(10 Jan 2023, 6:13 pm)Unber43 wrote I've been out today and i've never really heard massive complaints about the service, obviously there is a one of comment every now and then, but every bus I went on all people were doing was complaining about the disgraceful services, and the state of public transport being abysmal.

I wonder if you offered people free driving lessons how many of them would actually still chose to take the bus, my guess would be around 10%

(12 Jan 2023, 11:32 pm)Ambassador wrote I see wor Rog was in the region today.

He managed to miss the dozens of wrong route branded GNE services  but our hero did spot the 685 being run by an incorrectly branded bus and rightly chastised arriva on Twitter.

It’s almost like he’s averse to criticising the company that pays his no doubt lavish pension….

(07 Feb 2023, 10:53 pm)Andreos1 wrote There was a fella from B&H who sat in a bus stop and talked about how they got drivers in at short-notice and got them to drive an impromtu night bus route, even if they didn't know the route.

(08 Feb 2023, 3:47 pm)MurdnunoC wrote Fascinating.

Didn't realise you needed a PSV licence to work at Benson and Hedges but it's nice to see an employer going the extra mile to ensure workers can get to work on time.

(08 Feb 2023, 6:59 pm)Andreos1 wrote No, no. You misunderstand. 

It was to get the people who attended Fat Boy Slim home.

(08 Feb 2023, 8:08 pm)MurdnunoC wrote Ah. I thought it was another tobacco company trying to enter the bus market. We already have Lambert and Butler Buses based in Stella although perhaps not for long as L&B are due to attend Hillcrest House soon. 

I don't think TC stands for Tobacco Commissioner either.

(20 Feb 2023, 8:31 am)Andreos1 wrote https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64651414

Interesting read about services in The Potteries and the impact it has on the population

(09 Sep 2023, 7:11 pm)Unber43 wrote I think the 65 massively depends on the weather it gets good loading most days but when its hot its rammed and standing both ways

(10 Sep 2023, 10:08 am)Adrian wrote Yes, much like the 50. It'll be rammed on red hot weekends like this, but other days it'll carry no more than a handful at any one time.

I think having seasonal services would work better than tampering with existing timetables, e.g. if there were a mass of folk wanting to travel from Hetton and Murton to Seaham, then run something direct and express. Even if it's just one bus operating on a two-hourly frequency.

(10 Sep 2023, 7:22 pm)Ambassador wrote I thought the lack of social media presence was poor today, even if it’s not GNR day. Stagecoach had diversion tweets going out, nexus were on the ball but GNE had absolutely nothing

(10 Sep 2023, 7:22 pm)Ambassador wrote I thought the lack of social media presence was poor today, even if it’s not GNR day. Stagecoach had diversion tweets going out, nexus were on the ball but GNE had absolutely nothing

(26 Oct 2023, 7:32 pm)Adrian wrote Had to have another commute into our Newcastle office today. Every time I do this, I remember exactly why I rarely bother.

I left the office about 16.50 tonight and it wasn't until just before 19.30 that I walked through my front door. 2 hours 40 mins, for what should have been an hour at most.

First hiccup was that 6090, due at 16.58 from Market Street, decided to do a loop of the town and out without picking up passengers. Presumably regulation, due to being 15 minutes late, though arguably still could have picked up passengers and still been stuck coming down through the Bigg Market* The 17.11 56 then pulled in on time, boarded everyone, then had to tell us all to get off again because there was a fault.

Seeing as the 17.14 27 pulled in as I got off the 56, I ended up boarding that, with the intention of jumping at Heworth for a 4. That also got stuck at the Bigg Market* and we ended up 20 late at Heworth (6pm by now)

The 18.12 4 was also late, departing around 12L. Around 15L by the time we got to the Galleries. About a 15 minute wait later, and the 2A pulls in on time. A couple stops later and a short walk, and I finally make it home.

Now I get that bus operators have no real influence over traffic congestion, but they're also good at causing it. An expired 21 at the foot of John Dobson Street seemed to be causing chaos, with foremen from a nearby building site being left to manage 3-way traffic flow. They also can't do much about the Bigg Market, where there's a temporary traffic light, just down from what used to be the Pig and Whistle. That being said, it's complete and utter madness to continue to send buses through there, when they're sitting 20 minutes at a time.

If people don't have to put up with this rubbish, I don't know why they'd bother putting themselves through it.

(28 Oct 2023, 1:29 pm)Andreos1 wrote Well yeah, because they're gonna have to spend an absolute fortune recruiting and training an entire workforce.

(28 Oct 2023, 2:41 pm)streetdeckfan wrote That implies they would want to keep running buses in the North East. It's just not financially viable!

(28 Oct 2023, 8:21 pm)Andreos1 wrote Well it is. Or certain routes are. 
Probably a load more routes are viable too, if they existed and there was the commercial nous to do something about getting cars off the road (beyond tables and paint jobs).

