(05 Feb 2016, 5:06 pm)Dan wrote How? Although registered to go a number of different ways between Chester-le-Street and Gateshead, the X21 service goes via Durham Road most of the time at present anyway. There are bus lanes on Durham Road which help to keep the bus moving, and it's the cars that get stuck in traffic. Surely this change just provides passengers in Low Fell with an express bus to Chester-le-Street and Durham, given that their only express option at the moment is Arriva's X12?
If you look at the timetable, you can also see that each bus will have a hefty layover at Bishop Auckland Bus Station, which will increase the PVR to 7 during the day. Surely this will improve reliability, as stated on Go North East's website?
Always thought that the X21 should have stopped at Low Fell, The Cannon as it gives people a more direct bus service to Durham than the 21 or Arriva X12. At least with this new timetable there shouldn't be any need to have to keep swapping buses around over the course of the day to allow the X21 to continue to depart Bishop Auckland Bus Station on-time if the return from Newcastle arrives back late like what often happens now.
Bit unsure how the Red Arrows Volvo B9TL's branding will work if advert frames are indeed kept on there as if there is branding half the time the adverts will be covering the branding. It does look like there is a faint outline which looks like an advert board frame in the picture Michael uploaded earlier.