(05 Jun 2023, 9:13 pm)Andreos1 wrote I've made points previously about the X3/X3A and the route it takes between Redcar and Marske.
It's painful.
Not sure how much time the Dormanstown diversion added to the timetable of either service, but it seems to take a lot longer than it did when bypassing it. 

Neither of those things make the service any more attractive for those using the service other than locally in Redcar.
They've potentially put people off using the service under the guise of saving themselves money or reducing overheads. 

Throw in the 15min clock face timetable that the X3 series and X4 had, versus what they have now (timetabled to run just a few mins apart on common sections in some cases) and you begin to wonder at the logic and decision making.
Then look at how closely the 5 and X3A run together in Brotton...

There's no doubt the X3A provides useful, important links. It will never succeed under it's current guise and I'd be interested to see any knock-on effect with the X3.

Some places are going from 4 buses an hour to 3.
Others are going from 2 to 1.
Not conducive to turning up and going. You've shared your own thoughts on hourly services...

Aye fair points and can't disagree especially on 1 BPH which is a big no no and unusable.

It's one of those areas that kind of annoys me where there's an express but no slow version.

Imo something like the below would improve stuff with 4 simple routes, 2 fast and 2 slow and it links everything up that people want all 30 minutes.



Purple: X4 - Limited Stop, Current route omitting Dormanstown.
Blue: 4 - All Stop, 62 from Middlesbrough to Redcar, merge of 62/X3 from Redcar to Marske, then X3 through to Brotton

Orange: X5 - Limited Stop, Middlesbrough to Guisborough, then quick to Easington via Livington Mines
Pink: 5 - All Stops, Middlesbrough to Guisborough, serve the estates of Guisborough then extend to Skelton via everywhere.

All Every 30 Minutes Day Times, All Hourly on a Sunday / Evening.
X4/X5, Combine for 15 minute Middlesbrough to Brotton / Loftus service.

62, 5A - Withdrawn

The new 5/5A is a complete farce aswell and would fix buses running on top of each other. Everything is linked up as far as I'm aware and heck if the 4 is too busy up the frequency and actually try and grow something for once.