(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!