(31 Jan 2016, 11:12 pm)Davie wrote Cheers.

Roadworks are scheduled to be completed on 12th March according to the DCC website (http://www.durham.gov.uk/roadworks). Hadn't realised that they had started in November. Absolutely flown over.

PB1088679/21 - G & P JOHNSON LTD T/A NIGHTINGALE COACHES, 7 AMBROSE COURT, STANLEY, DH9 8GA
Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between St Mary Primary School, Whickham and A692 Byermoor given service number 895 effective from 13-Apr-2016. To amend Route and Timetable.

Nightingale Coaches have moved from their South Moor depot to where Classic used to be based - most of the Olympians seem to be parked behind the building as opposed to in the main yard.

The streetlite is on the 48 shuttle so it looks like that the vehicles loan period has been extended

Is the 28C shuttle service still running?

(16 Apr 2016, 10:41 pm)Jimmi wrote Is the 28C shuttle service still running?

No, the High Handenhold roadworks were scheduled to be finished on Friday afternoon so all routes returned to normal.

(16 Apr 2016, 10:48 pm)S813 FVK wrote No, the High Handenhold roadworks were scheduled to be finished on Friday afternoon so all routes returned to normal.

Oh right, thanks.

Thought them roadworks would never end!

(16 Apr 2016, 10:49 pm)Jimmi wrote Oh right, thanks.

Thought them roadworks would never end!

It wasn't there that a roundabout was needed. It will still take ages to turn right onto the A693 out of High Handenhold at the fire station end although, to be fair, there isn't really any room to put a roundabout there with it being so built up.

(16 Apr 2016, 10:51 pm)S813 FVK wrote It wasn't there that a roundabout was needed. It will still take ages to turn right onto the A693 out of High Handenhold at the fire station end although, to be fair, there isn't really any room to put a roundabout there with it being so built up.

I think the what has transpired here is strange. 

I'm not arguing against the roundabout as I think it will prevent accidents and improve the flow of traffic from Pelton and Newfield onto the A693. However, I presumed would have been made four-way to include an additional junction for High Handenhold/High Urpeth instead of keeping the existing junction and road layout. Traffic emerging from High Handenhold aren't even prohibited from turning right on the A693. I think it would have made more sense to make traffic use the roundabout to turn around first.

(16 Apr 2016, 11:00 pm)MurdnunoC wrote I think the what has transpired here is strange. 

I'm not arguing against the roundabout as I think it will prevent accidents and improve the flow of traffic from Pelton and Newfield onto the A693. However, I presumed would have been made four-way to include an additional junction for High Handenhold/High Urpeth instead of keeping the existing junction and road layout. Traffic emerging from High Handenhold aren't even prohibited from turning right on the A693. I think it would have made more sense to make traffic use the roundabout to turn around first.

Apart from the roundabout at Batleys, the others on that stretch of the A693 are all strange in design. Leaving quite a few questions.
This one, Perkinsville and the one at Blind Lane/Park Road North.

(16 Apr 2016, 11:06 pm)Andreos1 wrote Apart from the roundabout at Batleys, the others on that stretch of the A693 are all strange in design. Leaving quite a few questions.
This one, Perkinsville and the one at Blind Lane/Park Road North.

I firmly believe the one at Perkinsville was a balls-up. The council tried to do something, found either that they couldn't get the land or there wasn't enough space, before finally reverting back to the original road-layout and bodging a roundabout from that.

This new one, in my view, took an unusually long time to complete. As a daily user of the A693, nothing seemed to happen for weeks on end then, all of a sudden, the roundabout appeared and, over the last two weeks, works have been going on at night to presumably meet the deadline.

New in at Nightingales is Neoplan Tourliner OU66XBW
Nightingale Coaches of Consett Neoplan Tourliner OU66 XBW in St Andrews, 12/9/16 by Andy, on Flickr

Nightingale Coaches are operating the Park & Ride for the 2017 Bishop Auckland Food Festival.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/98641142@N08/33731713416/

!!!!!COMING SOON NEW BUS SERVICES!!!!!!
Consett - Stanley to Metro Centre and Newcastle
Consett - Rowlands Gill to Metro Centre and Newcastle
Stanley circular service

https://www.facebook.com/nightingale.coa...8979026028

(14 Sep 2017, 2:12 pm)Michael wrote !!!!!COMING SOON NEW BUS SERVICES!!!!!!
Consett - Stanley to Metro Centre and Newcastle
Consett - Rowlands Gill to Metro Centre and Newcastle
Stanley circular service

https://www.facebook.com/nightingale.coa...8979026028

Lovely news.
Hopefully they are a success and passengers benefit from these new services.

I love it when a bit competition comes together.

(14 Sep 2017, 2:29 pm)Andreos1 wrote Lovely news.
Hopefully they are a success and passengers benefit from these new services.

