(15 Jun 2014, 7:20 am)Andreos Constantopolous wrote An independent wasn't it?
One of those small companies that don't have a massive bus network to feed into the contracted service nor the financial clout or influence that a major plc has.
As well as that, you had Classic - who would have incurred huge dead mileage costs.
To be honest, although the service is standalone - I cant imagine NCC have turned round to GNE and told them that the ad122 MUST stay as a service which MUST NOT accept the operators tickets - knowing full well those factors would probably do nothing to help increase passenger numbers.
I may be wrong, but the ticket prices and structure is probably more to do with the tender bid, affordability and margins.
Busman101 and his 'sources' may be able to advise otherwise.
As always, happy to be pointed in the right direction, as a lot of my points on the ad122 are based on guess work.
BIB: The Cumbrian Independent was Alba Travel.
BIB&I: Classic worked the board that started/finished in Newcastle - so only light mileage from Anfield Plain to Newcastle Central Station. Alba are based in Penrith so they had a tiny bit more light mileage to Carlisle than Classic did from their base to Newcastle.