(12 May 2020, 10:45 am)Storx wrote It's a bit harsh to compare 1986 to now, lots of things have changed and you would never know how regulated buses would work nowadays. Back in 1986 supermarkets and out of town shopping was almost unheard of. (The Metro Centre opened then). 

One of the bigger problems in the North East especially in Tyne and Wear is Nexus imo. They have a serious conflict of interest and are way too interested in their own Metro rather than anything else so we end having these situations where we're going for the cheapest option which may not necesarily be the best option for the customer. Half the time it comes across it's Nexus vs bus companies which when your supposed to represent the transport in the area is a problem.

Not to mention they couldn't run a piss up in a brewery. North Shields over budget, trains refurbishment - over budget, station refurbishments half arsed, Central Station over budget, serious management issues with the Metro and that's just the start of it.

Genuine question, but what have operators done to ensure a sustained level of service, from a variety of locations, to those out of town retail parks?
Silverlink, Retail World, Teesside Park are just three major examples with awful levels of service. There will be others. 
The metro centre, which was built with bus and train in mind - has services, but they tend to follow a similar route in/and out of the place.
Dalton Park also has a similar pattern with its public transport. 

There's been 30 years and plenty of opportunity for operators to adapt post deregulation and serve those markets in an effective manner. Not sure they have.
Goes back to passenger needs again. If we apply the 'does it meet passenger needs' question to the services in those areas, I think we all know what the answer will be.

I don't think it's harsh to compare before and after.