(06 Jun 2021, 5:26 pm)ifm001 wrote If a possible 3 buses an hour is too many between Durham and Boldon that would then go against the suggestion made previously that the 50 would warrant double deckers. Increase capacity woth larger buses or increase frequency with same size vehicles.
Yes the routes differ between Boldon and Shields hence why I recommended numbers 50 and 51 which would retain the route difference.
As I said some tweaks etc would also be needed this was just a quick thought that popped into my head.
Fellgate has a daily link to Boldon with the 558 during the day and the 30 on late evenings.
Jarrow as you say has the link with the 5 but there is also the service 9 from Boldon Lad (or Herons as it is now). Yes that would warrant a change of bus but there are many areas that have the same issue a change of bus is required. I guess most people would love direct services to everywhere but regrettably in some instances changes would be necessary .
There is also the Metro although again that would warrant warrant change.
As I've just stated in previous post, these may need tweaking, this was just a thought gone through my head.
Maybe it's good that conversation has moved across the other side of the Tyne for a change instead of being constantly about the North Tyneside network.
I'm sure there are plenty other alternatives that could be put forward and recommended. This was just mine.
The links you have mentioned are infrequent and run by two different operators - the latter meaning unless you get a Day Rover, you will have to pay two separate fares (unless GCT accept South Tyneside SmartZone which I suspect they don't). Off the top of my head, the 30 runs once every two hours and the 558 is hourly, with a number of early morning journeys not running through Fellgate, not to mention only serving one side of the estate.
Even the point about the Metro runs into difficulties in that it is not free for the elderly (token payment I accept to use it for the year), the change to the 9 would have to occur in Boldon for 558 users as there isn't a stop prior to that where they meet or they face a hike over to Calf Close which for anyone with walking difficulties may be too much.
I agree there's room for improvement, but given the links the 5 provides, I can't see it going anywhere or being changed. Especially as the whole drive at the moment is to make public transport more accessible.
On a side note, the 50 works half hourly as it interworks with the 5. The 5 is generally not the busiest of buses, but the 50 is. Quite a few departures from Durham have students packing the Omnicities out. They've changed it to serve Nissan all day now, and naturally it's the direct link for anyone in the Chester-Le-Street area for a day out at the seaside. Weekend's on the 50 in the Summer can be standing room only by the time it gets to Washington. Hence why Sunday allocations used to be Red Arrow B9s. The same argument could be used with the 26 and 27. 27 warrants a decker, the 26 generally won't. I'd argue that converting the 50 and 5 to DD wouldn't be a bad idea when suitable deckers are available. The Angels are a few years old now, maybe they'll be upgraded about the same time as the Omnicities are ready to expire and they come over to the 50 and 5?
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