I love it when a bit competition comes together.

Expecting Go North East to chance most, or if not, all of their services in that area now, it depends on how often the Nightingale routes are going to be and the prices.

Very interesting indeed and good luck to them. I can't quite recall the last long-distance independent service in the Stanley/Consett area so to set up 2 is incredibly ambitious. Go North East seem to be quite good at dealing with competition though.

Looking forward to seeing the outcome.

(14 Sep 2017, 2:32 pm)Michael wrote Expecting Go North East to chance most, or if not, all of their services in that area now, it depends on how often the Nightingale routes are going to be and the prices.

(14 Sep 2017, 2:36 pm)S813 FVK wrote Very interesting indeed and good luck to them. I can't quite recall the last long-distance independent service in the Stanley/Consett area so to set up 2 is incredibly ambitious. Go North East seem to be quite good at dealing with competition though.

Looking forward to seeing the outcome.

It would be disappointing to see GNE react like that.
An independent giving it a go and seeing a gap/opportunity in the market up there, speaks volumes IMO.

I genuinely hope their offer succeeds and we see BOTH operators carrying passengers. With the only winner, being the passengers.

(14 Sep 2017, 5:59 pm)Andreos1 wrote
It would be disappointing to see GNE react like that.
An independent giving it a go and seeing a gap/opportunity in the market up there, speaks volumes IMO.

I genuinely hope their offer succeeds and we see BOTH operators carrying passengers. With the only winner, being the passengers.

Hopefully they don't. 

Wonder when the prices will appear etc, be interesting to see what they'll use on the routes, also wonder what the route numbers will be and the frequency... hopefully not 3 times a day

Good on them, about time someone challenged the monopoly of gne in Consett/Stanley area, also if the fares are priced right gne might loose out......expect buses 5 mins in front though!!

(14 Sep 2017, 6:08 pm)Michael wrote Hopefully they don't. 

Wonder when the prices will appear etc, be interesting to see what they'll use on the routes, also wonder what the route numbers will be and the frequency... hopefully not 3 times a day

I would guess at some sort of interworking at one end or another.
Ditto the services operating on the back of a scholars service or two.

(14 Sep 2017, 6:32 pm)nk55 wrote Good on them, about time someone challenged the monopoly of gne in Consett/Stanley area, also if the fares are priced right gne might loose out......expect buses 5 mins in front though!!

In days gone by, a spare vehicle kicking around the depot would have been used. In the days of the 21/221 I remember all sorts appearing. Ditto the 13/194 - although a spare MetroRider generally appeared.
As the fleet gets smaller and smaller and depot spares decrease, it reduces the chances of the spoiler happening. Certainly in the short-term.
Could we be talking loans?

I really don't want GNE to ruin this.

Best of luck to nightingale I'll definitely use their services. Gne need some competition that was one of the prime motivating factors behind deregulation.

Charles

I suspect some of this may be tender work they've won, rather than anything massively competitive. Would be pleased to be proved wrong though!

(14 Sep 2017, 9:03 pm)tyresmoke wrote I suspect some of this may be tender work they've won, rather than anything massively competitive. Would be pleased to be proved wrong though!

Hope not.... It's annoying for the passengers of those services, as day/weekly etc tickets can't be used.

(14 Sep 2017, 9:03 pm)tyresmoke wrote I suspect some of this may be tender work they've won, rather than anything massively competitive. Would be pleased to be proved wrong though!

But why would there be a tender for a route from Consett to Newcastle via Stanley when there isn't even one through the day?

Likewise with a Stanley circular

(14 Sep 2017, 10:04 pm)Tom wrote But why would there be a tender for a route from Consett to Newcastle via Stanley when there isn't even one through the day?

Likewise with a Stanley circular

The M7 was up for tender during the daytime, and odd evening journeys on the 6A and other stuff

(15 Sep 2017, 8:25 am)tyresmoke wrote The M7 was up for tender during the daytime, and odd evening journeys on the 6A and other stuff

I thought it was ran commercially, clearly not.

(15 Sep 2017, 8:25 am)tyresmoke wrote The M7 was up for tender during the daytime, and odd evening journeys on the 6A and other stuff

Very strange that only the M7 was up for tender and not the M6/8 also

(15 Sep 2017, 2:44 pm)Tom wrote Very strange that only the M7 was up for tender and not the M6/8 also

Could it not just be the part of the route around East Stanley/Acton Dene that is up for tender?

(15 Sep 2017, 5:41 pm)Dans_bus_photos wrote Could it not just be the part of the route around East Stanley/Acton Dene that is up for tender?

Possibly yeah, but would be stupid to split the route would imagine GNE would take it on commercially if that was the case.

Were any 45/46 services up for tender?