(18 Jun 2016, 8:44 am)palatine3833 wrote I would question that, since they are judging their passenger numbers on the ticket machine data. This works but only to a certain extent. If 30 people board at Blackhall Mill, but only 2 of them buy single/returns to the Business Park and the other 28 have passes, what method do GNE (or any other company for that matter) have of determining when they alight the bus? Or do they just assume they all went to Newcastle?
It's still recorded as a passenger boarding at that stop though, isn't it? I use my Arriva paper ticket every day, and the driver presses something on the ETM. Same as when I've just used a Go North East mTicket. I assume that this is recording me boarding?
Having said that, unless they buy a single or return, you have no idea how many are alighting at each point, to my knowledge? I don't state my destination when using one of the above methods, so I could be alighting at the terminus or even the next stop... who knows?