(14 Aug 2021, 10:04 pm)Ambassador wrote it’s probably not in a simple term no. GNE and the others really need to focus on getting the basics right. It doesn’t help that nexus and whatever bunch Cllr Gannon heads up are so limited in their thinking and approach. The public transport network in the north east and particularly Tyne and Wear is woefully fragmented and with that lot in charge it won’t change.
What needs to happen is for every local authority in the region to actually put in place bus priority measures that make a significant dent into current journey times. A 100m stretch of bus lane here and there really isnt going to cut it. If the bus was reliable, fast and dependable - most people wouldn't really care about the Wifi/Next Stop/Livery etc. They would choose the bus due to speed and access.
Unfortunately, none of local authorities have a backbone to do this as they are too scared to lose the political vote that comes from the car owner. Lets hope the National Bus Strategy calls them out on it, as I understand it, the biggest and boldest ideas are most likely to be funded first (so they cannot claim money will be an issue).
Another issue for me are Clean Air Zones. Why do buses need to be Euro 6 but cars don't? Makes no sense. The bus operators should be incentivised to upgrade (better BSOG rates etc) but the car should be simply banned from core areas of the city (generally speaking, appreciate the numerous variables at play).