(05 Aug 2017, 7:23 pm)Malarkey wrote Don't expect the NE Smart Zone to be expanded into other areas such as Washington & Gateshead, was informed by Alan at Washington Travel Office the reason this hasn't happened is because Go North East has the monopoly of services, with no competition from the likes of Stagecoach and Arriva in the area, compared to the areas the Smart Zone operates currently, personally think I would rather see the Go-Ahead Group withdraw from area than be continuously robbed for bus fare on a monthly basis as let's face it, it won't be that long before i'll have to pay £2 or more for a single to The Galleries.
Isn't the purpose of the SmartZone scheme to allow passengers to travel on more than one operator? Why, if that is the case, would you ever expect it would be rolled out to Washington? Passengers would be paying a premium to travel on more than one operator in an area where there is just one.
The only time I'd imagine it would ever be considered by the SmartZone partners, is if the scheme permitted adding more than one zone to your ticket (i.e. Sunderland plus Washington), but even still, this would be priced higher than the comparable monthly ticket with one operator.
If you think travelling by bus is expensive, then perhaps you should weigh up the option of travelling by car (taking into account the cost of car, insurance, wear and tear of things such as tyres, petrol, etc).