(05 Jul 2022, 12:03 pm)Dan wrote Arriva's network is similar, but I think their fares are typically half that of an adult single ticket (which are considerably more expensive than Go North East's adult single fares), unless you have a Teen Card (which you also have to pay for).


Ironically this is the exact situation I see in most supermarkets at the moment.

I'm paying more, for even less of a product. Difference is that the supermarkets don't inform their customers, the price is just what you pay.

In terms of the ANE vs GNE fare comparison, I wonder if the (in my experience, almost always) higher fares charged on ANE services is a better strategy for the rural nature of much of their network (and therefore, for large parts of GNEs).

As much as I believe in cheaper bus travel, without significant government funding that isn't going to happen, and so arguably the approach of ANE is the right one. For what it's worth, I also think that for the most part ANE fares are reasonable. 


In terms of the supermarket comparison, I'd strongly disagree. Supermarkets might not inform you over Twitter, but there's a label when you go to pick up the product and a door you can walk out if you don't like it. On the bus, especially for folk who might not follow GNE Twitter, there's no option but to pay or not travel. In the supermarket there also tends to be choice - if Heinz have whacked up a tin of beans to £2, you can always get the Tesco brand, that's not possible on most bus routes.