(10 Feb 2020, 11:19 pm)S830OFT wrote Today I observed a variety of journeys on service 18, aswell as service 18A to monitor passenger numbers.
13:38 #18A Sunderland to Grangetown
Quite a few passengers boarded in Seaburn, aswell three other passengers at Southwick. Atleast 10 disembarked at the Royal Hospital, with only myself and another lady remaining on-board. Several stops up Hylton Road we picked up three passengers all using the service to Pennywell Shops (this journey would have been possible on service 20).
After Gilley Law only myself and another lady remained on-board, although a regular passenger boarded on Durham Road who appears to use the service to access employment at Leechmere, having seen him on previous journeys using the service...
16:45 #18 Seaburn to Sunderland
Service E2 just infront of service 18 was empty, then service 18 was also unsurprisingly empty. This remained like this for the entire journey to Sunderland, although with the bad weather down at the seaside it's perfectly understandable.
17:52 #18 at Seaburn Morrisons
I decided not to board this journey, although the bus arrived and departed empty, alike most afternoon journeys on service 18.
Reflecting on my previous suggestion, the main customers on this route seems to be school passengers on the Grangetown journeys, aswell as several passengers going to the Royal Hospital who could go via Sunderland as an alternative.
Most passengers I have observed over atleast 12 journeys seem to only use the service because the more frequency routes haven't arrived on-time or they just boarded the first bus that turns up.
I am much more in favour of revising service 8 and 18 to both be circular routes, one clockwise, the other anti-clockwise. This will offer more direct buses to the Royal Hospital from Seaburn and Roker, aswell as reduce the PVR by 1, but by keeping the necessary resources.
I used to be a regular on the first 18 of the day until my shifts changed at work, i can't remember the last time i got on the 18, but once it went hourly and the route was dramatically changed, i think we all knew it could be ending, which maybe in the next few months
I can't see any other way they could get the 18 to be busy again, shame to lose it, if it does go though.