The fact these buses are stuck in traffic, tells me there's more than enough people out there. Enough people to make the operators enough money to keep the shareholders happy.

530,000 people are living in County Durham alone.
345,000 in the Sunderland Council authority.
Almost 1 million people across just TWO conurbations dominated by GNE, yet they can't make any money...
Whack in another 200,000 in Gateshead, throw in a proportion of the population of Newcastle, North Tyneside and South Tyneside and it is pretty clear where the issue lies.

(28 Oct 2023, 8:48 pm)Storx wrote Wouldn't say GNE dominate Durham and Sunderland mind, Stagecoach dominate Sunderland imo, and Arriva dominate the stronger corridors in Durham, Peterlee to Durham for example.

Gateshead should be GNE's gold mine, they dominate the Metro Centre and they dominate corridors which should have rapid transport but don't. Areas like Low Fell, Birtley, Felling, the QE etc. should be some of the strongest corridors in the North East, similar to the Stagecoach Newcastle services. Instead we have one corridor with constant investment (Durham Road) and everywhere else is limping around with buses from London which are life expired.

Not to mention Washington is one of the largest towns without a rail service at all, yet the bus services towards other areas without changing after travelling in the wrong direction are non existent and that's if it isn't subsidised.

The state of some routes routes which used to be flagship routes; the 10, 27, 49, 51, 52, 56, 58, 93, 94 and 97 in particular is poor, nothing appealing about them to use them - if they bother to run at all. Most have had downgrades in recent times nevermind upgrades.

(28 Oct 2023, 8:59 pm)Andreos1 wrote Whether they dominate them or not, they're clearly in the catchment area of a proportion of those populations. 
Let's say a quarter of Durham and half of Sunderland (including Washington).
More than enough people to make the services viable - assuming GNE actually took the time to see where those people were travelling to.

(28 Oct 2023, 8:59 pm)Andreos1 wrote Whether they dominate them or not, they're clearly in the catchment area of a proportion of those populations. 
Let's say a quarter of Durham and half of Sunderland (including Washington).
More than enough people to make the services viable - assuming GNE actually took the time to see where those people were travelling to.

(28 Oct 2023, 9:34 pm)DeltaMan wrote You can't just look at a population number and label it a good catchment area. It's about population density, where settlements are in relation to other places and the sociodemographic makeup of those settlements. There is more to this sort of thing than just getting a bunch of crayons out and drawing things on a map...

(28 Oct 2023, 10:29 pm)Ambassador wrote Indeed, Birtley gets mentioned a lot but outside the core Durham Rd area, most of the growth in Birtley is private housing (Northside etc) Even towards Newcastle Bank, it’s historically private ownership (long bank, northdene, crathie, hollys) with space for two car families 

If Birtley hadn’t have by chance been positioned on Durham Road it would probably be getting a 30 min frequency,

(28 Oct 2023, 9:34 pm)DeltaMan wrote You can't just look at a population number and label it a good catchment area. It's about population density, where settlements are in relation to other places and the sociodemographic makeup of those settlements. There is more to this sort of thing than just getting a bunch of crayons out and drawing things on a map... 

(28 Oct 2023, 11:03 pm)Storx wrote Admit this is a bit off topic but not sure I agree with that, there's a fair amount of social housing / low car usage housing in the Portobello area which has an absymal service. 

The 21 imo is way overbussed between Birtley and CLS aswell.

I'm not going to delve into the land of suggestions here but there's an 82 which serves all these areas and a 21 which is overbussed south of Birtley. Bolt the things together imo, then you'd have a decent destination at both ends of the route and open connections up to Washington across all of Birtley and connections to Newcastle in the opposite direction. It's the exact sort of network Arriva has up here pretty much. Not to mention the Low Fell to Washington connection which in turn then opens up the Low Fell to Sunderland connections, or Nissan, or Houghton Le Spring and so on.

The 21 is crying to be split up against like the Arriva 43/44/45, X10/X11 or X21/X22 imo which it was in the past. One thing I'll always give credit to Arriva is literally everywhere in Northumberland which they serve has a direct link to Newcastle.

(28 Oct 2023, 10:29 pm)Ambassador wrote Indeed, Birtley gets mentioned a lot but outside the core Durham Rd area, most of the growth in Birtley is private housing (Northside etc) Even towards Newcastle Bank, it’s historically private ownership (long bank, northdene, crathie, hollys) with space for two car families 

If Birtley hadn’t have by chance been positioned on Durham Road it would probably be getting a 30 min frequency,

(28 Oct 2023, 9:17 pm)Storx wrote Aye fair points but being honest I actually don't think Go North East do that bad in rural areas, I can say nice things sometimes... Consett and Stanley have decent enough networks imo.