(28 Jan 2020, 8:54 pm)RobinHood wrote You are correct, they are dying - but offering free parking isn't going to change that. 

It will simply move a proportion of existing bus passengers, who already go to the town, to the car (of which there probably are a fair few who luckily have a choice). In turn, makes the bus service less viable and the resulting frequency hit or ultimate withdrawal affects many, many more people.

Alienating car owners is the way forward in my view (and I own a car). Climate change will ensure that and hopefully towns and cities will follow York's plans. Buses, trains, trams etc are much more sustainable, they just need room to grow. Only then, will they be attractive, affordable, frequent and reliable (simply because demand exists at a level to sustain it all and congestion is reduced by removing cars from city and town centres).

I'd argue alienating car users isn't going to do that either. 

When I'm at home (I've got a property in T&W), it's 2 or 3 buses to get to Newcastle and the last bus back anywhere near home (this involves a mile walk cos other connections stop running), is at 11pm.

There's no incentive for me to use the bus to go to Newcastle.

If Newcastle introduced a system which made it harder for me to drive in, it wouldn't mean an automatic switch to the bus. Far from it. 
I'd look for alternative shopping/social options and I'd bet I wasn't the only one.

When I'm staying in R&C, there's a change of buses in Middlesbrough when I want to go to Newcastle. That, or I can get the train. 
Middlesbrough doesn't offer me the things that I can get from visiting Newcastle.
It still won't if cars are banned from Newcastle. 

Taking a gamble and hoping/praying/being convinced there would be a modal switch for thousands of people a day, is both naieve and foolish. 
Even if a fraction of those car users from the tens of thousands parking daily in Newcastle switched to using the bus, the effect on footfall and businesses would be massive.