(06 Sep 2021, 6:41 am)Dan wrote Echo the previous comment - very well written, balanced and informative.
As Peter suggested, Durham County Council found the funds to maintain services to Chester-le-Street on service 28, Burnhope and Lanchester on service 30 (as service 730) and Houghton-le-Spring and Seaham on service 71. They continue to be operated by Go North East commercially until such a time comes that Durham County Council can procure a replacement service that they tender. Despite these service changes being agreed with the local authority many months ago, I think the service change date crept upon them and they weren’t able to procure replacement services in time.
Go North East also maintained a service to Pelaw Estate, as 734, in the ‘dead time’ of the 28, which would have otherwise been used as a layover period.
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I still can’t help but get slightly annoyed that council funds are being used for this sort of route. I can see rural areas - Burnhope being a good example - that funding a commercial service doesn’t always add up, but are we expected to believe the 71 that links two towns on pretty much a direct route with business parks in close proximity at both sides, retail offerings available in both locations plus leisure opportunities at Seaham and a new retail park in Houghton isn’t enough to sustain an hourly Monday-Saturday daytime service? If it’s not, then marketing has failed somewhere. I’m glad the route is saved as it would be a vital missing link, however call me syndical, but I can’t help but feel the bus company knew the council would do just that and get the cheque book out. I can sort of see the 28/28A (even though I still think it’s a strange terminus for the 28A) as it does do a bit of magical mystery tour of those villages west of Chester. But even then, has the travel pattern of people in Pelton Fell, Grange Villa and Beamish changed that much considering the 28 has been largely unchanged for well over a decade now?
It will be interesting to see what happens with those routes - the 28/71 in particular, you can imagine it’ll be an inconvenience for passengers if further down the line a tendered service is given to Arriva or Stanley Travel. You’ll not be able use GNE tickets when in both communities GNE is pretty much the sole operator, with the odd exceptions. I mean might as well not be under any illusion regards the new 730, 734 and 643 routes longer term. If the 925,938 are anything to go by, they’ll be withdrawn at the next set of changes for better or worse.