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https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/santa-bus?...iAPQUceEog

Go North East has launched its magical open-top Santa bus which will be touring the region right up until Christmas Eve.

A timed schedule will not be published to avoid any crowding, but a summary is available so people can keep their eyes peeled each evening as it passes through the region’s villages, towns and cities.

The company is also encouraging people to share their photos on social media using #GNESantaBus and will soon be launching a competition.

Go North East Santa bus tour schedule

Tuesday 15 December – Washington, Wardley Estate, Leam Lane, Heworth, Sunderland Road, Gateshead Interchange, Bensham, Whickham, Fellside Park, Swalwell, Metrocentre, Dunston, Blaydon and Winlaton Bus Station.

Wednesday 16 December – Chester Road in Sunderland, Penshaw, Shiney Row, Bournmoor, Woodstone Village, Chester-le-Street, Pelaw Estate, Pelton, Beamish, Stanley Bus Station, Annfield Plain, Leadgate, Consett Bus Station, Lanchester Witton Gilbert, Aykley Heads and Durham Bus Station.

Thursday 17 December – Houghton-le-Spring, Hetton-le-Hole, Low Moorsley, Easington Lane, South Hetton, Easington Village, Peterlee, Hordon, Easington Colliery, Dalton Park, Murton, Dawdon, Parkside, Seaham Harbour, Deneside, Seaham Grange and Ryhope.

Friday 18 December – Sunderland Park Lane, Roker, Whitburn, East Boldon, West Boldon, Hebburn, Lukes Lane, Heworth, Gateshead Interchange and Low Fell.

Saturday 19 December – route to be confirmed soon – get the latest updates and information on Go North East’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Sunday 20 December – South Shields, Marsden, Westoe, West Harton, Simonside, Jarrow, Chirton, North Shields, Tynemouth, Preston Grange, Wallsend, Byker, Newcastle Quayside, Newcastle and Sage Gateshead.

Monday 21 December – Concord Bus Station, Donwell, Blackfell, Oxclose, Lambton, Vigo Lane, Harraton, Fatfield, Washington Galleries, Town End Farm, Downhill, Hylton Red House and Witherwack.

Tuesday 22 December – Newcastle, Coast Road, Battle Hill, New York, Monkseaton, Whitley Bay, Earsdon, Shiremoor, Palmersville, Longbenton, Gosforth and Jesmond.

Wednesday 23 December – route to be confirmed soon – get the latest updates and information on Go North East’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Christmas Eve – rather than on an evening, the tour will run during the day visiting Sunderland, Chester-le-Street, Pelton, Ouston, Birtley, Team Valley, Gateshead Interchange and Low Fell.

Please note that the schedule is subject to change – follow Go North East’s Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.


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Great idea GNE imo.

Anyone know if this is running this year

Anyone know if this is running this year

Hopefully not unless they have absolutely no short notice cancellations.

Not because I think that driver should be out driving a proper bus, but because I can't be chewed with people whinging on here about it!

Hopefully not unless they have absolutely no short notice cancellations.

Not because I think that driver should be out driving a proper bus, but because I can't be chewed with people whinging on here about it!

Seeing much the same comments about Arriva sending Christmas decorated E200MMC 2701 to Darlington Town Centre on Sunday evening for a "launch event" during the Christmas lights switch on: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/...gton-fleet

When are we likely to know? Just quite last minute?

Something different to see passing by, and it didn't run last year.

When are we likely to know? Just quite last minute?

Something different to see passing by, and it didn't run last year.

GNE Santa Bus?    It did run last year

GNE Santa Bus?    It did run last year

Oh, so it did. Can't remember which year I seen it, maybe it was last year. Hopefully it will return this year. Spread a bit of Christmas joy and cheer!

Hopefully not unless they have absolutely no short notice cancellations.

Not because I think that driver should be out driving a proper bus, but because I can't be chewed with people whinging on here about it!

I know I get quite annoyed about cancellations when GNE are doing private events, but I think this is different, its been a shit year and this makes people feel better and children enjoy it and normally its office staff from Deptford (i think)

I know I get quite annoyed about cancellations when GNE are doing private events, but I think this is different, its been a shit year and this makes people feel better and children enjoy it and normally its office staff from Deptford (i think)

Children don't deserve happiness. They need to realise the world is shit!

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I know I get quite annoyed about cancellations when GNE are doing private events, but I think this is different, its been a shit year and this makes people feel better and children enjoy it and normally its office staff from Deptford (i think)

Yen it will really make customers happy standing wafting at the bus stop for hours waiting for a bus just to see a open top bus all decorated with Christmas music playing and some bloke ( hopefully not another driver) pretending to be a mythical figure!!!

BAH HUMBUG!

Yen it will really make customers happy standing wafting at the bus stop for hours waiting for a bus just to see a open top bus all decorated with Christmas music playing and some bloke ( hopefully not another driver) pretending to be a mythical figure!!!

BAH HUMBUG!

It's one bus, and I believe in previous years, has been operated by non-driving staff.

It's good community engagement for the company, and as Unber43 suggests, it brings some good cheer to communities.

It's one bus, and I believe in previous years, has been operated by non-driving staff.

It's good community engagement for the company, and as Unber43 suggests, it brings some good cheer to communities.

