(28 Jun 2020, 12:12 pm)Andreos1 wrote I agree with some of the points you have made, but two of the points really stand out. 

Looking at the first one, what have operators done to complement these changes in the way we live? Retail World at Team Valley has existed since the mid/late 80's. What bus service do we see now, that didn't exist through Team Valley prior to it opening?
How have operators improved their offering across the board, to suit Sunday trading? 

I couldn't disagree with the second point any more. An individual being given a financial incentive to change their car and upgrade to one which supposedly is better for the environment, is totally different to major PLC's with massive borrowing power, being given money to upgrade a proportion of their fleet.
Your personal cash flow situation and borrowing power is totally different to any of the big three bus operators.

Out of town retail parks are exactly the type of place that are difficult to serve with public transport, as they attract customers from a wide geographic area meaning that the number of potential passengers from any one area is too low. Of course, the one that you mention is ideally situated for car owners next to the A1. Planning policy needs to change. Had it been in Gateshead Town Centre it would have generated a lot of bus passengers.

Sunday services have been increased by most operators in recent years to reflect increased passenger volumes on Sundays (depends how far back you compare of course)

Grants for vehicle upgrades are available to all operators, large or small, just like grants to upgrade to an electric car are available to millionaires.
The government grant avoids operators having to increase fares to cover the cost of the upgrade, and allows a faster implementation. There are increased ongoing maintenance costs associated with exhaust upgrades that operators do fund themselves.