So is 6337 expected to be out any time soon, judging by how many times it's 'launch' has been pushed back, it must have some pretty severe defects, not that I'd be surprised, it is an ADL after all

I was out walking the dog this morning past Hownsgill depot and 6337 is in its usual position at the front on it's own and I noticed it's now missing its headlight surrounds

X9/X10s are allocated onto the 6 today


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(26 Dec 2019, 1:19 pm)TEN 6083 wrote X9/X10s are allocated onto the 6 today


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And M6

Versas on the 310.

Some allocations from today
Go North East: 6338 / YX69NPA by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

Go North East: 6308 / NK67ECD by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

Go North East: 5388 / NL63YAW by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

After looking at the allocations for today, I take it that although the Sunday allocations would remain using Streetlites, will the E400MMCs be used on the X5/16A/X30 on Bank Holidays?

Anyone know about the free tickets from the X-lines events not being received? Thought it would be emailed through after the events had all finished.

(26 Dec 2019, 10:48 pm)L469 YVK wrote After looking at the allocations for today, I take it that although the Sunday allocations would remain using Streetlites, will the E400MMCs be used on the X5/16A/X30 on Bank Holidays?

The journeys I saw/used today it did seem a bit overkill having deckers on them particularly the 16A*, but can't really compare Boxing Day to any other Bank Holidays (I don't know what loadings are like on a typical Bank Holiday)

* Durham was like a ghost town on North Road at least when I was there this afternoon, 21s I used were pretty busy though

(27 Dec 2019, 12:12 am)OrangeArrow49 wrote Anyone know about the free tickets from the X-lines events not being received? Thought it would be emailed through after the events had all finished.

I got mine within a week of the event, have you logged in to the app with the email you gave them at the event?
If they're not on there I would get in touch with customer services as they should have had the spreadsheet with the winners sent over to them. I believe it's all done manually so maybe they just mistyped your email address

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(27 Dec 2019, 12:30 am)Jimmi wrote The journeys I saw/used today it did seem a bit overkill having deckers on them particularly the 16A*, but can't really compare Boxing Day to any other Bank Holidays (I don't know what loadings are like on a typical Bank Holiday)

* Durham was like a ghost town on North Road at least when I was there this afternoon, 21s I used were pretty busy though

21 X66 and 53/54 were way busier than anything else coming through Gateshead.

Unusual for deckers not to appear on X66, perhaps 3976 had a part to play. That's my bit of unnecessary speculation for the day.

(27 Dec 2019, 9:52 am)Jamie M wrote 21 X66 and 53/54 were way busier than anything else coming through Gateshead.

Unusual for deckers not to appear on X66, perhaps 3976 had a part to play. That's my bit of unnecessary speculation for the day.

Most the passengers I could see on the buses yesterday were people heading to the Boxing Day sales in Newcastle and at the Metrocentre, although numbers weren't big on some a fair few were cash fares so likely made enough to at very least breakeven.

My thinking now is only core routes in and out of Newcastle/Metrocentre are particularly worth running on Boxing Day after my observations yesterday, despite statements I've made in the past, I now think there ain't much market to run deeper into County Durham especially Arriva territory.

(27 Dec 2019, 10:08 am)Jimmi wrote Most the passengers I could see on the buses yesterday were people heading to the Boxing Day sales in Newcastle and at the Metrocentre, although numbers weren't big on some a fair few were cash fares so likely made enough to at very least breakeven.

My thinking now is only core routes in and out of Newcastle/Metrocentre are particularly worth running on Boxing Day after my observations yesterday, despite statements I've made in the past, I now think there ain't much market to run deeper into County Durham especially Arriva territory.

Maybe there needs to be some sort of flexibility and annual revision of which area has a focus of attention. 
Apart from shopping, the matches will play a big part in the numbers of bums on seats. 
Newcastle were away yesterday, so those travelling from deepest darkest ANE territory would have been doing other things.
Not sure Sunderland (and the position they're in) would have had much impact on services in East Durham either way
Going back a few years, then I do think things would have been different on that corridor. 

One thing that really bugs me, is that operators trot out the 'not enough demand' patter, when there's not much in the way of scientific analysis of checking out the demand.
Surely it's more of a gut feeling or guess-work. We all know how accurate that can be!

(27 Dec 2019, 12:07 pm)Andreos1 wrote Maybe there needs to be some sort of flexibility and annual revision of which area has a focus of attention. 
Apart from shopping, the matches will play a big part in the numbers of bums on seats. 
Newcastle were away yesterday, so those travelling from deepest darkest ANE territory would have been doing other things.
Not sure Sunderland (and the position they're in) would have had much impact on services in East Durham either way
Going back a few years, then I do think things would have been different on that corridor. 

One thing that really bugs me, is that operators trot out the 'not enough demand' patter, when there's not much in the way of scientific analysis of checking out the demand.
Surely it's more of a gut feeling or guess-work. We all know how accurate that can be!

Online shopping doesn't help either, but like you said, its always up and down and you can never tell!

