(03 Apr 2021, 1:23 pm)Adrian wrote I think people are massively over-thinking this. Its a one-run a day service, clearly designed for a day-trip/tourist market to Whitby and Scarborough.
Hear, hear!
(03 Apr 2021, 1:29 pm)peter wrote In my last post I was merely playing devil's advocate by highlighting how each practice could be applied to the service in one direction but not the other, from the point of view of seat availability. Obviously, I do not believe that system should be implemented, like you say it would be far too complicated in terms of ticketing having one rule one way and one rule the other. Although I can see Andreos' point about somebody missing the X10 10 minutes earlier, and being disgruntled about not being allowed on the X11, I guess that would be hard luck, in ordinary circumstances were the X11 not running they would have had to wait the 40 minutes anyway. And so fundamentally I agree it is easier for the X11 to be considered a separate entity. But like others have pointed out it's slightly awkward treating it separately on the one hand, but then branding it X-Lines, using the X9/X10 spare vehicle and numbering it the X11 on the other.
Yes indeed.
I do acknowledge the points on the numbering potentially leading to some confusion, but I still think it's unlikely. As Adrian mentioned in his previous post, the service is using different stands in Gateshead and Heworth, so I think that will rule out most confusion, as, chances are, those passengers will be waiting at the stand the X9/X10 services usually serve. There is argument for numbering it consecutively and running the familiar X-lines bus, in that it can be more easily identified as a Go North East bus. There's not a lot of appeal to anonymous-looking buses, and, arguably, could be why past services (such as the Pygalls Coaches 230 service between Sunderland and Hartlepool) have failed.
Had we been in a more normal world, this probably would have been a coach, being a part of the 'Northern Coaching' unit. That type of vehicle is more suited to this type of service, but while social distancing is still a thing, the capacity on-board vehicles is vastly reduced. If a 48-seat Northern Coaching Levante was allocated, you'd be limiting capacity to roughly 24 passengers. Assuming that this is made up of six groups, each paying £40, the service would bring in £240 in revenue. For simple maths: if the shift is 13 hours in duration and the driver is being paid £12/hour, the driver costs alone are £156, and that's before you take into account fuel, depreciation, maintenance costs, cleaning costs, and so on. It's clear to see why a coach cannot be allocated in the current climate, therefore branding it X-lines is a given, as it had to be allocated a newer, fairly comfortable, double-deck bus instead.