RE: Return of Old Routes/Numbers
I might be wrong but I think this was the time when all of Arriva's services did a big flip. Before the change, the 22 did its current route from Durham to Wheatley Hill then headed on to hartlepool via Wingate. Meantime, the route of the current 22 between Thornley and Sunderland was covered by the 21 from darlo. For a short period, we also had the 21a that went to boro. When the changes happened, we lost the 21s and got one of the 57s, instead and the 22 started serving Peterlee, instead of the 21, but still carried on to hartlepool. I don't think the changes were well received, at the time, as some long established links were lost. As it didn't go into nexus territory, the buses on the 22 were absolute sheds, at the time, and frequently didn't show up, otherwise having some pretty bad punctuality issues. It only ran once an hour and, after throwing over £15 at a taxi to get home from a hospital appointment in time to get the boys home from school, when one didn't show, I just didn't bother with it.