(28 Oct 2018, 9:08 pm)Wybus wrote I wonder what the longest dead runs are in normal operation, maybe Newcastle to Hexham, Gateshead to Durham?

(28 Oct 2018, 9:08 pm)Wybus wrote I wonder what the longest dead runs are in normal operation, maybe Newcastle to Hexham, Gateshead to Durham?

(28 Oct 2018, 9:37 pm)Tom wrote I reckon Ashington to Percy Main may be a good shout (19)

(28 Oct 2018, 9:43 pm)Andreos1 wrote I'm sure there's an X1 or two that run light from Easington Lane to Newcastle. 
Regularly see them in peaks on the A19 heading north in what I assume are positioning runs) at approx 1730.
They're often behind a 4 branded Merc, which I am guessing does the same, but from Houghton - Heworth.

(28 Oct 2018, 10:27 pm)RM2186 wrote Returning to depot at shift end

(28 Oct 2018, 11:03 am)Wybus wrote There is an 11 that starts at Wallsend Metro at 0809, does this operate another service or a scholars before hand?

(28 Oct 2018, 10:41 pm)Andreos1 wrote Back to the depot during peaks?!

(28 Oct 2018, 10:41 pm)Andreos1 wrote Back to the depot during peaks?!

(29 Oct 2018, 7:42 am)RM2186 wrote By 17.30 the number of buses reduces as the peaks tend to tail off before that time these days. There are still plenty of 4's and X1's to cope with demand from Heworth and Newcastle until 18.30 when peak demand has passed.

(29 Oct 2018, 8:06 am)Dan wrote The 16:03 X1 service arrives at Easington Lane at 17:11 and runs light to the depot from there, arriving 17:33.

The peak flow of demand is Newcastle to Easington Lane on an evening, so the service provision is increased in this direction from every 12 minutes to every 10 (or more, with the X1As) and decreased to every 15 in the opposite direction.

It'd take over an hour for that bus to travel back to Newcastle, plus any layover, so if that bus didn't return to the depot when it does now, it'd be doing a service from Newcastle at around 18:30 by which time the evening peak has been and gone, and the number of people travelling is much fewer (to the point the service provision is reduced to every 15 minutes in this direction too).

(29 Oct 2018, 1:32 am)Rapidsnap wrote They will be depot runs as up Houghton Cut, A19 and Washington Highway is fastest route back to depot, if they were heading for Newcastle they prob would have headed towards the A1.

Though it would be interesting to see which depot has the most dead mileage, I would assume Percy Main would be near the top as they have dead runs to / from places like Blyth, Cramlington, Gateshead, Ashington, Kingston Park, Wideopen to name some of the further afield places. But then you have to take into account if some of these vehicles do other duties, I discovered a few months back that one of the 309s that terminated in Blyth runs dead to North Shields to do a 310. Only discovered that when I followed a Cobalt Clipper all the way down the coast from Blyth to N Shields where it then blinded up for the 310 to Newcastle or Cobalt South.

I've seen companies in the past like Preston Bus and Cardiff Bus actually create services to eliminate some dead mileage, though I believe both have done away with the practise. Though Preston have numbered their staff service the 4 and it's available to the public too. But in the cast of Preston Bus, back before Rotala and Stagecoach. Services that terminated on the outskirts away from the depot like the Larches Estate for the 27, instead of running back to the depot, it would change to the 127, run along its normal route to a location where it can head towards the depot. This also enable them to claim BSOG even if no one used the service they were getting some money back.

If GNE were to use this example, they could create something like D prefixed services to avoid confusion with normal services. So any buses terminating at Wallsend could run as the D6 to Percy Main via High Street, Tynemouth Road and Wallsend Road. For the 19 dead runs to Ashington, you could have the D19, start it from the depot run it through Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate and Cobalt before joining the A19 at Holystone and run it direct to Bedlington then up to Ashington. Ok it might increase the drivers duties slightly but they get BSOG and possibly some revenue from those who work overnight like cleaners etc.

(29 Oct 2018, 3:50 pm)Coppercap40 wrote Anyone else having problems with the gne bus app not showing buses only bus stops ?

(29 Oct 2018, 4:27 pm)RBZ 5459 wrote Question; the Match Day P&R livery which 3983 carries, are we likely to see that livery on other vehicles or has it been a one off/scrapped idea now?

(28 Oct 2018, 9:08 pm)Wybus wrote I wonder what the longest dead runs are in normal operation, maybe Newcastle to Hexham, Gateshead to Durham?

(29 Oct 2018, 5:10 pm)park5354 wrote Hexham to Rockwood Hill
Riverside to South Shields

(29 Oct 2018, 12:32 am)Jordan2104 wrote Nope comes straight from depot

(29 Oct 2018, 5:23 pm)Jamie M wrote Percy main to stanley

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(29 Oct 2018, 5:32 pm)park5354 wrote Durham to Riverside

Middlesbrough to Riverside (on Xmas Eve/NYEve)

(28 Oct 2018, 10:41 pm)Andreos1 wrote Back to the depot during peaks?!

(29 Oct 2018, 5:37 pm)deanmachine wrote On Saturday Morning a couple of X5s run from Deptford to Blackhall Rocks, that's quite a distance, especially the drivers who don't know their way through High Heselden and come down through Hart Village.

(29 Oct 2018, 5:32 pm)park5354 wrote Durham to Riverside

Middlesbrough to Riverside (on Xmas Eve/NYEve)

(29 Oct 2018, 5:40 pm)Jamie M wrote If the 794 from PM doesnt use the tyne tunnel its slightly longer, but not much in it.

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What GNE goes from Riverside to Durham? I should know this having studied the shifts enough, but don't.

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(29 Oct 2018, 6:57 pm)Rapidsnap wrote It's possible that the early morning 91 from West Chirton service might run dead from Team Valley to Stanley to do the 794.

(29 Oct 2018, 8:19 pm)Pulsar wrote Has anyone seen 6911 in service at Percy Main? I have been on all of the other 2006 Volvo B7TL there but have never seen this one, also there is no pictures of it at Percy Main on flickr.

(29 Oct 2018, 9:52 pm)JM03 wrote Yes, seen it on the 11 a couple of times