(09 Oct 2014, 12:27 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote Well if it is then mustn't be much for each stop then as it still can't keep to schedule regardless of timings.
Most services with a streamlined frequency face the same issues, and it's even more prevalent with long cross-city routes where a disruption on one end of the route can affect the service being provided on the other end.
When a service has a streamlined 10 minute frequency (or greater - in the Angel's case), passenger numbers are not consistent from run to run. A lot of passengers adopt the 'turn up and go' thought process - these passengers will simply go to a bus stop, without checking the timetable, and expect a bus will arrive shortly. So many times I've seen people stand a bus stop for about five minutes, and when a bus has not arrived, that's when they check the timetable. I know the majority of my family do this too (much to my annoyance).
It's quite often the case that you'll get a 56 which is absolutely rammed - by nothing more than pure coincidence - then the following service will be a lot quieter as the previous one accumulated a delay from picking up more passengers than expected, and the delay carries on and carries on. The following service then picks up fewer and fewer passengers, and you'll find that you eventually see two in a row. The one in front is then regulated, with the one behind getting all the passengers at a suitable timing point (such as Gateshead Transport Interchange).
As I say, the passenger numbers completely fluctuate and it would be very hard to prepare for the unexpected when designing timetables. Although operators want reliable services with as little lost mileage as possible, they do want to deliver savings too, and having a bus lay over for more than 10 minutes on a 10 minute frequency would be difficult to justify (as it adds an extra bus/driver to the mix, increasing costs).
The recent increased peak-time frequency on service X21 not only combats Arriva's X2, but 'eases pressure' from the Angel too. Some passengers will migrate from the Angel and use the Pronto instead, now that it has a higher frequency. Perhaps if there was an 'X56' during the day which also increased frequency at peak times, something similar could be achieved to improve reliability on service 56 - but we'll leave the suggestions for the appropriate thread!