut vs potential travel patterns.
Only in day/week form. Cheaper singles and returns are still available for Ouston to Birtley.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:21 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Only in day/week form. Cheaper singles and returns are still available for Ouston to Birtley.
Can you say if the cheaper £1.70 singles (or £1.80 after a price increase possibly) will be remaining within the North Tyneside, Gateshead zones etc?
Found these really useful considering I don't use the bus too often at the minute.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:25 pm)Thomas12 wrote [ -> ]Can you say if the cheaper £1.70 singles (or £1.80 after a price increase possibly) will be remaining within the North Tyneside, Gateshead zones etc?
Found these really useful considering I don't use the bus too often at the minute.
Yes - effectively the summer savings fare campaign will be kept permanent (in reality it would have been hard to move away from it, given the length of time the 'sale' had been ongoing), which includes the cheaper singles and the caps on these fares within boundaries.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:29 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Yes - effectively the summer savings fare campaign will be kept permanent (in reality it would have been hard to move away from it, given the length of time the 'sale' had been ongoing), which includes the cheaper singles and the caps on these fares within boundaries.
That's great news, thank you for clarifying.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:29 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Yes - effectively the summer savings fare campaign will be kept permanent (in reality it would have been hard to move away from it, given the length of time the 'sale' had been ongoing), which includes the cheaper singles and the caps on these fares within boundaries.
How will the fares after 7pm distinguish from whether to charge £1 or £2, will it be straight forward like £1 on - X20/X66/58 and £2 21/X21 etc.
Also so these after 7pm fares count for the X10 aswell?
(27 Jan 2022, 4:32 pm)Omega54 wrote [ -> ]How will the fares after 7pm distinguish from whether to charge £1 or £2, will it be straight forward like £1 on - X20/X66/58 and £2 21/X21 etc.
Also so these after 7pm fares count for the X10 aswell?
I guess it's basically a maximum fare of £2 on an evening.
So if a journey is £1.70 during the day, it'll remain that on an evening. If it's more it'll be £2. That's my reading of it anyway.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:32 pm)Omega54 wrote [ -> ]How will the fares after 7pm distinguish from whether to charge £1 or £2, will it be straight forward like £1 on - X20/X66/58 and £2 21/X21 etc.
Also so these after 7pm fares count for the X10 aswell?
I read it as, if the normal daytime fare is less than £2 then the normal daytime fare will apply. If it's more than £2, then you'll pay £2.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:36 pm)Chris 1 wrote [ -> ]I read it as, if the normal daytime fare is less than £2 then the normal daytime fare will apply. If it's more than £2, then you'll pay £2.
So its £2 anywhere except if your usual journey is less...seems fair tbh
(27 Jan 2022, 3:23 pm)Drifter60 wrote [ -> ]Three very quick observations:
1) Bournmoor seems to be the only place falling outside its county/borough line, it’s County Durham but appears to be in the Tyne and Wear Zone - a mistake?
2) Seaton Sluice and Holywell, I can’t make out what zone they are, Northumberland or Tyne and Wear? Or both?
3) They still haven’t sorted the messy titles of “City of Sunderland” ticket and “Sunderland Central” ticket, despite the former now extending down to Blackhall, which is closer to Hartlepool than Sunderland! I’m not sure why they haven’t renamed it “Sunderland + East Durham” to safe confusion across the board. How many folk in Sunderland may end up with the more expensive ticket when they’re just going Doxford Park to The Bridges?
The problem with Bournmoor not being in the Tyne and Wear zone, is that it creates an issue with the 4 route that it exits Tyne and Wear for 2 or 3 stops, then returns through Fencehouses and on to Houghton. I may be wrong, but I'd assume the travel habits of people there are more aligned with Shiney Row and Houghton than they are Chester-le-Street.
Good question regarding Seaton Sluice and Holywell. I had thought the point sitting between the two boundaries indicates that both tickets are valid to/from those places, but then Ponteland is about 1/4 in the Tyne and Wear zone on the map!
Agree with the Sunderland ticket names. Maybe Sunderland & District would have been better (and brand consistent), and would have distinguished between the two tickets better.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:16 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]I do feel for the folks on the borders who are forced into buying a ticket (the likes of Ouston, Hetton, Seaham) who are probably as a whole travelling North towards the city.
It's crazy it's cheaper to travel from Ouston to Bishop Auckland than Ouston to Birtley (which is a more likely journey lets be honest!) - I get there has to be a cut off at some point but it seems very straight cut vs potential travel patterns.
There was something on page 10 of the BSIP about this - "To further improve the offer, additional low cost, multi modal,
multi operator fares will be developed to make pricing more affordable in areas that are a short distance from a zone boundary"
Now I know that the BSIP is very unlikely to be delivered, but the cost of fixing this at long last must be negligible and hopefully the new fares do that at least on GNE services.
(27 Jan 2022, 4:36 pm)Chris 1 wrote [ -> ]I read it as, if the normal daytime fare is less than £2 then the normal daytime fare will apply. If it's more than £2, then you'll pay £2.
I wonder how that works with the new system of just tapping your card? i.e. how does it know that the journey you're intending to make is less than £2?
Is it just me who thinks it would be easier to just have the £4 zones and price it as 1 zone £4, 2 zones £5.30, all zones £6. Similar to the Arriva triple ticket in Northumberland which is as simple as it can get.
