(24 Feb 2022, 10:32 pm)Adrian wrote Most deregulated markets have been operating in managed decline for the best part of 25 years. Happy enough to run anything profitable and to send that money straight back to investors. Any accountant can make most things either profitable or loss-making on a balance sheet, and it doesn't help that bus services are always looked at parochially. Anything that is a bit tight, even if its the odd trip, is quickly shoved in the local authorities' direction to sort out. Usually ending up in the situation that the tax payer then funds their business, if not farmed out to another operator. It doesn't increase the operators profits, it just decreases the overhead and cuts more customers off from their bus network.

(24 Feb 2022, 11:13 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote These are the key issues.  Under the current model operators are far too easily able to carve up services to cream off the profitable bits, into the pockets of shareholders and abandon both the bits that are less well used, and the people reliant on those.  Local government then has to try to make a fixed pool of public money, not shored up by profits that the fat cat investors have creamed off in the PLC, spread to cover an ever expanded wasteland of abandoned routes.  In turn this increases the profits for private operator, often those same operators who weren't interested in running the service without a load of public subsidy but are happy to cream off anything they can get from the public they "serve".  At least under public ownership, the public purse would get the benefit of the most profitable runs, to more effectively maintain the network as a whole.

(24 Feb 2022, 11:58 pm)DeltaMan wrote Do you honestly think "shareholders" or corporate types in big PLC offices are plotting the downfall of the 32 bus route in Newcastle??

(24 Feb 2022, 11:58 pm)DeltaMan wrote Do you honestly think "shareholders" or corporate types in big PLC offices are plotting the downfall of the 32 bus route in Newcastle??

(24 Feb 2022, 11:58 pm)DeltaMan wrote Do you honestly think "shareholders" or corporate types in big PLC offices are plotting the downfall of the 32 bus route in Newcastle??

(25 Feb 2022, 10:53 am)ASX_Terranova wrote People are angry apparently.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/walker-wallsend-q3-bus-route-23209949

(25 Feb 2022, 10:53 am)ASX_Terranova wrote People are angry apparently.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/walker-wallsend-q3-bus-route-23209949

(25 Feb 2022, 7:06 pm)Michael wrote PB0003954/1226 Cancelled
GO NORTH EAST LIMITED
Route: Metrocentre Asda to Sunnside Front Street via Whickham
Service number: 643
Service type: Hail & Ride, Normal Stopping
Effective date: 27 Mar 2022


PB0003954/304 Registered
GO NORTH EAST LIMITED
Route: Blyth Bus Station to Newcastle Haymarket Bus Station
Service number: 309 (310, X39, 311)
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 27 Mar 2022

PB0003954/1151 Registered
GO NORTH EAST LIMITED
Route: Hadrian Park to Howdon, Tynemouth Road via Wallsend
Service number: 41 (41a)
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 27 Mar 2022

Looks like GNE have the 41/41A

-- from the same date:

PB0003954/1219
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X1 (X1A) Newcastle Peterlee/Dalton Park

(25 Feb 2022, 9:33 pm)V514DFT wrote Shouldnt the 41/41A say cancelled for around Howdon?

(26 Feb 2022, 11:21 am)V514DFT wrote I sit corrected,must of just been me being blind again

(24 Feb 2022, 10:32 pm)Adrian wrote Simple maths is a very simplistic way of looking at it, when in fact the two are very different issues.

Most deregulated markets have been operating in managed decline for the best part of 25 years. Happy enough to run anything profitable and to send that money straight back to investors. Any accountant can make most things either profitable or loss-making on a balance sheet, and it doesn't help that bus services are always looked at parochially. Anything that is a bit tight, even if its the odd trip, is quickly shoved in the local authorities' direction to sort out. Usually ending up in the situation that the tax payer then funds their business, if not farmed out to another operator. It doesn't increase the operators profits, it just decreases the overhead and cuts more customers off from their bus network.

I was trying to think of examples of other businesses that are able to do this. I wonder what my local shop decided they didn't want to open between 6am-10am for morning papers, should the tax payer fund them to do that instead? Or do we just admit that the model is broken?

On the other hand, TfL's financial issues are politically motivated and most people can see exactly what is happening. 

There's an aim to reduce Government funding to 0%, which is why any funding deals lately have been subject to making cuts. It's really no different to what was done to Councils up and down the country since 2010, and I assume TfL are in the same position as Councils whereby they must set a balanced budget every year or the Finance Officer has to issue a section 114 notice.

Who knows what the long-term plan is, but likely to make TfL services attractive enough to be deregulated, carved out and sold off.

(26 Feb 2022, 8:36 pm)Omega54 wrote Anyone know what buses will be allocated the 19, (I wonder if it'll be branded?) It needs a min Capacity of 80.

(26 Feb 2022, 10:00 pm)DaveFromUpNorth wrote So it's a double deck operation?

(26 Feb 2022, 10:00 pm)DaveFromUpNorth wrote So it's a double deck operation?

(26 Feb 2022, 8:36 pm)Omega54 wrote Anyone know what buses will be allocated the 19, (I wonder if it'll be branded?) It needs a min Capacity of 60.

(26 Feb 2022, 10:13 pm)Dan wrote If it was, there’d be a few de-roofed buses going under the low bridge at Percy Main!

The contract requires buses with a minimum capacity of 60 - not 80 - so a Versa or Streetlite as a minimum.


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(27 Feb 2022, 9:23 am)Michael wrote I thought no one was using the 19?, but it requires a minimum capacity of 60.......... NEXUS logic strikes again, gonna be another waste of a big bus.

(26 Feb 2022, 10:39 pm)Storx wrote Versa's surely, there's no Streetlite's spare from what I know. Wouldn't be surprised if it's 5377 - 5379 from Hexham with Solo's going in the opposite direction, they seem dead half the time and Solo's have been running random boards already. It would also mean all the Quaycity batch are together.

(27 Feb 2022, 9:45 am)busmanT wrote What gives you the idea that no-one was using the 19?

I thought it was just not sufficient passengers to allow Go North East to operate it commercially - some journeys can be quite busy.

(27 Feb 2022, 9:59 am)Michael wrote Clearly didn't know that.. never use the service, I just assumed because NEXUS was gonna run it... it didn't need a 60 capacity bus... as GNE wasn't getting the passengers.

(27 Feb 2022, 9:46 am)Dan wrote Go North East don't have any spare Euro 6 Solos to operate service 684 - from 1 July it'll have to comply with the Newcastle Clean Air Zone, or the operator must have evidence that they have placed an order to upgrade the buses to Euro 6.

Currently the 74 does not comply either.

(27 Feb 2022, 9:46 am)Dan wrote Go North East don't have any spare Euro 6 Solos to operate service 684 - from 1 July it'll have to comply with the Newcastle Clean Air Zone, or the operator must have evidence that they have placed an order to upgrade the buses to Euro 6.

Currently the 74 does not comply either.

(27 Feb 2022, 10:04 am)Michael wrote There's still the 2 spare Drifter streetlites, which aren't needed for the 60 - maybe they could be upgraded to Euro 6 as spares or are they planning on keeping 5369-5376 and 8339-8346 together?