(26 May 2023, 3:47 pm)Jimmi wrote Peterlee to Hartlepool is clearly the better half of the route given its due to retain 4 buses an hour on this section on the 23/24.

That said, I saw a 23 heading along Ryhope Road, Sunderland towards Hartlepool around 1130 on Saturday morning and it was carrying a decent loading.

Form my experiences at least some trips can be busy, others aren't and not everyone's going to/from Sunderland between Peterlee and Sunderland you will get short hops plus people heading towards Dalton Park.

I think this is where currently it depends on who the operator is, not necessarily how lucrative the corridor is. Arriva has always been dominant for Hartlepool travel in East Durham - Peterlee, Horden & Blackhall have had 4ph for years + had quicker service to Sunderland & Durham for the villages, such as Horden & Blackhall. The lack of cross operator tickets in County Durham means you’re often stuck with one operator if you need weekly, monthly or even day tickets. 

Therefore it’s a no brainier to get an Arriva ticket if you lived in Blackhall rather than opt for GNE - even if there was a slightly cheaper option - as you’d benefit for more buses to let’s say work in Hartlepool but then you can also get to Sunderland, Durham or Dalton Park on the weekend if you needed the shops etc. That’s also forgetting to mention that the vast majority of GNE services in East Durham have no evening or Sunday service, and haven’t done for years. So Arriva had options for you to work late or socialise later into the evening. Ryhope to Sunderland is the reverse, GNE have more extensive services, later and enhanced timetables and probably better ticketing options.