(19 Nov 2023, 10:23 pm)L469 YVK wrote But technically, users are only getting a 20 minute service owing to the 14/6 gaps in Stakeford & Bedlington. It's going to be unsustainable keep adding time onto the X21. A cleaner 15 minute service from Stakeford (either from Ashington Dr or Half Moon) & Bedlington Front Street will keep the loads balanced.

As for the new developments around Fisher Lane & Beacon Hill, the 42 could alternatively serve these.

Or the other alternative option.....X22 misses Front Street only serving Glebe Road but operates via Nedderton instead of the X21.

But for 95% of the route people are going down from a 20 minute service to a 30 minute service and one is frequent and one is borderline infrequent pretty much.

There's like 5 bus stops on the whole route, which aren't in the middle of no-where, where they're actually service the same places. There's no combined bus stops at Stakeford etc. I always think the '10 minute' bus service is confusing. It's just 2, 20 minute bus services, in reality.

I'm not sure if this is the best idea ever but if you really wanted to reduce the PVR then you could potentially do something like this with all 4 corridors being every 30 minutes and the short X20 terminating at Wansbeck Hospital.

Least people are losing out and if you interwork the X21/X22 to work with the 1/2 would keep the local journeys every 15 minutes. Least now more of Ashington is served by the actual express X20. Newbiggin is just going back to the old X31/X32 like it was for years.


(Black: X20, Red: X21, Yellow: X22, Pink: X23)

But I wouldn't be thinking of doing anything like it until the train line comes in.