(13 Sep 2022, 2:32 pm)F114TML wrote Currently 2x 2, 2x 2A, 1x 22, 1x 23, 4x 39s, 4x 60, 2x 61; so 16 buses per hour - HOWEVER, that is only true for a few stops (Ocean Road - Vilette Road). The 2 joins at Toll Bar Road, 2A at Grangetown, and the 2, 2A and 39s leave at Vilette Road. Equally, is there much need for Old Durham Road to have 14 bph into Newcastle (18 if you add the X1)? I don't know the area too much but it seems a pretty similar situation to me, yet I don't see many people bringing it up. Thing is, all those services connect Sunderland with somewhere else and it just happens that in most cases, Ryhope Road is the quickest and most convenient route. Having said that, diverting some journeys on the 60 (as a 60A or 62 also going to Murton) via QA Road to the Hospital wouldn't hurt anyone, and frankly a direct bus from Murton/Seaham to the hospital would be very useful. Also the 60 needs to be at least every 12 minutes, it's just too busy otherwise, especially if there's a cancellation.
Might be true from what you've seen but it isn't - there's been a couple of times I've been on a 61 playing leap frog with an arriva bus.
A good option might be the 61A route, but instead of going down Toll Bar Road and driving straight past where anyone lives, direct it down past Asda on Leechmere Road. Quite weird on a night how we just drive past where everybody lives and their nearest options are B&Ms at the bottom of the Toll bar, then after that is the stop after the Hollymere pub.