Looks like GNE are having issues with the tickets on the app.
Not surprised in the slightest, this is exactly why I refuse to buy tickets on it!
I wonder if they'll ever add the under 25 tickets to The Key, but even then with the requirement for ID I think I'd still pay the extra for nobody to see my photo!

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Saw one of the Xlines spares ex-EYMS Gemini 3s heading north, up from the A19 roundabout earlier, around the Blyth Asda sliproad. Any ideas where that would be heading?
(Didn’t see what was on the destination screen).

(27 Dec 2019, 2:53 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Saw one of the Xlines spares ex-EYMS Gemini 3s heading north, up from the A19 roundabout earlier, around the Blyth Asda sliproad. Any ideas where that would be heading?
(Didn’t see what was on the destination screen).

Thorntons for USB fitting?

(27 Dec 2019, 12:10 pm)Michael wrote Online shopping doesn't help either, but like you said, its always up and down and you can never tell!

Even with Newcastle being away yesterday, there's still a couple of thousand needing to get back home after being dropped off by the coaches. 
Absolutely no provision at all made by local operators and taxis raking it in.

Eldest Constanopolus and his mates had to pay almost £25 for a taxi after their trip back from Old Trafford yesterday. 
Assuming they're the only ones on the bus, I can see the combined fares more than covering the drivers wages. 
Add a couple more passengers and there's the fuel covered. 

But we keep getting told 'there's no demand'...
I would argue there's more than enough demand, its like nobody actually tries to determine where the demand is and when. 

Im not saying that there should be a full service everywhere - but if Gateshead can run X1's, using 49 branded Streetlite and on previous Boxing Days we have seen later X10's, then something can surely be done on other corridors. 

Or, if taxis continue to be cheaper for a group of mates or using the car is quicker, easier and cheaper (like it was for me yesterday) - then bus patronage will continue to fall and we will see poorer levels of service. 

I genuinely wish someone would come in at the top at local operators and shake things up a little, so that using the bus is easier and cheaper than currently and that passengers can actually rely on a decent service on Boxing Day and other bank holidays.

(27 Dec 2019, 5:43 pm)Andreos1 wrote Even with Newcastle being away yesterday, there's still a couple of thousand needing to get back home after being dropped off by the coaches. 
Absolutely no provision at all made by local operators and taxis raking it in.

Eldest Constanopolus and his mates had to pay almost £25 for a taxi after their trip back from Old Trafford yesterday. 
Assuming they're the only ones on the bus, I can see the combined fares more than covering the drivers wages. 
Add a couple more passengers and there's the fuel covered. 

But we keep getting told 'there's no demand'...
I would argue there's more than enough demand, its like nobody actually tries to determine where the demand is and when. 

Im not saying that there should be a full service everywhere - but if Gateshead can run X1's, using 49 branded Streetlite and on previous Boxing Days we have seen later X10's, then something can surely be done on other corridors. 

Or, if taxis continue to be cheaper for a group of mates or using the car is quicker, easier and cheaper (like it was for me yesterday) - then bus patronage will continue to fall and we will see poorer levels of service. 

I genuinely wish someone would come in at the top at local operators and shake things up a little, so that using the bus is easier and cheaper than currently and that passengers can actually rely on a decent service on Boxing Day and other bank holidays.

It’s not up to the local bus operators to take them home, maybe there should keep the taxi receipts and bill Newcastle United as it’s there fans who are stuck when being dropped off by coach.

Bus passengers should count themselves lucky that there’s more of a bus service these days on Boxing Day than years gone by, especially when car ownership have grown quite high.

Drivers like to have time to be with family and friends in these Holidays


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(27 Dec 2019, 5:59 pm)cbma06 wrote It’s not up to the local bus operators to take them home, maybe there should keep the taxi receipts and bill Newcastle United as it’s there fans who are stuck when being dropped off by coach.

Bus passengers should count themselves lucky that there’s more of a bus service these days on Boxing Day than years gone by, especially when car ownership have grown quite high.

Drivers like to have time to be with family and friends in these Holidays


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I get that drivers like to spend time with their friends and family. 
As do bar workers, retail staff etc.

I've mentioned before that bus drivers are working in the service sector.
Being a bus driver shouldn't give someone the automatic right to a day off.

The irony of not being able to get to the shops or pub, as drivers don't want to work - isn't missed.

I imagine the upcoming changes will be posted anytime from Wednesday onwards,as Wednesday is New Years Day

(28 Dec 2019, 2:37 pm)V514DFT wrote I imagine the upcoming changes will be posted anytime from Wednesday onwards,as Wednesday is New Years Day

They've already been posted

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(28 Dec 2019, 4:41 pm)streetdeckfan wrote They've already been posted

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Think he means breakdown of changes on the newsroom as opposed to timetables being uploaded

(28 Dec 2019, 4:45 pm)JP6004 wrote Think he means breakdown of changes on the newsroom as opposed to timetables being uploaded

Haven't they posted the breakdown at the same time as the updated timetables in the past? Either that, or the joy of Christmas is making my already crap memory worse!

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(28 Dec 2019, 4:50 pm)streetdeckfan wrote Haven't they posted the breakdown at the same time as the updated timetables in the past? Either that, or the joy of Christmas is making my already crap memory worse!