Don't see the need of having 2 zones, especially the ridiculous Northumberland Zone up in Ashington. It serves no purpose unless someone want's to go on a magical mystery tout from Ashington to North Shields, the 310 to Newcastle then use another bus which no sane person would do.
The zones just seem to move around every other week lately, this is the third time in just over a year now.
(27 Jan 2022, 6:01 pm)Storx wrote [ -> ]Is it just me who thinks it would be easier to just have the £4 zones and price it as 1 zone £4, 2 zones £5.30, all zones £6. Similar to the Arriva triple ticket in Northumberland which is as simple as it can get.
Don't see the need of having 2 zones, especially the ridiculous Northumberland Zone up in Ashington. It serves no purpose unless someone want's to go on a magical mystery tout from Ashington to North Shields, the 310 to Newcastle then use another bus which no sane person would do.
The zones just seem to move around every other week lately, this is the third time in just over a year now.
Honestly, considering the negligible difference (a whole 70p!) between a single zone and an all zone ticket, I don't know why they didn't just scrap them all together and just go with a single day ticket that covers all routes!
(27 Jan 2022, 6:01 pm)Storx wrote [ -> ]Is it just me who thinks it would be easier to just have the £4 zones and price it as 1 zone £4, 2 zones £5.30, all zones £6. Similar to the Arriva triple ticket in Northumberland which is as simple as it can get.
Don't see the need of having 2 zones, especially the ridiculous Northumberland Zone up in Ashington. It serves no purpose unless someone want's to go on a magical mystery tout from Ashington to North Shields, the 310 to Newcastle then use another bus which no sane person would do.
The zones just seem to move around every other week lately, this is the third time in just over a year now.
Not sure I follow? I don't think it can be more simple than having zones aligned with county boundaries.
I don't get the example about Ashington to North Shields either.
(27 Jan 2022, 6:16 pm)streetdeckfan wrote [ -> ]Honestly, considering the negligible difference (a whole 70p!) between a single zone and an all zone ticket, I don't know why they didn't just scrap them all together and just go with a single day ticket that covers all routes!
tbh it's a fair point really.
(27 Jan 2022, 6:16 pm)streetdeckfan wrote [ -> ]Honestly, considering the negligible difference (a whole 70p!) between a single zone and an all zone ticket, I don't know why they didn't just scrap them all together and just go with a single day ticket that covers all routes!
Would be lovely and simple, yes, but not sure a 70p increase would go down well - nor does a £6 day ticket offer good value to someone travelling locally within Tyne and Wear.
Worth mentioning on that point that it’s good to see some further fare reductions in all this - an end to end trip from Easington Lane to Newcastle (or any journey cross Washington) for example on the X1 is going from being an all zones £6 (or £7 pre-summer offer) to £5.30.
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(27 Jan 2022, 5:47 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]The problem with Bournmoor not being in the Tyne and Wear zone, is that it creates an issue with the 4 route that it exits Tyne and Wear for 2 or 3 stops, then returns through Fencehouses and on to Houghton. I may be wrong, but I'd assume the travel habits of people there are more aligned with Shiney Row and Houghton than they are Chester-le-Street.
It's a valid point about the 4. Although - there seems to have been a shift in this lately (possibly since last summer's fare introduction) whereby the "County Durham ticket" was valid from Seaham to Durham on the 65 service, despite it also entering T&W (for Hetton & Low Moorsley). Customer services on SM today seem to be backing up that point again, that you don't need a two zone to go on the 65, presumably the rule is as long as you start and finish in County Durham. Whereas, I always remember the old 208 bus, went through three of old buzzfare zones, for years Peterlee was Turquoise and Durham was Green but it via Easington Lane which was red, so it went into the red zone for the sake of a few stops (South Hetton was Turquoise and High Pittington was Green, so a very short ride in the red zone!) but the maps always made it known it was three zones point to point. Although I can't say I ever tested this.
On that note, forum favourite Fence Houses is of course split in two by the county boundary. I notice it's suspiciously absent from the map - so I do wonder where exactly is the line between "County Durham'' and "Tyne and Wear". As if the CD part of Fence Houses was in County Durham zone then the Bournmoor example seems odd. My guess is that Fence Houses is all TW zone and you don't enter the CD zone until you turn left for Woodstone Village. I understand the point about travel patterns and I assumed they've been looked at prior to deciding some of these outlier situations. To me it still feels odd, if you're a County Durham resident and taxpayer but you're not in the bus company's CD zone and instead Bournmoor residents using the 78 service to Chester-Le-Street will need a two zone ticket?
(27 Jan 2022, 5:47 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]Agree with the Sunderland ticket names. Maybe Sunderland & District would have been better (and brand consistent), and would have distinguished between the two tickets better.
I see this is already causing confusion, with a Facebook comment of someone saying that the City of Sunderland ticket won’t cover Easington Colliery as it’s County Durham. As the lady suggests, she thinks this is a mistake by GNE customer service but it’s not. Also another saying it’s not clear that Seaham to Sunderland won’t require a two zone, if you use said City of Sunderland ticket.
Also considering they have a “Newcastle + North Tyneside” and a “Durham City + South Durham” I can’t fathom why they haven’t had the foresight to do the same with the above. A piece of cake they say?