(31 Dec 2019, 10:28 am)Rob44 wrote I used the 44 when it was Whitley bay - Hazlerigg back in the day. it was very rarely on time TBF but it always came in my experience. They never said tough its now starting from Gosforth high street - get your ass there to get it! Also in my experience when you put your hand out for an Arriva it stops. My partner was waiting at the bus stop at on way to town for work and it drove straight passed..... luckily I was in so she rang me and I dropped her in town. Rang customer service and after 7 days they got back to her to say sorry we've check the CCTV and he did drive passed.... he was new to the route? Maybe they should make the bus stop shelter and sign bigger?
Storx - what you say make a lot of sense, but take the 21 GNE for example. I've stood in the rain and seen a number of half full 21 zoom passed with NIS on trying probably to catch up on time. Then surprise surprise the next 21 is full so cant get on that either. 40 minutes for a 10 minute service. Imagine if arriva put competition on the route ( not the poor X12) do you think GNE bus would zoom past money waiting at the bus stop if they thought that money would go to arriva? Of course not. And it give the passengers another choice of company to use and drives fares down.
The problem is GoNorthEast wont just sit there and let them get away. Arriva have already attacked Durham Road in the past because of GoNorthEast trying to take on Arriva's routes. See below:
https://bustimes.org/registrations/PB0003954/288 - X43/44 from Blyth to Newcastle in Arriva territory.
1 month later
https://bustimes.org/registrations/PB0002717/188 - X21 along Durham Road (It failed miserably).
They wont risk it happening again and another war starting.