(15 Jun 2014, 6:02 am)citaro5284 wrote Of course it could also mean that is what the NCC/National Parks wanted and GNE are operating just that. On the other hand no matter what happens, GNE will always be at fault whatever the circumstances are in some people's eyes.
What were the fares on the service last year when GNE did not operate it?
Exactly - in fairness to GNE, it was picked up at very late notice so the vehicle choice was pretty much based on what was about and not needed for other contracts elsewhere. I'm not sure what people expect should be run on a short term contract that's awarded at very late notice.
Onto the fares, the service is aimed at visitors to Hadrian's Wall, so its much more of a tourist service than something for the locals - hence the fares are in a similar style to something like Stagecoach's City Sightseeing in Newcastle - you can't chip up with a Megarider on that one ! The through tickets from Newcastle are in place as many of the users travel for the day from there, so it makes sense to offer an inclusive fare (especially as this replaces the previous link that Classic operated for NCC last year). The local fares, such as Wall and Acomb into Hexham or Gilsland to Haltwhistle are still pretty reasonable and probably pretty similar to other operators.
The service seems pretty busy and I've heard some very positive comments on the availability of information for this seasons operation in comparison to last year - time will tell, but it looks like its fulfilling the needs of the stakeholders as it stands