(23 Jun 2014, 7:26 am)AdamY wrote That must have been a sight to behold. I suppose it shows, albeit in a dangerous light, how seriously certain drivers took competition back in 1990s.
For the sake of comparison, here are the timetables for both services 13 and 194 taken from the 'S3' Washington Bus Guide back in January 1994.
Yup, those are the two routes.
The 13 ran not far behind the 638 (always nice getting that a mention) on a small section from Penshaw to Fatfield heading north.
When the 13 ended, GNE introduced the 191 between Penshaw Monument/Herrington Park (before Herrington Park was a park) and Newcastle.
Competition can be a good thing when passengers are put first - not sure it is the case when operators are simply marking their territory.
The only Stagecoach/Busways route over that way was the 33.
Maybe it is time they came back and opened the market up a bit more?