(18 May 2014, 10:28 pm)Coastliner700 wrote Yes a well thought out plan but GNE have tris this once already with the X41 Bargain Express and the X44/X45 routes from Morpeth. Sadly I'm afraid as shocking as Arriva have became compared to how the company was ran as Northumbria I don't believe they would take the same risk twice and I'm sure as part of the depot swap they must be a clause regarding competition on these routes otherwise there would have been no point in the sale!
Yes but that was on a low cost agreement. What about a clean and comfortable Merc every 15 minutes as opposed to every 20 minutes with relatively fast journey times between Newbiggin, Ashington, Bedlington and Newcastle? What about a journey time of 10-15 minutes less and only slightly more than a less frequent X20? What about a more frequent evening and Sunday service? What about connections across the North East? What about not having to shell out another few quid for a trip to the Metrocentre? What about the new Cowgate junction to replace the roundabout? What about radio communication if there is an operational issue, breakdown or serious delay?