(05 Jan 2015, 1:50 pm)Dan wrote I find it difficult to compare the price of day, weekly and annual tickets between operators due to the totally different ways their services operate.

Stagecoach operates very few services to allow you to travel between different cities. If I wanted to travel between Sunderland and Newcastle, I'd have to get the E2 from my house to Marsden followed by the hourly X34 to Newcastle, with journey time (including connections) being longer than it would have been for me by using the 56 or X36 direct to Newcastle from the Stadium of Light.

I gave this as an example previously, when one of my friends (who lives in Monkwearmouth) was deciding which ticket to buy following the expiry of her POP card.

Similarly, there are no services which get you from Teesside to Tyne and Wear. Go North East doesn't even have a depot in Teesside yet provides three buses per hour from Tyne and Wear to Teesside!

Arriva's prices are higher than Stagecoach's too, presumably for the same reason as Go North East... You can go so much further with greater ease.

Looking at just the X36 though, it's instantly at a disadvantage, because the Boldon to Newcastle (and the fast) section of the route is more expensive than the X34. Aside from the price, I'd say it's like for like, as passengers aren't going to care about a few minutes difference in timings between the two.

Fare paying passengers, unless they already have a valid season ticket with either operator, are going to use the cheapest service. I used day tickets as the example, as neither publish their return fares, and I didn't have time to query it with both operators. The difference between £3.80 and £6.20, I'm sure you'll admit, is significant. 

I get that different operators operate the services in completely different ways, but if someone wants to make a day trip between Boldon and Shields, as per this example, I don't think they'll be too concerned that there's three buses an hour to Teesside. Nor will they be too bothered that Arriva run services to Berwick. I just think that it's a missing opportunity that some sort of special fares aren't on offer for this service, especially when it's recently been reduced due to low passenger numbers. Perhaps a Fast Cats route saver, or even a weekend/school holiday discount return would encourage numbers across? 

I've deliberately ignored the Boldon-Sunderland section of the route, because I do think that any service between Sunderland and Newcastle is doomed. The majority of daytime travellers will choose to use the Metro nowadays. I do think that the Boldon-Newcastle section has growth, but perhaps a need to get back to the drawing board for the first leg of the route. Something that GNE can't be accused of not doing in the past, with replacing the X3 with the X36 in the first place.

(05 Jan 2015, 2:03 pm)Andreos1 wrote That's a good point.

Anyone in Boldon has the choice of operators, with some being conc pass holders (who aren't fussy) and those who do pay, possibly preferring to pay for the cheaper X34.
It would make sense to use the X34 and 100 if going to the Metrocentre too, rather than change at Gateshead

Interesting to see the X36 move to Market Street - not far at all from the X34 stop.
Maybe they are looking to pick up a few punters off Stagecoach?

Whether this is a common pattern I don't know, but I have noticed that on the very rare occasions I am in Boldon or on the 9/X36 - passengers seem to prefer the quicker 9 between Sunderland and Boldon.

Well, this is exactly it! You quite often board a bus, and there's a poster up saying that you can use your Buzzfare to get to X, Y and Z. Washington buses had one over Christmas, about Metrocentre, Eldon Square and the Quaylink I think it was, and the X9/X10 quite rightly promote that they're cheaper than rail, at £7.70 for a day ticket. The X36 can't use this sort of marketing to it's advantage, until the pricing is looked at for that specific route.