(21 Feb 2022, 9:06 am)Economic505 wrote It was the Tories that privatised the buses , forcing Metro into competition. Those old enough will remember the integrated transport system prior to 1986. In those days , there weren’t flashy liveries on buses , instead we had a regular and extensive service , Day and night. Today, we have flashy liveries (GNE especially ) hiding a massively shrinking service. This started well before Covid.100% agree with this. Wasnt the metro set up to run along side buses in the 80S Imagine how clean Newcastle would be if the buses were still in public ownership and people used the metro to get into town after getting dropped off at regent centre/for lane ends/heworth.
As we have seem on the Railways, privatisation has failed, hence why they are coming back towards state control. Only a matter of time for the policy to be extended to buses.
(21 Feb 2022, 8:39 am)Storx wrote Gannon is head of NECA or whatever it's called these days. It's a Nexus / NECA / Council issue though, it's mental how far the North East is behind pretty much every other area. It doesn't help that Nexus has serious conflicts of interest in running the Metro at the same time and runs it as competition rather than integrating with the buses.
Network One should have been abolished years ago and merged with Pop and it needs to be regionwide not just Tyne and Wear.
It more like the private bus company's running it in competition with the Metro. I remember Gateshead metro in the 80's. If wanted to get to town you used the metro. The buses that went on to Newcastle were drop off only at Gateshead ( except the cross tyne service). The whe d-reg i am sure i remember the buses undercutting the metro on a single form Gateshead to Newcastle and advertising the fact!