I can't sleep and I was checking over the train mapping thread. The initial plan was to knock up some sort of map, to see if there were any patterns or trends. 

I think I've kept mine up to date incase I (or anyone else, I'm not precious) decide to actually do the map.

Anyway, it got me thinking about ferry and plane mapping and if there were any similar trends. 

So, commercial journeys by plane. 
I'll start:

Newcastle - Amsterdam
Newcastle - Belfast Aldergrove
Newcastle - Heathrow
Newcastle - Berlin Templehof
Newcastle - Wroclaw
Newcastle - Prague
Newcastle - Dubrovnik
Newcastle - Dalaman
Newcastle - Rhodes
Newcastle - Palma
Newcastle - Ibiza
Newcastle - Alicante
Newcastle - Malaga
Newcastle - Faro

Teesside - Dublin

Leeds/Bradford - Belfast City
Leeds/Bradford - Palma
Leeds/Bradford - Riga

Manchester - Marakesh
Manchester - Bilbao
Manchester - Antalya 

East Midlands - Dinard
East Midlands - Rhodes

Birmingham - Antalya (bonus being that the return trip saw a 20 year old 757-200 rock up rather than the booked 737-800). Not a huge fan of the 752, but nice to get one last trip before they go.

Luton - Amsterdam

Heathrow - Billund

Guernsey - Jersey 

Amsterdam - O'hare

I think that's the lot. If there's some I've forgotten or others I take, I'll add them on.

Feel free to add your own.

Before 2019, GNE predominantly purchased WrightBus bodied vehicles as well as a few Optares. But recent single & double decker orders have shifted towards ADL (97, X30, originally 'intended' X1 order but now Derwentside & Hexham).

Were the new batch of StreetDecks in the pipeline before MG arrived or after? Also, what was the reasoning behind ordering 3x E400MMCs initially for the X30 rather than low height StreetDecks across the board?

Stagecoach has announced its Stagecoach Solutions product. The group says it will offer a range of sustainable options as alternatives to traditional public transport to deliver more flexible travel for businesses and educational establishments, including dedicated services.

The Stagecoach Solutions platform will be made up of:

• Corporate tickets, offering businesses tailored fare products for employees who regularly travel to and from work by bus
  
  
• Customised demand responsive services, available at a time and a place that suits the businesses and its employees
  
  
• Dedicated business shuttle services
  
  
• Dedicated education bus services to allow better control of social distancing.
  

In addition, rail replacement and travel support for major events and festivals, when they are permitted, will fall under Stagecoach Solutions.

The group says that the addition of more tailored offerings builds upon others that have been introduced during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Stagecoach has recently worked with the NHS and other organisations to support employee travel. That includes the launch of Stagecoach Connect, which has delivered three demand responsive services for NHS staff in the East Midlands.

Says Business Development Director Neil Micklethwaite: “Coronavirus COVID-19 has demonstrated the positive impact that tailored services can have.
“The extra products we are offering will provide a range of options that enable employees, pupils and students to return to work and school safely and to help companies and educational establishments put sustainability at the heart of their business.”

The government recently told the Confederation of Passenger Transport that an estimated additional 5,000 vehicles would be needed for dedicated home-to-school services in England from the new academic year. They will be part of efforts to remove as many pupils and students from regular bus services because of reduced capacities there.

Early guidance on school reopening from the Department for Education, issued on 2 July, states that pupils travelling on dedicated home-to-school services from the autumn term will not be subject to social distancing requirements onboard. That will allow those vehicles to be loaded to their maximum capacity, although various precautionary measures are recommended.


Information From - "https://www.route-one.net/news/stagecoac...ce-market/" 

So I wonder if this means that Stagecoach will be more involved in Metro Replacements with extra, dedicated buses on bus routes during school runs?

Does anyone know what school contracts Arriva Jesmond has kept/lost ?
I heard a rumour that they have lost St Cuthberts & at least 1 Gosforth Academy run.

This has been something I've been thinking about lately, there's generally an obsession with GoNorthEast on here going into Stagecoach and Arriva areas but does competition actually create a better or worse bus service.

Based on the North East I kinda want to say no. There's only really 3 areas with real competition against each other; North Tyneside, South Shields and Sunderland and arguably they're the worst 3 areas in the North East especially in terms of subsidies or depots pretty much being closed (South Shields) whereas the areas which are monopolies generally have a better service ie. West End of Newcastle, Consett / Stanley, Gateshead, SE Northumberland etc.

This is both terms of the fleet age, the frequency of routes and the areas where most subsidies are.

I'm guessing it's down to the fact they can't make as much money as everything is shared so it's not as important to invest there as there's other places they could make more money so it just leads to constant downgrades.

Thoughts?

19643-3

Go North East are in the semi-finals of "The World Cup of British Bus Companies" on Twitter, and are running against Nottingham City Transport. It's currently neck and neck.

Have you cast your vote yet? Make it count!
https://twitter.com/TheWorldCupofE2/stat...3929608202

Has anyone managed to ride the electric Metrocity GNE has on trial at the moment? I wondered what your thoughts of it were.

I haven't been on it myself, but having watched a few videos of it on YouTube it doesn't seem like the most peaceful sounding electric bus ever, or at least not when accelerating over 30mph.

---

London's new Caetano e.City's on the other hand sound very peaceful. Granted being in London it's probably trundling along gently & not having to accelerate onto the Tyne Bridge from a standing start to 40/50mph. But still, listen to this:

Forgive me if this does not warrant a new thread but looking through Flickr I couldn't help wonder if a list of former demonstration vehicles could be compiled and reasons for success or failure. I wondered why the B8RLE didn't match up to the Streetlite when it was trialled on the 20.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...630671.amp

Wonder how this will affect buses coming in and out of Gateshead/Newcastle as it mentions closing certain roads to buses.

(Mods please move if posted in the wrong place)


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