(19 Mar 2024, 5:59 pm)Storx wrote Must admit, can't remember those ones, seem rather infrequent though so no surprise they didn't do well. Hourly bus services are completely useless unless you live in the outback of nowhere.



Agreed that they shouldn't be funding an express.

Personally, if I was going to suggest something, I'd look at moving the BSIP money off the 56 and creating new services between Washington and Newcastle. One idea I'd have would be to cut the 84/85 in half at the A182, additionally serving Ayton Road and Cambrian Road with the 50 instead serving Raby Road and send them to Newcastle. All movements can still be made around Washington, even known it's not a loop anyway as it terminates at Concord, anyway.

Drop them down to every 30 minutes each, and you could combine the 84/85 with the 56 at Springwell and you'd create a bus every 7.5 minutes along a very busy corridor. The 56 is only 5 minutes longer than the X1 between those points anyway.

It's arguably better than increasing the X1 zooming by people at bus stops and those not being very busy once you get to the other extremes.

The new 84/85 would also have the benefit of Washington being at the far end of the route so you'd have a flow in both directions.