(11 Oct 2022, 7:38 pm)streetdeckfan wrote You're right, there is no point in having 3 different major operators. Because they've all colluded to carve out their own monopolies in different areas, which is against the spirit of competition. And when one does decide it wants to compete in an area, a shitshow ensues! I'm honestly surprised Arriva has done nothing about the 21 and X21 extensions yet!
Catch 22 is there's not enough money to go around for competition so if you had multiple companies doing one route then other marginal services will suffer which are currently propped up by them.
You just have to look at North Tyneside where there's 15 buses an hour or whatever it is now on the Coast Road. Go off the Coast Road and it's a skeleton service at best. It's the same down in Birtley aswell.
Pricing and lack of interworking tickets is the biggest issue in the North East. Eradicate that issue then who operates the buses is just irrelevant.