(12 Nov 2021, 2:19 pm)Drifter60 wrote But that takes away from the 65, the 65 isn’t just about Durham to Seaham journeys, it’s about Seaham to Dalton Park, Seaham to Murton, Murton to Hetton, Hetton to Seaham, Dalton Park to Hetton etc. The recent increase to this service shouldn’t be lost just to cover a gap somewhere else.
The 71 I find a bit infuriating, I don’t think it’s been given a chance to work . The benefits of direct links across Houghton, linking Seaham to Chester - there’s good leisure opportunities, retail offerings, parks and recreation along the route. A good mix of employment/commuters, community needs and a bit of the leisure and tourism market that should on a paper make a bus route work. I can’t believe it couldn’t turn a profit.
They've had 15 years of giving it a chance in the main (since they replaced the 21a, 177, 178 with it) and they will have had donkeys years worth of data to know what numbers are like between Seaham and Houghton.
The quick fix is the timetable.
There's also all those things you mention that be used as part of the marketing and promotion of the route.