Was at Gateshead Interchange the other day and it got me thinking,  its design isnt the best, mainly Stand N where all the driver changeovers happen, a 21/27/56/57/58 all required a driver changeover, stuck behind them all was a 25 and an X1, is there any real way of combating it?

(26 Feb 2023, 12:51 pm)V514DFT wrote Was at Gateshead Interchange the other day and it got me thinking,  its design isnt the best, mainly Stand N where all the driver changeovers happen, a 21/27/56/57/58 all required a driver changeover, stuck behind them all was a 25 and an X1, is there any real way of combating it?

If say..the 21 pulls in lets everyone on and off, then leave the driver cab and the new drivers just drives off as there are no stops people can get on from after and just stop people getting on from Gateshead after the drivers switched over therefore they don't need to wait for the drivers to have a chat then log onto the ticket machine which can take upto 3-5 mins

Its worse if you get a late runner amongst it all,it would be an issue if that side wasnt so narrow as they could of built the road so there was space for buses to be able to overtake

56 does not change driver at Gateshead as it is operated from Deptford so changeovers take place at park lane

You're missing the point

I've never seen them run out of space, there. It's a vast improvement on before the bus station was built when all hat happened in front of Iceland /the ugly sculpture.

(26 Feb 2023, 12:51 pm)V514DFT wrote Was at Gateshead Interchange the other day and it got me thinking,  its design isnt the best, mainly Stand N where all the driver changeovers happen, a 21/27/56/57/58 all required a driver changeover, stuck behind them all was a 25 and an X1, is there any real way of combating it?

There's plenty of space at Gateshead, never had to queue for longer than 20 seconds to get on stand, ever.

(26 Feb 2023, 10:34 pm)deanmachine wrote There's plenty of space at Gateshead, never had to queue for longer than 20 seconds to get on stand, ever.

Well i know what i saw

I've seen it a couple of times lately on a Saturday, but it tends to be when everything else has gone to pot with delays and such. The rest of the time it's completely fine.

In terms of changeovers, it'd probably help the flow/remove the obstruction from Stand N, if drivers boarded the one or two that might be waiting for a Newcastle bus and then pulled into the layover area just ahead to do the changeover.

Must say Gateshead is one of the best interchanges in the North East (other than Middlesbrough) imo. Lot's of space, no obstructions mainly etc. It sounds like an issue with driver changeovers rather than the design more than anything.

Now Haymarket, Eldon Square and Durham are bad bus stations, tight, no layover space and generally depressing inside if it's Haymarket with numerous obstructions including Eldon Square obstructing Haymarket.

(27 Feb 2023, 10:54 am)Storx wrote Must say Gateshead is one of the best interchanges in the North East (other than Middlesbrough) imo. Lot's of space, no obstructions mainly etc. It sounds like an issue with driver changeovers rather than the design more than anything.

Now Haymarket, Eldon Square and Durham are bad bus stations, tight, no layover space and generally depressing inside if it's Haymarket with numerous obstructions including Eldon Square obstructing Haymarket.

Eldon Square was a massive backwards step. Although dark and dingy, the old bus station worked absolutely fine.

Durham will have slightly more layover space when the new bus station opens, plus the longer bays to make it less tight, but neither were ever it's biggest problem. The lack of discipline from one operator in particular in how they use the bus station was.

To paraphrase a McEwans advert from the 1990s

Gateshead, nice bus station, shame aboot the town.

(27 Feb 2023, 11:44 am)Adrian wrote Eldon Square was a massive backwards step. Although dark and dingy, the old bus station worked absolutely fine.

Durham will have slightly more layover space when the new bus station opens, plus the longer bays to make it less tight, but neither were ever it's biggest problem. The lack of discipline from one operator in particular in how they use the bus station was.

Yeah totally agreed and it messed up Haymarket up at the same time as there used to be the massive layover space and buses could loop around the back of the car park to get out instead of all parking in the actual bus station waiting to get out (which they can't get out as Eldon Square buses block the exit quite often).

It's a bit of a mess imo.