Just because it's operated by non-driving staff, doesn't mean the general public know that.
As far as they're concerned, if someone is driving around a bus with a mythical figure on it, they should be driving around a bus with real people on it.

Just because it's operated by non-driving staff, doesn't mean the general public know that.
As far as they're concerned, if someone is driving around a bus with a mythical figure on it, they should be driving around a bus with real people on it.

You're spot on, it's all about how the public and the local authorities perceive it. It's like the X11, it only reduced the depot's resource by 1 driver effectively, yet it was cut because people were annoyed that a holiday excursion was put on over a regular service that it didn't effect. Even with a driver shortage the Santa Bus doesn't really make that much of a difference, but I'm not sure if GNE will take the risk considering the year they've had.

Plymouth Citybus have only just posted today that they're doing theirs again this year although it was just an illustration of the bus saying "Coming Soon"

Will just have to see I guess if GNE follow suit (or if they do anything else like showing support for England in the World Cup like they did during Euro 2020).

Plymouth Citybus have only just posted today that they're doing theirs again this year although it was just an illustration of the bus saying "Coming Soon"

Will just have to see I guess if GNE follow suit (or if they do anything else like showing support for England in the World Cup like they did during Euro 2020).

I wouldn't be surprised if 5507/5508/8347 will have any decals added to them, tho with the new management I doubt that would happen.

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You're spot on, it's all about how the public and the local authorities perceive it. It's like the X11, it only reduced the depot's resource by 1 driver effectively, yet it was cut because people were annoyed that a holiday excursion was put on over a regular service that it didn't effect. Even with a driver shortage the Santa Bus doesn't really make that much of a difference, but I'm not sure if GNE will take the risk considering the year they've had.

I think now, and August are very different, back in Aug-Sept Deptford was full of cancellations, and now it isn't. Also its just an evening service ran by office staff its not like 1 driver from Deptford every day, these are office staff, and I think if GNE were to do it they would have to mention that on the post.

We should all probably pick up our ball and go home if we were to deny the joy of a simple PR exercise that seems to genuinely excite kids and causes no harm

Confirmed?

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Confirmed?

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Probably waiting to get clearance from the 'elf and Safety.

Probably waiting to get clearance from the 'elf and Safety.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

The routes for Santa Bus are missing out quite a few areas

The routes for Santa Bus are missing out quite a few areas

Maybe they've been naughty

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The routes for Santa Bus are missing out quite a few areas

It’s a bit of shame Seaham misses out, when the Santa bus idea initially came from Parkside Community Centre iirc, they donated decorations or something?

Having said that they can’t serve everywhere, so someone somewhere always loose out, but it’s in various bits of Sunderland on three days perhaps could have been planned better?

tHERE IS HELL ON IN LOW FELL AND KIBBLESWORTH!

It’s a bit of shame Seaham misses out, when the Santa bus idea initially came from Parkside Community Centre iirc, they donated decorations or something?

Having said that they can’t serve everywhere, so someone somewhere always loose out, but it’s in various bits of Sunderland on three days perhaps could have been planned better?

Seaham in general is coming across as a place GNE don't care about lately imo.

60, reduced timetable
61, frequency reduced and cross Sunderland links lost including the SOL.
62, scrapped
65, reduced timetable and hourly which is useless
X7, scrapped
71, scrapped (subsidised)
No Santa Bus
No Boxing Day services

Not exactly positive.

In fairness, the cross-city links on the 61 aren't really missed - reliability went down the toilet in my experience, but everyone in Murton being confused as to where Lukes Lane is was a bit amusing, and scrapping the X7 was just an inevitability really.

tHERE IS HELL ON IN LOW FELL AND KIBBLESWORTH!

https://twitter.com/gonortheast/status/1...Whr26S1RDw&s=19

Looks like the customer engagement went out the window... Hope it hasn't affected the perception that GNE are a good company to work for

Seaham in general is coming across as a place GNE don't care about lately imo.

60, reduced timetable
61, frequency reduced and cross Sunderland links lost including the SOL.
62, scrapped
65, reduced timetable and hourly which is useless
X7, scrapped
71, scrapped (subsidised)
No Santa Bus
No Boxing Day services

Not exactly positive.

They got rid of the 238 as well. The 62 had good loadings as well, and the 71s are quite busy all the time as well.

Seaham in general is coming across as a place GNE don't care about lately imo.

60, reduced timetable
61, frequency reduced and cross Sunderland links lost including the SOL.
62, scrapped
65, reduced timetable and hourly which is useless
X7, scrapped
71, scrapped (subsidised)
No Santa Bus
No Boxing Day services

Not exactly positive.

Really they should have kept either 61 at every 20 mins, hourly to Peterlee or 62 hourly and re-route it via Ryhope/New Seaham then along Station Road as then they've got a link to Sunderland. 

If GNE can ever return to their past frequencys it will be interesting to see whether the 60/65 will go back upto every 12 mins and every 30 mins. Personally I would rather say 10.8m buses at every 10 mins, than 11.5m buses at every 12 mins honestly.

https://twitter.com/gonortheast/status/1...Whr26S1RDw&s=19

Looks like the customer engagement went out the window... Hope it hasn't affected the perception that GNE are a good company to work for

Woohoo, it missed us out, last year!