(08 Aug 2021, 2:55 pm)L469 YVK wrote I wouldn't say wipe out considering GNE are looking into an EV solution for their Cobalt & Coast routes and have actually reverted them back to their full Jan 2020 PVR rather than cutting back.EV Solutions are being looked at on four corridors into Newcastle. Majority by Zebra (not the operators) and backed by TNE as part of their bus strategy.
Arriva on the other hand still haven't invested in their alleged "goldmine" route despite the VDL DB300s approaching 10 year old. Arriva will always have the slight edge between Blyth and Rake Lane even if they went down to every 20 mins because "it goes up the motorway". But GNE now have an extremely competitive offering between Battle Hill and Newcastle along the Coast Road corridor.
This includes the Coast Road, West Road, Great North Road and Durham Road.
So yeah, technically, Stagecoach are looking into EV for West Road and Arriva are looking into EV for Great North Road.
As mentioned in other threads - there are no such things as 'goldmine' routes anymore. at 65% passenger levels, everything is still heavily loss making. Even the government is only predicting 80% return by next April (hence GNE committing to changing things now, knowing fine well that some of these more marginal networks will never, ever be commercially viable anymore.