(06 Dec 2020, 1:10 pm)cbma06 wrote I hope the daytime bus company that does the services commercially during the day doesn’t get the evening or Sunday services under secured contract
If the bus company does the daytime service and say it’s evening service is not viable to run, why should the taxpayer funds the evening service for the same operator to still run it, I thought GNE mentioned awhile ago that there were prepared to take back some evening services, Has GNE taken back any of the evening/Sunday services which there mentioned awhile ago?
This may surprise some but for North Tyneside it would be better for GNE or Arriva to get them really. The tendering route doesn't work imo especially on such short terms it doesn't entice anyone to provide a good service as you could just lose the thing after a year anyway so it's pointless.
I wish Nexus would work with the operators and actually try and build the services so in the long term the aim is they're no longer subsidised or at least they're not paying at much. In Whitley in particular it would be much better for services such as the W2 etc to be full time operated by either of them so the connections are there right now having a GCT to the centre of Whitley then having to change to either the Metro or another operator doesn't do nothing for no-one and they carry fresh air. Heck even work one further and have talks with the likes of GNE in extending their services to cover the routes; the 1, 11 or 306 could easily be extended to cover the W1/W1A/W2 routes; the 57/57A and W3 could easily be merged together (going via Hillheads), just as example, at least then your providing new links to all those places something that the current tendering can't do and overtime the subsidy could drop (something that won't happen atm).
In return they get to the 11, 19 and 41 subsidised to try and build a network that works.