(16 Jul 2020, 12:09 am)Washingtonian wrote I'm sure I've said this before but I'll say it again I think the real reason why some areas are poorly served is because there are other areas which are way over served. While I can understand Go North East's constant focus on its core routes to a degree, its clearly causing other areas to be neglected. In my opinion the frequency of some of the core routes is the main issue, an example being the 21. Why does it need to be every 7/8 mins? There are more than enough services between Newcastle and Chester le Street and more than enough buses that serve the Low Fell corridor. It's the same between Washington Galleries and Houghton. As far as i'm aware both the 4 and X1 are both still 10 minute frequencies during the day, resulting in a ridculous 12 buses an hour between both places! When I've been in Houghton (before this covid-19 pandemic by the way) i've often looked to see how full both services are both ways and more often than not both only have a handful of people on, so how can such a high frequency be justified?

In my opinion I think the core routes should be limited to a 15 minute frequency so this will free up buses to serve other areas with new routes or route variations. Services could then be combined to provide a higher frequency along the major stops. For example you could have the existing 21 route every 15 minutes between Chester le Street and Newcastle (every 30 minutes to/from Durham) and have a new service 22 going from Chester to Newcastle via Barley Mow, Portmeads, Eighton Banks, Wrekenton and the QE meaning the 925 will no longer be needed. Then the 25 could serve Birtley, Lansbury Drive and Birtley Crematroium instead via Low Fell and Harlow Green etc. This would make the 25 a bit more direct too. Yes the Birtley to Low Fell corridor would lose around 2 buses an hour but it would still be very generously served by the many other routes that pass through.

While the core routes do offer a more direct service to major stops, the high frequencies thus more buses they use are robbing people in other areas of a better service. Its strange how when I was a kid in the 80's/90's we had the step entrance buses yet villages and communities were better served. Now we have all these easy access buses and yet some people have to walk more to get a bus or wait for a nexus secured service which goes round the houses and comes once an hou . I don't mind walking to get a bus myself but I think its totally unfair on the elderly or disabled to be expected to do this