RE: Stagecoach North East: Upcoming Service Changes
(10 Apr 2024, 8:31 pm)busmanT wrote When did Nexus publish the results of the 35/Q3 consultation?Â
As GNE couldn’t have decided what to do until they were published.
(11 Apr 2024, 12:08 am)DeltaMan wrote But it wasn't for GNE to decide. What you are saying is GNE essentially sat on its hands.Â
The NEXUS consultation launched on 9th Nov and stated the plan was to cease paying GNE to run via Jesmond. Surely at that point GNE would have produced a draft commercial timetable change just in case? (i.e fully Great North Road)
Why wouldn't GNE do that?
Buuut.... they ran the route for years without going in Jesmond so it would just take a bit of common sense to look at old timetables even just as a guide.
(16 Apr 2024, 2:01 pm)Lewis1509 wrote Go North East just being greedy 'catch you next Tuesday's' as usual. Nexus stopped funding the Osborne Road section for the Q3 and GNE kept it running that way commercially, completely ignoring all customer requests to have a direct service along Great North Road.
Because the customer is never right attitude is rife throughout GNE.
(17 Apr 2024, 9:00 am)Mark66t wrote How are gne been greedy ??
See now the Q3 is a route built upon subsidy.Â
Firstly, with the withdrawal of the original Q1/Q2 contract (Haymarket - Gateshead/St Peters via Quayside). GNE decided to take them on commercially and subsequently merged with the 51/52 (which became the new Q1/Q2) and then also merged with the X40 (Great Park), which became the Q3 - also bought new versas for the route. Things stayed pretty stable and then GNE extended the Q3 to Wallsend (I think this was around the time Stagecoach withdrew the 18 from Wallsend). Again things seemed pretty stable. Until (2021?) when Nexus withdrew the 33/33A contracts as they did with lots during this period. GNE then had a PR backlash when they withdrew the Wallsend section and diverted via Jesmond, I remember locals and counsellors kicking off with class-based reasons etc... So nexus funded the St Peter's - Wallsend section after a short time. A year after the Jesmond variation GNE reduced the freq and claimed unsustainabity through Jesmond eventhough it was their choice. And until March this year Nexus funded more than half of the bloody route anyways. And they still fund the Wallsend section. So no wonder they could afford new electrics as they were making profits off of the taxpayer.
And now.... we have it where they could run it in Jesmond during 2021-22, but suddenly became unviable so was funded for 2 years and now back to suddenly being financially viable so they will happily duplicate the 35 just to pinch the punters, (which really grinds my gears as the taxpayer funds it and nexus have cheaper fares too I believe) instead of being able to up the freq back to every 15 mins and reduce the route time by going along Great North Road all while not increasing the PVR (rough working out, I have not done the maths), as it was for years before the route deviation into Jesmond. And as Lewis pointed out its the passengers in Great Park who suffer as there is a significantly longer journey due to this against their requests too!
Thank you for coming to my TedTalk