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No they tend to upload timetables first before publishing changes....otherwise there be no link to new timetable lmao

(28 Dec 2019, 5:07 pm)JP6004 wrote No they tend to upload timetables first before publishing changes....otherwise there be no link to new timetable lmao

All this being nice to people must be making me ill!

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(28 Dec 2019, 5:13 pm)streetdeckfan wrote All this being nice to people must be making me ill!

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Have a lie down

(27 Dec 2019, 10:08 am)Jimmi wrote Most the passengers I could see on the buses yesterday were people heading to the Boxing Day sales in Newcastle and at the Metrocentre, although numbers weren't big on some a fair few were cash fares so likely made enough to at very least breakeven.

My thinking now is only core routes in and out of Newcastle/Metrocentre are particularly worth running on Boxing Day after my observations yesterday, despite statements I've made in the past, I now think there ain't much market to run deeper into County Durham especially Arriva territory.

I think part of the issue is that single bus journeys are fine but as soon as you have to change buses, then the journey becomes needlessly long and complicated. It's bad enough on Sundays but, for example, if you wanted to get from Gilesgate or Newton Hall to Newcastle, then you would, if from Gilesgate, walk to Sunderland road for a 20 or into the city centre then wait for one of the two, unevenly spaced, 21s of the hour, or in Newton Hall, just walk into Fram or Pity me, as the 50 wasn't running. We live on the 21 route but Bigun still didn't fancy it. On a Sunday, we can travel back from Newcastle or the Metrocentre either through Gateshead or Stanley, all in reasonable time, since the connections at Stanley are good, but we didn't really have that as a back up in case we missed the 21s or they were too busy, which made the prospect unappealing for bigun.

So, just as when we lived in arrivaland, we took the car. Bigun even got out of bed before 9am, specially!

(27 Dec 2019, 5:43 pm)Andreos1 wrote Even with Newcastle being away yesterday, there's still a couple of thousand needing to get back home after being dropped off by the coaches. 
Absolutely no provision at all made by local operators and taxis raking it in.

Eldest Constanopolus and his mates had to pay almost £25 for a taxi after their trip back from Old Trafford yesterday. 
Assuming they're the only ones on the bus, I can see the combined fares more than covering the drivers wages. 
Add a couple more passengers and there's the fuel covered. 

But we keep getting told 'there's no demand'...
I would argue there's more than enough demand, its like nobody actually tries to determine where the demand is and when. 

Im not saying that there should be a full service everywhere - but if Gateshead can run X1's, using 49 branded Streetlite and on previous Boxing Days we have seen later X10's, then something can surely be done on other corridors. 

Or, if taxis continue to be cheaper for a group of mates or using the car is quicker, easier and cheaper (like it was for me yesterday) - then bus patronage will continue to fall and we will see poorer levels of service. 

I genuinely wish someone would come in at the top at local operators and shake things up a little, so that using the bus is easier and cheaper than currently and that passengers can actually rely on a decent service on Boxing Day and other bank holidays.

"No demand" is a vicious circle, isn't it? I think ANE 22 is a good example of that. Used to be unreliable and infrequent and people didn't trust it enough to use it. Then they made it twice as frequent, put newer vehicles on it and rolled it out properly instead of halfassedly on a sunday and suddenly it became busy quite a lot. Similarly, GNE has grown that Durham-Newcastle corridor on a Sunday and the buses are just as busy, presumably because more people find them an attractive and reliable option (though the Chester-Durham journey breaks down a bit with 3 of the 4 journeys an hour (21, X21, 50) all running within a few minutes of each other.)

(28 Dec 2019, 9:37 pm)BusLoverMum wrote I think part of the issue is that single bus journeys are fine but as soon as you have to change buses, then the journey becomes needlessly long and complicated. It's bad enough on Sundays but, for example, if you wanted to get from Gilesgate or Newton Hall to Newcastle, then you would, if from Gilesgate, walk to Sunderland road for a 20 or into the city centre then wait for one of the two, unevenly spaced, 21s of the hour, or in Newton Hall, just walk into Fram or Pity me, as the 50 wasn't running. We live on the 21 route but Bigun still didn't fancy it. On a Sunday, we can travel back from Newcastle or the Metrocentre either through Gateshead or Stanley, all in reasonable time, since the connections at Stanley are good, but we didn't really have that as a back up in case we missed the 21s or they were too busy, which made the prospect unappealing for bigun.

So, just as when we lived in arrivaland, we took the car. Bigun even got out of bed before 9am, specially!

Single journeys are far more attractive, I have less desires to go to Sunderland since Arriva curtailed the X21 at Peterlee as can't be chewed on changing in either Durham or Peterlee to get there.

Another example is Transdev are withdrawing their service X41 between Accrington & Manchester (via Ramsbottom) in January and they are really trying to push the passengers along that route to use alternative routes that involve connections and try as they might people are not having it, even though from Accrington you get 464 to Rawtenstall then X43 to reach Manchester changing at the newly opened Rawtenstall Bus Station with both services operating on a 15 minute frequency, people would still prefer a slightly less frequent direct service without having to change.